Proper 20 (2)

Welcome Statement

Good Morning Church! Praise the Lord who raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap (Psalm 113:7 Ref).

Last week we reflected on the purpose and meaning of the Cross, and what it means to love and bear with one another, as well as bearing our own crosses, our yokes, that Christ has asked us to bear in this life. We find ourselves back in the Book of Amos this week. If you recall Amos was one of the more fiery prophets in his language. He has strong calls to repentance and blatantly spells out the consequences of the sins of Israel during his time. Today’s reading is short, it is in Chapter 8 of Amos, and it is where God notes the misplaced priorities of his people, who are concerned about wealth, so much so they oppress those who don’t have anything and squeeze every drop from them.

Old Testament Reading - Amos 8:4-7

Amos 8:4–7 NRSV

Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

Unbalanced Weights & Quantities

God’s call here is pretty direct, and it feels extremely relevant to the economic pain that we witness around us, and to the suffering of friends and family who have fallen on hard times. There’s an interesting note here of how the people have focused more on their coin pouches, and not the wellbeing of their souls and others. We see how they can’t wait for the new moon to be over, as well as the sabbath so they can sell their grain, and gather their wheat on the work day. I think of like a busy stock market, people all staring at their clocks waiting for the market to open so the frenzy of buying and selling begins.

Unbalanced Weights & Quantities

God then points to how the people have been unfair in their use of currency as well, as their own defined standard for quantities like the shekel, which is a quantity of wheat, is abused by making it smaller through bad scales, making people who sell wheat make less money. But then they turn around and use larger weights for the grain, so that they can make a bigger profit off of the grain they made from the wheat. A comparison that is not a 1:1, as we are assuming proper scales here, is how a farmer might sell wheat at a regular price, or at a lower price during an economic downturn, that a manufacturer then creates a new product out of, like grain or bread, and then sells it at a premium price, rather than the market rate that all stores sell bread. Not a criticism on economics, I just found it tricky to relate this issue to everyday. I suppose a similiar example would be to get low-balled on a car sale offer for a care you know is worth way more via the kelley blue book.

Won’t be Forgotten

The scariest part of this passage is the Lord claiming the deeds will not be forgotten. Obviously Sin overtime is forgotten or paid off transactionally during this time through sacrifice, but we also know God desires more than just sacrifice, he desires a holy people, one that worships him, the sacrifices were meant to be a way to humble oneself and worship God, not become a get out of jail free card, where one’s sin was continual and taken for granted like it was no big deal.

We must recall that Israel carried all of that baggage and history with them, cumaliatively, throughout the story. This is where Jesus comes in and stops that. Sins become forgotten and forgiven, and we start to let go of our old habits.

In Luke, Jesus talks about how complicated money can be, and he uses a very shocking parable to do it. It’s hard to explain without just reading it.

New Testament Reading - Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1–13 NRSV

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

words

New Testament Point #1

Little Faith, Much Faith

Mammon or Christ

I remember when getting out of College and School was no longer the highest good

Closing Statement

words

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, adfs asdfa

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!