"This Is What I See" – A Prophet's Warning
August 2, 2015 | Anita Retzlaff and Valerie Epp
Amos 7: 14-15 The Call of Amos
Anita
The story of Amos is encouraging in some sense: not the nature of his doom-filled warnings but rather who it is that is speaking out. This is not someone like our modern day televangelist or published biblical scholar. Amos makes it abundantly clear that he is not a "professional" prophet. He is working man: a herdsman and whatever a "dresser of sycamore trees" is. The point: he is a relatively ordinary dude who has something really important to say because he has been paying attention to what is happening around him. And, he has the courage to speak clearly even when the message is not well received. The priest Amaziah is furious, booting Amos out of his home territory in the north, in Israel. So Amos moves south to Judah unrelenting in his forthright speech.
The story of Amos is encouraging because it makes it legitimate for some of us ordinary folk to speak about what we see around us too. With that in mind Valerie and I will share with you this morning some of our concerns about the world and the church. Listen to Valerie speak and you will hear that God is nudging her and I would say not necessarily differently than God may have nudged Amos. God welcomes those who have the heart and the courage to speak to what they see: good and bad.
Valerie
A couple years ago, I felt that I needed to work on my spiritual life and how my beliefs as a Christian and as an Anabaptist Mennonite impacted my daily living and interactions with others. I’ve been searching for answers to my curious questions and direction for improving my relationship with God and, most importantly, how I fit into this crazy, busy society we live in. Often it is the smallest things in life that point you in the direction you need to go. This can be through the people you meet, the conversations shared, knowledge gained through reading books, and the desire and open heart to learn more.
I believe the most important piece to my searching would be in having an openness to the leading of God, which is through our relationship with Jesus Christ, and inviting the working of the Holy Spirit into our heart, soul, and mind. Each one of us has had experiences in our lives that impact how we grow spiritually. And God works through us each in a different way. How we respond to the voice of God depends on what we are doing and if we are listening. I guess I’m trying to hear His voice and trying to journey in the direction He desires for me. I’m a teacher. I’m a happy person with a positive outlook on life. I strive to make a difference in life. So for some reason I keep getting this desire to keep searching for more answers and guidance. It makes me wonder: What the heck does God want from me?? What is He trying to tell me??
Just like Amos, who was a herdsman, God called him, an ordinary lay person, to bring a warning to Israel. We too are lay people in our congregation with the capacity to hear the messages from God that He has for us. We can choose to either respond or ignore the message. But in North America, or the Global North as it was termed at the Mennonite World Conference, maybe we are not listening for a message from God or don’t know what that may look like, sound like, or feel like. Maybe our lives are far too busy and we don’t have time or make time to hear God’s voice, feel the direction He is pointing us in, or see where He wants us to go. Are we listening? Are we feeling? Are we looking?
Amos 5:18-24 – A Word from God: Judgment
Anita
"People!" rails Amos, "You are losing touch with God's ways! You are getting careless and preoccupied with things that destroy. Your prosperity is making you blind, deaf and forgetful." The story of Amos is also discouraging because his assessment of God's people is pretty harsh. Israel is prosperous. There is peace in the land. However, the good times have made the people sluggish, heartless and selfish. The poor are being abused and exploited by the comfortable, morality has disappeared and worship has turned into a gong show.
Hatred and violence are exacted in the name of religion. Amos protests his people’s lack of justice and social conscience accusing them of melding religion and nationalism so that they no longer know when one becomes the other. Amos decries their smugness, hypocrisy, careless pursuit of luxury and accuses Israel of forsaking God’s way of justice and meaningful worship.
Some things don’t change all that much, do they? I don’t think that we can apply all of Amos’ concerns to our current situation. There are some things that we are doing much better than Israel did in those days but there are some other things that need a change of heart and thoughtful attention today that were not a threat then. I mention three: our environment and world-wide natural resources; the explosion of technology; and our society’s institutions that so quickly become colossal problems instead of healthy resources.
Valerie
This is what I’m learning. We live in a very prosperous and comfortable country. We have what we need just through a phone call, email, text, online shopping, mega malls, and stores with plenty of food. When we become comfortable we become complacent because of our progress and success. There is that feeling that everything is going very well, often driving us to work even harder to continue what we have because it is all very good. Nothing could be better. It is natural to want success for ourselves and our children. But at what cost? What are we teaching them? What is the message we are sending to the generations to come and is it right? How does our faith in God fit into this picture?
It was mentioned at the Mennonite World Conference that we are considered the Global North which is quite different than the Global South. This past Sunday, I went to the New Holland Mennonite Church with my parents. Many churches around Harrisburg were having guest speakers from the conference and visitors were attending via shuttles from the various night lodgings. Adi Walujo, a pastor from Indonesia, described the differences between the two locations, North and South, this way: “When we look at the Mennonite churches around the world, it is interesting to note how different we are and the path we are on as we walk with God. The Global North is wealthy while Global South is poor. The churches in Global South are growing and increasing in numbers but the churches in Global North are losing members and dying. Why is that?
This is what I’m learning as I read and listen. In adult Sunday school we have explored many topics about where the church is going. How are we going to be the church that recognizes and addresses the disparities within our society? What does it mean to be an authentic community? What does the church look like in the post-modern era? How do we do missions? How are we going to keep our youth in church? All good questions that keep my mind very busy. I have discovered that, right now, where I am at this point in my life, I have become very concerned about our Mennonite church and I want it to continue growing like the Global South. How will that happen?
First, I think there are many people who are looking for a church that is more than ‘doctrine’ and less like the ‘institutional church’. I’ve read books by Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Shane Clairborne, Richard Rohr, Bruxy Cavey…what I have taken from each is how we are so busy arguing about the wording of our doctrines and policies, or how the established church is supposed to be operated, that we are forgetting what the main point of church and being a Christian is all about. That the kingdom of God is now and our calling is to love others and offer friendship, build relationships, and demonstrate a practice of inclusion. Richard Rohr says that we have to be careful that the church does not become like a country club where only some are accepted and others feel they don’t belong. Do we practice the kingdom of God through our actions of inclusion no matter who the person is, how they look, or where they come from? Do our everyday actions build relationships and friendships? It’s not about doctrine and well organized religious institutions….it is about practicing the message that Jesus shared on numerous occasions: Love your neighbor as yourself. That’s it. Very simple.
Very powerful messages were presented at the conference by members of the Young Anabaptists who are representative of the young adults world-wide who are seeking to be part of the current church but with a twist. They said that they are not going to be the church of the future but rather they are going to be the church now and of the present! What they are speaking and sharing to all of us is that we are missing the point about being a Christian church, being Anabaptists, and most importantly being Jesus Followers. They are telling us that we need to become a body of believers who are following the teachings of Jesus and live out the kingdom of God now. It’s about love and acceptance. When we live the kingdom of God now, we are working to fulfill the gospel which will not be complete until every part of humanity will be transformed and reconciled to God and Jesus Christ. The Global South is being transformed. Are we? That is what they are asking and encouraging us to respond likewise. Or are we too comfortable with how things are? We know that change is difficult and often makes us feel vulnerable to the unknown.
So are we paying attention to the message God is sending to us? Are we paying attention to what is going on around us or happening to those on the periphery of society? Or are we too consumed in our daily living in such a prosperous and busy society? It is very easy to become comfortable. God loves our awesome four-part singing but do we carry the message from that singing and apply it to our daily living? How do we see others and how do we interact with them? Many changes are happening in our city and country. Are we listening to our “modern-day Amoses”?
Amos 9:8, 14-15 – A Word from God: Restoration
Anita
The story of Amos is also an encouraging one in its conclusion. At the outset of the story God roars and Amos warns but as all prophetic words come to an ending there is usually a glimmer of hope. It is not too late to turn around, to repent and to make changes. Destruction has been set into motion however and for the northern kingdom of Israel, their demise is imminent. The southern kingdom of Judah will have several generations of life yet until Babylon destroys the temple and ships all of God’s people off into exile.
That may sound like only bad news but it’s not. Wherever God is known and worshipped, there is the Kingdom. Wherever there are a few faithful who remember the ways of God and act upon them, there is the opportunity to rebuild. God never abandons those who are attentive, repentant and loving. I don’t think God abandons those who are still working on it either!
Valerie
And through all the talk of what needs to be done or what we need to change, we know that God is not going to leave us floundering or turn His back on us. To use Anita’s statement in an email….God sticks with us! Thank goodness for that! Or it would all feel so hopeless. What an awful feeling to have no hope. Thankfully God does give us hope.
So, on my personal journey I find myself on, I realize that I am still learning how to live the Kingdom of God now and what I can do to carry out the message Jesus has given us to share. And I’m eager to learn. Partly why I wanted to go the conference so much and to fellowship with believers from all over the world. God has restored my faith in the world and encouraged my journey and walk with Him through the worshipping among 7000 Mennonites from around the world. I’m totally inspired!
How am I and how are we going to ensure that God does not turn His back on us? By loving God, loving others, and loving ourselves because that is the greatest commandment given to us. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-39 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” God wants us to be co-constructors of the Kingdom of God and that means to demonstrate love. How can we be co-constructors in the 21st century? A new book I just received, Jesus Matters: good news for the 21st century, is about how we, as North Americans, can honor the Jesus of Scripture, encounter Jesus, and experience Jesus. I have a feeling this book will provide some valuable insight and direction for reclaiming our place as Jesus Followers.
Well, Jesus always lurked on the edges of society where He knew the needs of many were not acknowledged. They were the lepers of society. He gave them hope. Today, our society is weary. Social processes have stayed the same while society has been changing. The church faces new problems that tend to overwhelm us. I see this so much in my teaching profession and likewise for those who work with children and families…there is a weariness from many pressures. Using an expression from the speakers, “who are or what are our lepers now in the 21st century?” These lepers can be anything: over-scheduled lives, poverty, homelessness, wealth, mental health through the roof, fixing past historical mistakes, and the list could go on. As co-constructors of God’s Kingdom, we must remove ourselves from our comfort zones and make concrete efforts to work toward change in our local world – right here at home.
What is restoration? It is the act of renewal and revival; the restitution of something taken away or lost. Amos talks about the people of Israel experiencing restoration through the rebuilding of what was destroyed – their city and them as a people. If the Global North is struggling to grow and retain members, it probably means that we need to work towards a revival of what we believe. Our young people are some of our “modern-day Amoses” – they want to experience and live out their Christian lives the Jesus way. Jesus said to love others as we love ourselves. Revival and hope come when we take time to actually look at our neighbors and listen to them because then we are demonstrating that love. Are we going to listen to the message of our “modern-day Amoses”?
Anita
It is not left merely to the young to “see” what is before us. All of us in our congregation right here and now continue to work at figuring out how we can really be God’s Kingdom on earth. We see things around us. We share our concerns for the world and the future. I think many of us see warning signs and know that we must respond. I feel hopeful just because you are all here. Together we remind each other of what it means to love God and what it means to be God’s people. Let us continue to roar a little, challenge each other respectfully and act together as ones who know that we are loved by God.
Prayer – Open our eyes Lord, help us to see the beauty and bounty of creation, of our world and all of its people so that we might faithfully be messengers of love, peace and restoration in your name. AMEN
