Day of the Lord

Amos 5: 18-24
1Thess 4: 13-18

This weekend an iconic individual passed away. Andy Rooney died at the age of 92 after a life lived by saying it like it was and not being afraid to voice what some might not want to know about. He was one of the few people to oppose the war in Iraq when it first began and always seemed willing to stir the pot when it came to an issue he felt passionate about.

Andy Rooney mentioned once he probably hadn't said anything on "60 Minutes" that most of his viewers didn't already know or hadn't thought. "That's what a writer does," he said. "A writer's job is to tell the truth." A writer’s job is similar to a prophet’s – to speak the truth and not allow the public who may or may not like what you have to say stop you from saying that truth - especially when the truths being spoken are God’s word to the people. Amos was such a prophet. He knew that what he was telling the people would shock them, scare them, and anger them, but he also knew it was something that they needed to hear. Amos knew that if he was ever going to get the people to think about their faith and actions, it was by telling them something they wouldn’t hear from anyone else.

The Day of the Lord is something the Jewish people looked forward too; as Christians we also believe in the day of the Lord and pray it will be a time to rejoicing. But Amos’ words are a wrench in the works; they are a dark cloud covering up the sun. He takes an anticipated and treasured tradition and turns it into a dark, oppressive and judgmental moment of despair. This is not what the people want to hear!

Amos focuses his ire on the religious festivals, the music, and the people’s offerings to God. Few things could be more personal. How we worship, how we engage with one another, and what we give to God all speak volumes about who we are. It stings to be told that these are not right or good enough, so it is no wonder that we have learned to tune out the likes of Amos.

Many people skip over these passages with their harsh words and condemnations in favor of a happier ‘Gospel Message’. After all, as Christians we are to share the story of our faith with everyone and who wants to hear something that acts like a wet blanket? We even call it GOOD news – what Amos speaks of does not sound like anything good at all.

What can we learn from this passage that seems to deride the very things that make us who we are? How do we read these words and not feel the sting of them?

God expects more from us than we are sometimes willing to give. The people in this passage have convinced themselves that the Day of the Lord will be a celebratory day for which they must merely show up to participate in. Worship for them has become a way to pass the time, to honor God for the goodness bestowed upon the people and to celebrate their status as the chosen ones.

Amos speaks on behalf of a God who is furious with this lackadaisical attitude. It is an attitude where the sick are unaided and the poor starve unheeded. Justice is not being done and so Amos warns that the Day of the Lord brings upon these people a God whose first concern is ALWAYS justice and mercy for those less fortunate.

None of us like to speak about death too much. We avoid speaking of what we all know we will eventually face. But today we need to speak about what happens after our deaths. How will we hold our heads up when we have not done as God commands us to do? In several meetings this week we have had discussions on things that could be done, things that should be done by the church and things that seem impossible because many of us have become comfortable.

The truth is that when we are comfortable with our faith, when we are comfortable with our level of commitment to God – this is the kiss of death to faith. When we are comfortable, we stop questioning. When we are comfortable we stop learning and growing and looking for new ways to seek God in our life.

God is honest with us. God knows us, knows what we have been through in our lives, and through Jesus Christ understands our limitations. Many times we think only of the God of the New Testament who is often portrayed as the ultimate giver, the grandfatherly God who only desires to give us everything we want and need. We forget about the Old Testament God, one who is not always gentle with his creation, not always forgiving of our faults but instead pushes us to be more, to be better because God knows that we are meant for more than we have let ourselves become.

Some of us are tired. We feel like we have fought the good fight and now it is other’s turn to bear the mantle. We know what it is like to expect a season of light and receive only darkness instead. We have beaten the lion of cancer but are mauled by the bear of depression. We have shut the door on abuse and think we are safe only to have the fangs of divorce pierce our flesh. We want to tell Amos, we want to tell those who would admonish us “Spare us the scolding” as we nurse our wounds and fumble for the light switch. “Yes, our festivals leave something to be desired, and our offerings are not always what they should be, but aren’t we simply doing what God has asked us to do? We are all just doing the best we can.”

God does ask us to do the best we can. But God admonishes us through Amos because we keep forgetting that God is a God of surprises. God is reminding us that being comfortable with whom we are now, being okay with injustice and poverty and abuse is another way to give in to the devil. It doesn’t mean that we haven’t done good deeds in the past; it is a challenge to continue to do good things. It is a challenge that we all need throughout our life, a reminder that God is not done and therefore neither should we be done.

Andy Rooney hated that he was done with his broadcasts. Even though he understood that much of what he said to us were things we already knew, he felt that someone needed to be saying them. He died a month after his last broadcast aired and I have a feeling he probably died a satisfied man. One that can look his maker in the eye and say, “I never gave up, Lord. I kept trying to get my message out there to the people and I hope that any mistakes I made along the way will be forgiven through your grace.” Let us hope that we too can look our maker in the eye and say that we never gave up, we never lost hope and we always took the opportunity to spread God’s message.

Amen.