Amos 1:1-2; 5:14-15, 21-24 Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
It gets easy to talk in platitudes about what God says to us, about what words God uses with us. I’m pretty sure that none of us would have Amos 5:21-24 hanging in the entryway of our homes, as a sign to welcome visitors. We might keep verse 24, but not all of it. So what is this Word to us?
This word is a reminder that God doesn’t always talk to us when we want God to, but also when God wants to talk to us. It is a reminder that God cares deeply about us and about how we live, and about how we treat one another. God cares deeply about the impact we have in the world, deeply enough that God is not willing to just let it slide.
So what is in this word? God doesn’t want empty worship, unfaithful worship. God doesn’t want offerings that are not given out of faithfulness. God doesn’t care how good the music is if it isn’t given by faithful people.
That’s a marked contrast to how we often do things, isn’t it? We’ll take the money from any source. We’ll sing the songs, or watch the performance, even if the theology is bad or non-existent. We’ll even applaud, or pay to go to those concerts. We’ll do whatever it takes to get more – people, money, programs, ‘quality.’ How do we hear this word, and have it chart our course as God’s faithful people?
