Musings on the Daily Lectionary

The time is surely coming, says the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.

These words from the prophet Amos are a dire warning to Israel, but as is so often the case with the prophetic judgment, the sins calling for such punishment are not the sort of things we tend to label "religious." God is angry because of how the poor and needy are treated. It is those with economic power who are in Amos' sights, those who cheat the poor by using false scales who sell the "sweepings of the wheat" as though it was usable grain.

When I was college age, I worked for a very small construction company that mostly did repairs. One of our customers was a small convenience/grocery store located right next to a low income housing project. It was not part of any chain or franchise but an independent business owned by a man who lived in the most elite part of town. While we were repairing the outside of this building I naturally went inside buy a drink or a snack. I also went into the back of the store to plug in our power tools. And I was horrified by what I saw in both places.

The prices in the store were unbelievably high. But because this was the only store within walking distance of the housing project, residents without cars had no where else to shop. And in the back of the store, I saw the butcher cutting off the spoiled and molded parts of meat and then putting it back in the display case. Surely Amos was talking about people just such as the owner of this store.

This owner was a member at the largest Presbyterian Church in town. I don't know, but I imagine that he pledged and that he brought canned goods to the church's Christmas food drive for the needy.

It was easy for me to look with disgust on this store owner, who so obviously profited from the plight of the poor. But it is also easy for me to take part in the explosion of charity that accompanies Advent and Christmas, and then to go right back to my lifestyle that is made possible by migrant workers who pick my food and poorly paid factory workers who sew my clothes.

We will soon celebrate the birth of a Savior who, in his own words, comes "to bring good news to the poor." And while I know that the boxes of food and gifts our congregation will take to hundreds of needy families are greatly appreciated, I'm pretty sure the good news Jesus is talking about is something bigger and more fundamental than this.

Lord, help us become agents of the Kingdom the child of Bethlehem brings.

Click here to learn more about the Daily Lectionary.