Sermon at First Presbyterian
Church Lockhart
by James Greene
In our readings this
morning we see the theme of God’s call to
righteous action. It is a call to us
as the people of God to do
the right thing. We are called
to be righteous, and to reflect
that righteousness in our actions. We have to have
that integrity in our character and our actions.
Have you ever really looked at the outside of this church? Have you looked at the way it was built, and it’s style
of construction? When you go outside this morning, take a look. The foundation is firm. I discovered that, when the man
from the pest control drilled a hole through the floor in the
basement. He used a 36” long bit, to drill through the concrete. (He never hit
dirt.) The walls are true. You can
look down the side of the walls
and they are straight and true. The mortar in between the brick is
only about 1/8”. You can tell the masonry was done well.
You could put a plumb line down the wall and it will still be plumb
after almost 96 years. It was built right. It has integrity in its structure. We as the church have to reflect the same integrity in our structure.
The reading of Amos this
morning we see the prophet in
conflict with the culture of the northern kingdom. He must have been one of the prophets that came
out of A&M.
The
Lord is standing by a wall,
that was built true to plumb with
a plumb line and he asks Amos what does he see?
His answer is “A plumb
line.” With an answer like that,
he had to be an Aggie.
The imagery here is Amos who is a shepherd, and an aggie, who comes from Judea, below
We have a glimpse of dueling prophets: Layman Vs. Professional
Priest. Amaziah declares that Amos
is conspiring against Jeroboam, and told not to prophesy. Amos explains that he is not
a professional, but a shepherd that has been called by the Lord to bring the word to
Our
reading from Psalm 82, is about God’s
righteous call to those who are placed
or chosen into authority. We see God presiding in the great
assembly. He is giving judgment
among the gods. It seems kind of
strange way to phrase
things.
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Mathew Henry’s Commentary helps explain this phrasing:
God’s
presiding power is asserted
as a great truth that is necessary,
to be believed by both the Judges and the people being judged.
Judges are entrusted with this power and
honor that to be used in might and authority for the public
good. They should be the same
in wisdom and in courage in the use of their position. They are, in the Hebrew dialect, called gods. The same word Elohim is used for God
and for the judges that are under
his authority.
But
God is calling
them to
righteous action, because God is a
God of action; he calls them to action. They are under
a higher moral responsibility,
because of their position. He calls them to defend, maintain, rescue,
deliver --- the weak,
the fatherless, the needy and
the poor. God calls them to
care for the lost, those who don’t understand: those who walk
about in darkness.
God is calling us, as his people, to righteous action, in this community today, just as he calls the magistrates, the rulers,
and the judges in ages past. We are called
to responsibility as the people
of God. The plumb line of God’s
righteousness is just as true for us today.
We are called to action
to defend, to maintain, to rescue, and deliver : the weak, the fatherless, the widow, the needy and the poor.
We are not to just stand
by as spectators, and say “Oh
that’s too bad.” We are called
to do something about it:
To
help feed the hungry, to give
to the homeless person on the corner, to visit the sick, to
mentor the fatherless, to
help each other in community. It is all part of bringing in God’s Kingdom, and being God’s people in
our secular culture.
The reading from Colossians,
is all about growing in the knowledge of God. It is about the spreading of faithfulness and
bearing fruit for
the Kingdom. We see this in
Paul’s praying for the church
in Colosse to fill them with
that knowledge of God’s Will. When we pray
we prepare the ground for the planting
of God’s word, and the calling
of God’s people to him.
This is one of the things we need to
do in this congregation today. We
need to pray. We need to prepare the ground for those coming
to us, that they will hear God’s
word and learn about God’s Will
in their lives. It can happen through us, but we have to take action, and actively pray for this church and its call to this community. We are to help with The Harvest, because we are bringing in the Kingdom. It is a labor not only of the Spirit, but also of action as God’s people. It is bringing in Christ’s Kingdom and bringing people to God through Jesus.
Yet we, like Amos and the Psalmist, need to do it with integrity, and with the understanding of the responsibility of our task and our call.
It is to change the
culture to one that breathes with
a spirit of integrity, that the work we do, in the community, reflects God’s values, principles,
and righteousness. We need to remember that we are building
a community that doesn’t oppress
and enslave the weak, and the
helpless.
In the Luke we see parable of the Good Samaritan and a reflection of a call to righteous action. It is an image of goodness.
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Summery
Just
as in Amos, God calls his people to
righteous action because it is their responsibility
as his people to defend the
weak. We see in Psalm 82 the same example with those who are placed in
positions of authority and power to be good stewards, and take
care of God’s people. Finally, in Luke Jesus also shows us what
the image of goodness looks
like, when we answer the call to righteous action.
It is a mind set of relationship to, and with each other, in our
actions. It is
bringing in the Kingdom and it is happening through us with our
actions. It is the rule of God through Jesus
demonstrated for us,- that we
may demonstrate God’s
power and wisdom through our
weakness….
In
the Name of … the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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