Times were good‹weren't they?
Peace and prosperity for the folks who were in charge
Religious life that is well established and well under control
Only a few malcontents on the fringe
Amos, a sheep farmer of Tekoa
He saw things differently. He saw a big disconnect between the covenant that God had made with his people and the behavior of those around him.
He named names. He stood up and called it as he saw it.
Amos draws an undeniable connection between social justice‹treatment of one's neighbor‹and wholeness in relationship with God. One cannot exist without the other.
Justice - harmony, consistency between the law, promises, God's values, and reality
When things just aren't as promised, claimed opportunities aren't there, a person just does not get their due, then there is a lack of justice.
Righteousness - acts which foster, and implement justice within society
When a person acts in ways to nurture justice, building coherence between how things "ought" to be and how they really are, acting with integrity in the face of self-serving opportunity, that one is acting rightesously.
Righteousness knits justice into the fabric of one's relationships.
€ Where are there issues of justice in our world today?
€ Why do we care about justice if we are the ones with the upper hand?
€ What does righteousness look like today?
in business
in politics
in the church
in your home
€ Just how distant and foreign to us is Amos?
€ Does a prophet expect a particular response to his or her words?
€ What does it take to recognize a prophetic call for justice?