This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. – Amos 7:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 30, 2016): Amos 7

I have to admit that I love the movie “A Knight’s Tale,” from the much-maligned introduction to the film with the crowd from the Middle Ages clapping along with the modern rock standard “We Will Rock You” by Queen, to its fairy tale ending – and everything in between. The movie grabs hold of something inside of me and tugs at it every time I watch it. It is the epitome of the “American Dream.” You can do anything, if only your heart is set on what is right.

The movie is a retelling of the Chaucer story of the same name. “A Knight’s Tale” is the first story in the collection that we know of as “The Canterbury Tales.” And, of course, in the retelling of the story, Chaucer himself is a member of the group of central characters around which the movie is built. At the height of the conflict in the film version, Prince Adhemar admonishes the young William with these words - "You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting." I think one of the reasons why the movie touches such a broad audience is that we have all had one of those moments. It is the time that someone told you that you were out of your league; that what you valued in the core of your being was false. You would never measure up to some standard that has been placed in front of you. When Adhemar speaks the words, the audience feels the words, as if Adhemar is not talking to William, but rather it is us who is the object of his taunt. We have been there.

Amos is a shepherd. He has never claimed to be a prophet. He has never gone to the “School of Prophets,” he has never pretended to be one of the “Sons of the Prophets.” And later in this passage, this is going to become an issue. The priest of Bethel, Amaziah, will speak some very Adhemar like words to Amos - “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom” (Amos 7:12-13). Amos, you have been weighed and measured, and you have been found wanting.

So it is appropriate that before Amos gets to that moment, God reminds the shepherd turned prophet that it is not Amaziah to whom Amos should compare himself. Amaziah is not holding the plumb line. It is God that holds the plumb line, and it is God who knows whether or not he is straight; whether or not his life is built on a sure foundation.

In “A Knight’s Tale,” William goes on to win over Adhemar and find a level of respect. He becomes a Knight, not because he had the heritage, but rather because he possessed the character. Amos finds a similar ending. He is a prophet, not because of his ancestry or education, but rather because he was willing to speak the words of God. And in the end, it was Amos the Shepherd whom God found to be straight, and Amaziah the priest, whom God found … wanting.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 8

Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow the sea with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. – Amos 6:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 29, 2016): Amos 6

Whether we are willing to understand it, the Judeo-Christian faith is built around the idea of hospitality. It centers on the practice of welcoming the stranger – the one who is not like us - into our presence. Maybe in the cultural West, we have forgotten this. Every once in a while, someone comes up with the idea that justice means what is right for me. But that was never the biblical concept of justice. Justice, biblically, has always been caring for the needs of the less fortunate among us. Justice is taking care of the widows and welcoming the immigrant and the stranger.

Is it possible that the stranger will violate our sense of justice? Of course. But that doesn’t change what justice means because justice was never about what is right for me. The biblical idea of what is right and hospitality are intrinsically linked – in other words; they are by their very nature tied together. And if you need proof, listen once again to the words of Jesus.

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous (or the just) will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:34-40).

There is a way that is right to God which cannot be changed. And this is Amos’ point. To try to change the idea of justice in the mind of God is to make it a poison. Amending the definition of righteousness leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. You might as well tell a horse to run among the rocks on the side of a cliff (something that a horse simply does not do) or try to plow the sea with a team of oxen (this image would fit into the biblical idea of humor because plowing the sea with oxen is ridiculous.)

To believe that you live in a just society that makes no provision for the poor and needy is just as absurd. There is no justice in a culture that rejects the stranger. To say otherwise makes absolutely no sense.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Amos 7