(Amos 7:7-15; Hebrews 1:1-4) – J G White
11 am, Sunday, July 14, 2019 – UBC Digby

You remember Charlie Farquharson? Comedic alter-ego of Canadian entertainer, Don Harron. In his book, Olde Charlie Farquharson’s Testament, the last words are these: “A profit is sumbuddy gets up on a high place, looks down on everybuddy elts. No matter what ther name is, everyone of them profits seems to tell the peeple the same thing: YER DOIN’ IT ALL RONG!!” (p. 158)

There are plenty of times that people of faith have needed to hear that. We could say that religions, like ours, do one of several things for us. Perhaps we get a message – some truths or warnings about life now and in the future. We get a Prophet, in other words. 

Or, we get some spiritual ‘magic’ done – some rituals are done by an expert to make things right for us. We get a Priest, in other words. 

Or, we get rules for life and the universe – and someone to enforce those rules and show some control.  We get a King or Lord, in other words.  

In day to day life, there can be conflict between the people who are prophetic, and the people who are priestley, and the people who rule. So it has always been and often been. Today’s story from the little book called Amos, is such a story: of a prophet, a priest, and a king.  

A Prophet. Did you look at this book? Amos?  Only about seven pages long – so it can be hard to find. The words the prophet speaks pack a punch. And today, we heard one part that actually tells a bit of a story about prophet Amos. Amos was a man from the village of Tekoa in the southern kingdom, Judah. He worked in the fig orchards, tending the sycamore fig trees. Like the tree Zacheus would one day climb. 

Amos got called upon – by God – to prophecy in the northern kingdom, Israel. About 800 years before Jesus. Amos gives severe warnings to the prosperous nation. At this point in their history, even though the Jews are divided into two kingdoms, they are more prosperous and control more land than any time in their history, before or after. And the prosperous upper crust are giving the poor people of their land barely a crust of bread to survive on. 

What’s the word of the Lord from Amos to them?

Hear this, you cows of Bashan… who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to their husbands, ‘Bring something to drink!’ The time is surely coming upon you when they shall take you away… (4:1)

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. (5:21)

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (5:24)

Prophets have this way, often, of sneaking up on you, and then hitting you right between the eyes.  Frederick Beuchener wrote, The prophets were drunk on God, and in the presence of their terrible tipsiness no one was ever comfortable.  With a total lack of tack they roared out against phoniness and corruption wherever they found them. They were the terror of kings and priests. (Wishful Thinking, 1973, pp. 74-75)

Who speaks this way today? You might know a few. I thought immediately of some songwriters, actually. Like the late Fred Kaan. One of his great lyrics from the 70s was put to wonderful music by Ron Klusmeier in 2000.  ‘Come, O Holy Spirit.” Sounds sedate and serious enough. Sounds soft and gentle. Most Holy Spirit songs are. Listen to Kaan’s words:  

Come, O Holy Spirit,
set the Church on fire;
strike it as the lightning
hits a posing spire.
Burn away the structures
and consume the sham
of our holy systems:
Come, in Jesus’ name!

Blow away the cobwebs
of our stubborn past.
Come, send flying from us
myths unfit to last.
Wind of change, refresh us
and disturb our calm;
teach us what true love is,
take our hearts by storm.

Do you still believe in prophecy? Do you hear it?

A Priest. Amos gets in trouble for his holy warnings. His sermons get reported to the King of Israel by one of the main priests of the land, Amaziah, Priest of Bethel. Bethel: you remember that town, eh?  Just, oh, 20 km north of Jerusalem. Where Abraham set up an altar. Where Jacob dreamed of a ladder with angels ascending and descending. Where there was a school of prophets in the days of Elijah.  

Bethel had its ups and downs as a town of spiritual significance. For a lot of its life it was a place of pilgrimage and worship. Sometimes of non-Jewish deities. In those days of the divided kingdoms, Bethel was part of Israel in the north, and was a shrine of pagan worship. Amaziah was the chief priest of the place. Prophet Amos takes the people to task for their idolatry – serving something that is not almighty God.   

Three thousand years later, we are here, and don’t quite have priests. We preach a priesthood of all believers. Each of you a priest, with a ministry of prayer and reconciliation to your fellow women and men. We make use of our tools of prayer & laying on of hands, meditation & scripture, confession & forgiveness, worship & fellowship. Dare we go astray, what would a prophet say about our ministry?

A King. OK, back 2,800 years again – to Amos, and Amaziah, and the King of Israel, Jeroboam. Jereboam the Second. He’s not what we’d call one of the better kings of Israel. Even though Israel got to its greatest power and wealth ever under his rule. He made Israel great! Greater than ever before, in size. 

But, as a reading of Amos’ book would show us, the northern kingdom grew also under Jeroboam to be more unjust, immoral, self-indulgent, and all mixed up in religion. The aristocrats and people of power had their heyday. And the masses suffered.

So today, we heard Amos’ prophesy that ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’ (A 7:11) A greedy king and a privileged people fall, and will fall hard. Well, this was treason, on the lips of the prophet! ‘Go away, you prophet, and never speak around here again!’ Amos is told. 

No, Amos stays, and repeats his message: the downfall of the ruler and his realm is sure.

Our Bible has many stories of the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful leaders: prophets, priests, and kings. These roles rise and fall through history. The preachers and their long sermons are sometimes prominent. The priests and their holy worship services sometimes take the forefront. The rulers with their leading & their battles take centre stage at other times. 

We live amid our own prophets, and priests, and prime ministers today. Yet we are disciples of One who is all three of these. Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, is our Prophet, Priest, and King.  

The Book of Hebrews begins, saying: 
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son. This was written down almost 2000 years ago. Is it still true? God speaks to us through Christ? YES. Jesus is our greatest Prophet.

He is also our ‘Great High Priest.’ Jesus’ ministry is about connecting us with Holy God. As Hebrews 1 briefly says, When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.  This New Testament book goes on at length about the priestly sacrificial system of the Hebrew religion, and where Jesus takes it. He takes it over, completes it, finishes the work. His priesthood ends sacrifices – He sacrifices Himself, for us. End of story.

And Jesus is the King. The introduction to the book of Hebrews says God takes Jesus, whom …he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 

To know Jesus is to know God, King of the universe. It is no small thing to know the King of the Universe. Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If you know me, you know the Father.’ (John 14)

So we have Jesus to offer to our world, today. We have communication from God – the Prophet. We have spiritual reconciliation and healing – the Priest. We have a good Power in control – the King.  

Pay attention to this Jesus you take with you into your world, day by day. He is a big deal!