Sermon preached on July 15, 2012

The Rev. Rebecca Brown

Amos 7:7-15

Psalm 85:8-13

Ephesians 1:3-14

Mark 6:14-29

And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said,

"See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; Now some of you, I’m sure, know what a plumb line is: a tool used for measuring alignment. This image of a plumb line has, for some time, captured my imagination. I went out this week to purchase a plumb line—so I’d have something to use for the children’s sermon at the next service—and quickly discovered that I had to purchase the plumb bob separately from the plumb line. I then asked one of the clerks about what kind of string I might use and got the response, “Oh, it really doesn’t matter.” So I purchased some nice bright pink cord that I thought would show up well. Of course, when I got home, I discovered that the cord was too thick to fit through the rather small hole in the top of the plumb bob. Searching around through the house, I discovered that I could use embroidery thread for my plumb line. And with this simple tool, I can tell whether something is vertical—or resting at a slant. Plumb bobs and plumb lines have been used in construction since the time of the Egyptian civilization, going back perhaps 5,000 years. And unlike many of us, this peasant Amos, a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees who lived some 2,800 years ago, would certainly have been familiar with this tool. And he would have understood the implications of this vision, this plumb line set “in the midst of the people of Israel.” So Amos went to the priest of Bethel, Amaziah, about his vision. Bethel, which is translated ‘house of God,’ was an ancient sanctuary in Israel. This is the place where Jacob was supposed to have had his vision of the ladder leading up to heaven. For hundreds of years, people had come to Bethel to offer sacrifices to God, and the priests of Bethel always received a good living from these pilgrims. “This is what God told me, Amaziah. The people of Israel are in danger and you must warn them. There will be war, and the sacred places and sanctuaries will be destroyed. The king, Jereboam, must change his ways or all will be lost.” But Amaziah didn’t want to hear these words. If this was true, his own comfortable set up was coming to an end. Instead, he accused Amos of “conspiring” against Jereboam, stirring up trouble among the people with his accusations. “Go home” he tells Amos, “and tell your prophesies there. Stay away from Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a temple of the kingdom.” Which, of course, was the point Amos was making: The sacred was now profane; Bethel was no longer the

‘house of God,’ and the people of Israel were no longer acting as ‘God’s people.’ Faithfulness required more than inheriting a way of life; faithfulness demands that we live in that way of life as well. In many ways, this story reiterates what we heard last week about some of the vocational challenges that prophets face: No one wants to hear what you have to say. And it’s especially true that people in positions of power, like Amaziah the priest and Jereboam the king, the people who could initiate the necessary changes to realign Israel, are those least likely to respond positively to the message of the prophets. For they are the ones who have profited the most from doing things their own way. This story also reminds us, though, that there is a “plumb line,” a standard with which we can guide our own lives and make periodic mid-course adjustments to bring ourselves back into alignment with God’s intentions for human life. To do so, however, we must take the time to discern God’s intentions for us, and to summarize them in such a way that they can be useful for us. The Ten Commandments is, of course, one such plumb line; they set the basic ground rules for community living. But most communities have found it helpful to go further, developing what’s called a “rule of life.” The most well-known of these is called “The Rule of St. Benedict;” it was written in the 6th century by Benedict of Nursia to guide the life of the monks living together in his community. This Rule establishes order, fosters an understanding of relationships between people, and provides for the spiritual guidance and growth that is essential for fulfilling human vocation. Last fall, I had a chance to attend a workshop focused on writing an individual rule of life. I realized early on that it would take an extended period of time to actually make this happen, though, and as I was scheduling my vacation, I realized that I could include some retreat time that would give me an opportunity to work on this project. And it is something I hope to bring to all of you in the fall. For it seems to me that one of the challenges of an increasingly diverse culture is that we no longer have a sense of a standard for our behavior and our decision-making, other than what our friends and acquaintances are doing. We have lost an essential connection to both the stories and the lessons of scripture, the texts that can guide us in making choices we face every day. Having a rule of life can help to remind us of where we are going, and what we need to do to get there. Finally, I am also struck with the courage of Amos, a herder and dresser of Sycamore trees, who traveled into foreign territory to deliver this warning to the people of Israel. This wasn’t a man like Eli or Samuel, who had been trained in God’s service since the time they were young. This was a common, ordinary person, who realized that God had something important for him to do, and he was willing risk everything in God’s service. What would it be like, I wonder, to hear God’s voice so clearly, to be so open to God’s vision for us that we would be willing to put all that we had toward this new future, leaving behind whatever it is that no longer aligns with God’s purpose for us?

And the LORD said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said,

"See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel …” I wonder: Who is the Amos that will come to speak to us?