Sermon: July 15

What is your plumb line?

O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

When God called Amos & John did they understand how much opposition there would be?

Amaziah the Priest said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy here at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 

John the Baptist had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against John, and wanted to kill him…

Those in power do not like to be judged for their deeds. They like the privilege, the spectacle of it all. But accountability? No.

God sends Amos, a sheep herder and farmer to the Northern Kingdom of Israel at a time of peace and prosperity. But all was not right, there was a general neglect of the commandments of God and the poor & needy were forgotten. So Amos brings divine judgement to the land of Israel.

John the Baptist preached from the river, a baptism of repentance. He heard what king Herod was doing, and brought God’s judgment against his leadership. The word of God that Amos & John proclaimed were not welcomed. John died for it. Amos persecuted.

In his last Sunday sermon before his assassination in 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., preached these words at Washington's National Cathedral:

"Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expediency asks the question, Is it politic? And Vanity comes along and asks the question, Is it popular? But Conscience asks the question, Is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right."

Dr. King was speaking of the prophet's moment: that climactic point when the prophet proclaims the truth of God's word, for justice and peace, knowing full well the cost that will be exacted for proclaiming such a truth. Certainly both Amos & John the Baptizer realized that moment and embraced it, trusting in God's Word to triumph in the end.

And it’s easy for us to wag our finger at the powerful and say Ha! They will be judged, for they did not listen to them! And so they shall. But these words were also written for us to hear and to heed in our lives. No one is above reproach. We must listen to what the prophets are saying to us.

In his book Simple Truths: On Values, Civility, and Our Common Good, Stephen Bauman, senior minister at New York's Christ Methodist Church, tells of counseling a young parishioner:

"Elliott was on the horns of dilemma. A sophomore in high school, Elliot had knowledge that a certain classmate everyone detested had been falsely accused of stealing $150 from a teacher's purse. He was not the thief - Elliot saw his friend take the money. Was loyalty or truth more important? He didn't know what to do.

As we talked together, Elliot said that it would be easiest to do nothing. There was nothing that associated him with knowledge of the crime. He could stay free and clear of the problem. M. Scott Peck has written, 'Problems are the cutting edge of what distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create courage and our wisdom.' I suggested to Elliot that the easy way out was often the worst way and that maybe he needed to live with his problem for a while. It would be uncomfortable, but I would help him hold it."

Ridicule, isolation, rejection - even death - can be required of every one and anyone - us included - for taking seriously God's call to be his prophets: to proclaim God's compassion, forgiveness, and justice in times and places that are in determined opposition to the very idea of those things. As Elliot is discovering, the easy way of doing nothing is not an option for the faithful disciple who takes their baptism seriously. But God promises that God will be with us as we struggle to speak God’s word of justice and righteousness, as we strive to live into God’s place.

And The Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 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…” 

A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is centered. As the plumb line always find the vertical axis pointing to the center of gravity, they ensure everything is right, justified and centered. Is the object on the mark, is it plumb?

Israel was off the mark and God was showing them. Can this not also be said of us? What's our plumb line? How do we measure our lives and our community? What tells us that our lives are aligned, that life has the right center of balance?

I think as Christians, our plumb line has to do with Jesus. Are we centered on Jesus? Are we plumb or do we not hang right? Our plumb line, like God’s plumb line from Amos has a lot to do with righteousness that is living in right relationship with our God and our neighbors. It has a lot to do with justice for the poor and needy. It has a lot to do with love (Love is the way!). All of which Jesus lived and spoke about to which he calls us as his disciples to do the same.

In our own time and place, there are prophets living among us who give their lives for their witness to God's word of reconciliation, peace, and justice; there are prophets who speak not only in powerful oratory but also in the quiet simplicity of their selfless generosity and loving service to others. At some time in our lives, we will face our own prophetic moment. May we embrace it like Amos, John, Martin with the courage of God's wisdom/justice and the optimism of God's compassion/love and know that our plumb line hangs straight and true only with Jesus. Amen.