How appropriate that during these opening days of Advent, that the appointed Old Testament readings would come from Amos. I encourage your to open your Bible and re-read the powerful words of this prophet.
His words are particularly meaningful for us, here at UniLu, this Advent. Our Advent worship services are focused on the issue of hunger. Care for those who lack food is a high concern for Amos.
In Prophetic Voices, Hagen Staack writes, "What were Amos' reasons for speaking as he did...? The first is that Israel's faith must manifest itself in concern for the poor, for the underdog, for the suffering, for those at the bottom of the social ladder. Amos insisted ... that the quality of social justice is the gauge of righteousness in people.
"One could hardly ascribe to Amos grand social schemes outlining comprehensive social service organizations to care for the poor and destitute. Of these he knew nothing. What he wanted to see was each individual, each person in the nation, caring for his brother, for his neighbor."
When this Advent reaches its ending, let us hope that it will have moved each of us to consider the hunger in our own lives and to seek opportunities to satisfy that hunger. When this Advent reaches its ending, let us pray that we will see in the Babe the way of God. The message of God's salvation can only be heard after those surrounding the vessel of that message take some long shifts in caring for the vulnerable little baby.
This Advent, in addition to our prayers asking that God would come into our lives and into our world, let us pray that God will come into the lives of our neighbors. And, then, let's be prepared to hear God inform us that we are the means by which that arrival is to happen.
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