First Wednesday in Lent sermon series on Amos, Restoring the Roar.

First Wednesday in Lent 2/20/13 Text: Amos 3:1-2 Title: Turned Upside Down. Have you ever been upside down when you were not supposed to be? I was one time. Penny and I were tubing down the Comal River in New Braunfels and when we went over a little dam I was not paying attention. My tube got flipped upside down with me stuck in it. The tube was a large truck tube and I could not flip it over until I drifted into shallow water. Needless to say that it was not a pleasant experience, for I thought I was a goner. There was another time I was upside down. It was in my Greek class at Seminary. I was preparing for the final exam that would say whether or not I could enter seminary. It was a pass or fail exam. You had to be able to not only read Greek text you also had to know the grammar of Greek. I was in trouble; upside down completely dependent on the mercy of the professor. It was almost as terrifying as when I was stuck upside down in that inner tube with my head underwater. You either passed or failed. Fortunately the professor had mercy on me and I passed. Amos certainly knew the feeling, but in a different way because God’s program in his book is to capsize, invert, overturn, and upend everything.An example of the prophet’s inversion is in Amos 1:3–2:16, which consists of a series of prophecies against the nations surrounding Israel. Whether in a warfare, public lamentation, court, or worship setting, prophecies against the other nations always boded well for Israel, before Amos that is. For example, in 1 Samuel 15:2–3 and 1 Kings 20:26–30, the prophetic proclamation against the enemy is matched with a specific promise of victory for Israel. From Amos 1:3 through 2:5, the prophet’s audience, in all likelihood, cheered and applauded after each neighboring nation was condemned. “Great preacher, this Amos,” was the refrain of the moment. The sermon builds to a climax as three, four, five nations are placed under divine fire. With the judgment pointing to Judah which the nation of Israel did not really care for, although they both shared in the covenant God had made with Abraham. (Amos 2:4–5) With Judah the number reaches seven. Since seven is a whole number to the people then and Amos had roundly condemned the other nations, the people of Israel were ready to say, “All is well that ends well!” It was probably time for the Aaronic benediction (Numbers 6:22–27), a general dismissal, and then the normal post-service discussion about the weather and events of the week. But Amos was not done preaching. The Lion was still roaring (cf. Amos 1:2; 3:8; 5:19). God’s wrath was about to fall upon Israel. The prophecy against Israel (Amos 2:6–16) came as a shocking surprise. They did not realize that the crimes that Amos had been prophesying about starting with Damascus and ending with Judah were in fact a noose that was getting ready to tighten around its neck! They were happy. Amos had given their enemies the what for and then all of sudden their happiness, their smugness, everything they thought they were was turned upside down. One of Amos’s most unsettling statements comes in 3:1–2. He begins this section with the words, “Hear this word that the LORD has spoken concerning you, O children of Israel, concerning the entire clan which I brought up from Egypt, saying. . . . ” They had to be thinking that exodus was a sign of God’s ongoing and eternal favor (e.g., Numbers 24:8; Judges 6:13; 1 Kings 8:51–51); that it forever guaranteed Israel’s “favored nation status” before the LORD. That is what they surely thought and then it happened. In the next verse, however, Amos flatly contradicts these expectations. He quotes God as saying, “You alone have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you the fruit of all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). Wow, that did not go over well. What do you mean Amos? We are God’s chosen people. We got a free ride to heaven, for God loves us, even as we do our own thing and in a sense they were addicted to sin, for it gave them all they needed; the good life. In like manner, we are addicted to sin. Gossip, anger, worry, laziness, excuses selfishness. You name it; it has us. Over and over and over and over again we scream, “Gotta have it, gotta have it, gotta have it!”God, therefore, also says this to us. “You alone have I known from all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you the fruit of all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). Thank God that he does not leave us with the same condemnation that Amos brought down on the people of Israel. God gave us Jesus, who was way more than a prophet, for he is Immanuel God with us, and because of Him, we have hope despite our willful rebellion. Paul says this about Jesus, “Being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing” (Philippians 2:6–7). Luther waxes eloquent: “His royal pow’r disguised He bore; A servant’s form, like mine, He wore” (LSB 556:6). And Paul continues, “He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross” As the Lord of taking things that are upside down and turning them right side up he chose fishermen instead of Pharisees, sinners instead of Sadducees, and prostitutes instead of rich and powerful. Jesus chose thorns for His crown instead of silver and gold, and spit and blood instead of sweetness and light. His choices led to torment and torture and darkness and death. Jesus experienced all the judgment of the Father, for all the sins of the world, including yours and mine. Baptized into this kingdom our lives are now even as we live in an upside down world are right side up in God’s kingdom. Once we were lost, but now we are found. Once we were blind, but now we see. And once we were dead, but now we are truly alive! Amos knows all about this upside down life turned right side up by God. He writes in Amos 3:8, “The lion roars; who will not be terrified? The Lord GOD issues a decree; who cannot but prophesy?” Amos dared to speak up about the wretched state of affairs in his country, and he did this regardless of the consequences for himself or for anyone else. As God’s spokesman in your midst, I too must speak God’s Word calling sin sin and proclaiming the healing salve of forgiveness to those who are stricken by their sin. That is my life, my joy; proclaiming God’s forgiveness to you, his chosen people. Amen.