…the Lord was standing beside a wall with
a plumb line in his hand…the Lord
said to me…’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 will never again
pass them by…’ [Amos 7:7-8]
[The Lord
God]…is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn
their hearts to him. [Psalm 85:8b]
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...In him we have
redemption, through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to
the riches of his grace...you...when you...had believed in him, were marked
with the seal of the...Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance
toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory. [Ephesians 1:1-3, 7,13,14]
When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she
pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for
whatever you wish, and I will give it." [Mark 6:22]
Last week, God told
Ezekiel to stand up in order for God to speak to him. This week, the
newly-minted and unlikely prophet, Amos, sees God holding a plumb line. God
tells him, in effect, that he’s going to use it in the midst of my people
Israel. The people of Israel have gotten overly comfortable as the chosen
ones, and they will have a rude awakening when they discover through this plumb
line that they are not measuring up to God’s expectations as his favorites.
Amos is charged with announcing the bad news about what is coming. The local
and popular prophet Amaziah tries to scare Amos off but to no avail. Amos knows
he is not the usual prophet material, but he also knows God’s voice and how to answer
the command, bad news and all.
The Psalmist then, in one of the most lyrical
of psalms, brings us to an understanding of God’s compassion in this excerpt. God
speaking peace to his faithful people…mercy and truth have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other… the beauty of this poetry offers
hope and healing to us all after the news of the punishment of Israel in Amos.
Paul,
in this letter to the church in Ephesus, while cooling his heels in a Roman
prison, also counteracts the harshness for Israel by proclaiming that Christ
offers peace to everyone; God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing. Paul tells the Gentiles and Jews who believed in Jesus, that it
is God's purpose for all to be united, as God's own people, living holy
and blameless lives through the redemption of Christ. By the riches
of grace, we are forgiven our trespasses and sealed by the Holy Spirit. As
we set our life's purpose to live in obedience, giving praise to God,
and with our hope in Christ, we will reap the reward of our inheritance, life
eternal in God’s Kingdom.
Mark moves us to a later time in the story
of Israel. Here we have Herod Antipas, a son of King Herod the Great, now the local
governor, tetrarch, in Galilee. The famous dance of his daughter left him and
his guests so well pleased and entertained that Herod rashly and boastfully
promised her anything, even half his kingdom. When she
consulted charming mommy, daughter dearest asked Herod for John the Baptizer’s
head. Herod, it seems, actually liked listening to John even if fearful of him.
But more fearful was he of the appearance of weakness in front of his guests,
and dancing back his own grief over the request, Herod relented, and John soon
arrived served up on a platter, having parted company with the remainder of his
body.
In terms of the poetry of the psalmist
proclaiming God granting prosperity, and Paul’s positive pronouncement of forgiveness
and redemption, there is still the matter of our personal acceptance. The
almost fine print from Paul says when you have heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him
then you/we are marked with the Holy Spirit’s seal. God and Jesus want
us to have all that is offered. Our acceptance is demonstrated when we stand
tall and upright in our faith, hearing, believing, and living as holy and
blameless as we can, with all wisdom and insight he has made known to us.
Let us seek to measure up whenever God will plumb the height of our commitment and
the depth of our intent.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, fill us with
the desire to be as upright and faithful as a plumb line is straight, that with
the wisdom and insight You have given us, we may set our hope on Christ in all
that we say and all that we do.
Eternal God of Glory
RESPONSE: We turn our
hearts to You
~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, transform and endow with character, honor, and integrity,
all who hold power on this Earth, in our Nation, and throughout our Community.
Guide us all away from falsehood or fraud and toward decisions and actions of
mercy, justice, and peace for all Your people. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Eternal
God of Glory
We turn our hearts to You
~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, lavish
your healing grace on those struggling with chronic pain or the devastation of
a difficult diagnosis, and give strength to all who care for their needs. We now join our hearts
together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Eternal
God of Glory
We
turn our hearts to You
~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, slow the tears of those who mourn, for the lights of
those we have sent ahead now shine more brightly, and with heavenly joy, now
and forever in You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Eternal
God of Glory
We
turn our hearts to You
~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Eternal
God of Glory
We
turn our hearts to You
~
O Lord, Holy and Mighty, we give
You great thanks for those among us who have heard, believed, and shared Your Word
of Truth. Bless those who have studied, prayed, and then been chosen to teach
and preach the Gospel of Salvation to us to learn and to live. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Eternal
God of Glory
We
turn our hearts to You
The Celebrant adds: God of Presence and Promise,
from within the mystery of Your Will, we receive the riches of grace granting
us the forgiveness of our trespasses, the gift of every spiritual blessing, and
the inheritance of redemption through Your Holy Son. Grant us each the
willingness and courage to pledge ourselves to the praise and glory of Your
name, through every word and action of our earthly lives. We ask through Jesus
the Christ, our Redeemer; and the Seal of the Holy Spirit, who together with
You, reign as One God, now and forever. Amen.
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