Evening
Read Amos 6vv1-8
Silence is kept for two minutes.
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,
and lounge on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock,
and calves from the stall;
5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,
and like David improvise on instruments of music;
6 who drink wine from bowls,
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
7 Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,
and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.
Reflection
Amos jostles us out of our comfort. Sounding as if he could be speaking directly to 21st-century American Christians, he calls down woes upon us who live at ease while much of the world groans under injustice and suffering. Specifically, Amos speaks to those living lives of privilege while the people of God slide into idolatry and exile. Jesus, in coming into the world, is inviting us to see God fully. He is dispensing with the ways that we would make God in our own image to serve our agendas, and the way our own desires can easily become our God.
Prayer: Lord, may we live differently as the people of God during this “Christmas” season. As the world seeks satisfaction in consumerism and the empty promises of comfort, may we give more, may we be content with less, and may we grieve at how easily our religion is commodified to serve our natural desires.