Ephesians 1__1-14 Proper 10 B SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
Amos 7:7-15
This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, 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, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”
Psalm 85:(1-6), 7-13 BCP 446
Ephesians 1:1-14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Mark 6:7-13
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
All of us gathered here know we are at a crossroads. This is a time of judgment. Everyday is Judgment Day, but we aren’t always aware of it. Now, you and I are very like Abraham, when God said, “Get out. . . .go to a land I will show you.”
WE SAY : “But Lord, where is this land? I WANT consult a map to find the way?”
GOD SAYS: “I’ll show you as you go.” Looking back over a half century of service, I can say, “There is a place for us. . . . the Lord has shown me many places we should be in Central Indiana , but we were not ready to follow those visions, yet. I can say, if I’m the Moses that won’t live to see the promise land, there are Joshua’s and Caleb’s being prepared to cross with you over Jordan. It is not unusual for God to raise up leaders just at the time when the fortunes of his people seem to be at their lowest.
Consider the reading from the Book of Amos. Amos was a Shepherd. His ministry began a few years before Isaiah. Isaiah began his prophecies in the Year that King Uzziah of Judah died. Amos was tending sheep in Israel while Uzziah was King in Judah, when he received messages of judgment from God indicting the Kingdoms around Israel for their evil treatment of others in war, for not keeping covenants with Israel. Amos began his work around 800 B.C. He spoke words of Judgment against Judah because they had not kept the 10 commandments. He reported God’s words, “I will send a fire on Judah and shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.” (Amos 2:3 ) One of the strongest arguments for the truthfulness of our faith is the preservation of Israel and these prophecies through all the tides of time.
Turning to Israel, his own people he said, “Thus says the Lord: for three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals—they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth, and push the afflicted out of the way; father and son go into the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink wine brought with fines they imposed.” He ends his tirade with these words “Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain their strength, nor shall the mighty save their lives; those who handle the bow shall not stand, and those who are swift of foot shall not save themselves, nor shall those who ride horses save their lives; and those who are stout of heart among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day.”
The country preacher crossed the line. It was fine when he was counting up the sins of Lebanon/Damasucs, or Gilead, or Gaza, or the lands of Ekron/Philistia. It was O.K when he prophecied the fall of Tyre, Moab and even Judah. But now he had turned traitor, he had indicted his own land for infidelity, immorality, persecution of the poor, suborning the clergy and suppressing the faith. Sounds rather like 21st century English and American nations does it not? Amos was a traitor because he prophecied – that is taught that the wickedness of the people would bring about the judgment of God. It is never popular in any country to question or speak against the policies of the government. In Israel and In Judah, the result was, as Jesus himself said, “there was never a prophet that wasn’t killed in Israel.”
Amos, the Good Shepherd of Israel had some very hard things to say; because after all, he was a patriot. Hard words were they to hear, but his loyalty to his God, the Shepherd of Israel and to the people made it necessary for him to say the words.
He said, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and to them that are secure in the mountain of Samaria.” He described the high life styles of the rulers and the confidence everyone had that their borders were secure. To them he said, “Go captive with the first that go captive!” The Lord said, “I will deliver up the city and all that is there in. . . .It shall come to pass if there remain 10 men in one house, that they shall die.” Amos said in this great cataclysm, this invasion that was to sweep away Israel,the man who called at the houses to take out the dead and burn the corpses, should he find a living soul would say, “Hold thy peace; for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.” IN some parts of our world today, as it was in other recent times, a person could forfeit his life for calling on the name of the Lord. That is a severe judgment indeed, but one that we must consider could happen here if we fail to teach our children the ways of peace and righteousness.
We should be constantly in prayer for our leaders and our country and our neighbors and ourselves. The old saying in Proverbs is still true. . . Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people: and pride goes before a fall. There has been no want of pride in this country, no want of hubris on the part of both leaders and people. There has been, as all of you know who have seen 5 decades come and go, a falling off in moral standards. True, in the 1950’s there was rampant immorality, but at least the people of our land knew the difference between morality and immorality. They knew the importance of keeping covenants with one another and God, whether they did it or not. Now, even some of those who are supposed to be teachers pretend not to know.
So, like Amos in today’s reading, we have a job to do, and it is not a pleasant one.
Amos, in this vision, had a conversation with God. God used a plumb line as an object lesson. A Plumb line is a string with a weight on the end. Suspended from the top of a wall, it gives a visual indicator if the wall is straight up and down, that is plumb..
God told Amos he was holding up the plumb line of his law, the 10 commandments against the social, political and personal life edifices in Israel. The verdict: Jereboam the King will die, and the people who survive the invasion will go into captivity. . . .they just don’t measure up
Amos was advised to leave the country, to go to Judah where his words against Israel might be better received. Amos reply was this: I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Our Lord’s last words to those gathered at the Mount of Ascension were these:
“Go, teach, baptize and teach.” While there are orders in the church for teaching and leadership, this work of teaching by life and word is the duty of the whole Body of Christ. We were gifted with this ability and responsibility at our baptism. So we, like the herdsman from Tekoah, have a responsibility to our neighbors and to God to remind our people of the immutable laws. Righteousness exalts a nation. The nation that is out of plumb, will fall like a crooked wall in an earthquake.
The house that is built on sand, says Jesus will surely fall when the storms of life come.
Not everyone listened to Amos. Most didn’t; the prophecied disaster occurred when Israel was invaded, the King and his retinue were killed and many people were carried off into captivity and people of other lands were planted in what was Israel.
In the gospel reading today, we learn that Jesus, when he sent out the 70 to announce that the Kingdom had come, prepared them for rejection. Not everyone will listen. But isn’t it interesting, that the word, whether we are received or not is “shalom.” We say peace to those who receive the Lord’s word gladly. That is a feel good time and a do good time.
When we are not received, when we are rebuffed, treated badly, what happens to the peace? It goes with us.
So don’t be afraid, you children of Abraham. The Lord is sending us to the place where he wants us to serve next. When we get to that place, whether we are received joyfully or held at a distance, we will enjoy the Lord’s peace that passes all understanding, all our compehension.
Ephesians 1__1-14 SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS PROPER 10B
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
THE BLESSINGS count them.
who has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
1. You are blessed by being chosen by God. You aren’t here by accident, there is a purpose for your life.
2. You are blessed by being a child of God and you are in a loving, holy family.
3. You are blessed by redemption and forgiveness
who has blessed us in the Beloved through redemption through his blood
The redemption through his blood contains many blessings:
the forgiveness of our trespasses is the most powerful of all social forces for good and healing.
he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will
In another place Paul discloses the great mystery of God: God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. That is the reason we are here as Christ in this world.
he set forth in his purpose Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him; things in heaven and things on earth.
In the canon of the mass we have at the climax of our prayers this declaration:
Therefore with angels, and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify they holy name, evermore praising thee and saying,
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts heaven and earth are full of thy
Glory, glory be to thee O Lord most high.
That is the purpose of the Church, to Unite heaven and earth before the throne of God.
In Christ we have obtained an inheritance, we also believed in him and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it
Charles R. Scott, Pastor
Church of the Good Shepherd, Anglican
2060 E 54th Street
Indianapolis, In, 46220
crscottblu@yahoo.com
http://www.goodshepherdindy.org
