Amos the Roar (Le… · Web viewPart 7: Maundy Thursday, (8:11-14) – “The Taste Test” Part...

Amos Restore the Roar!

By Reed [email protected]

Overview of the Series

Part 1: Ash Wednesday, (1:1-2) – “Rescued from the Rubble” Part 2: (3:1-8) – ““The Four R’s of Election”Part 3: (5:18-20) – “This is the Night the Lord has Made!”Part 4: (6:1-7) – “Grieving for Joseph” Part 5: (7:1-6) – “Locusts Here, Locusts There, Locusts Are

Everywhere!” Part 6: (7:10-17) – “Lion Alert!” Part 7: Maundy Thursday, (8:11-14) – “The Taste Test” Part 8: Good Friday, (9:1-6) – “Buried!” Part 9: Easter, (9:11-15) – “Come to the Feast!”

Ash WednesdayOrder of Worship

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

INVOCATION

P: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP (From selected verses in Psalm 102)

P: I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her.

All: The appointed time has come.

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HYMN: Jesus, I Will Ponder Now, LSB # 440 (stanzas one – three)

P: Let us pray: Almighty and ever living God, you hate nothing you have made and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION – (Based upon Amos 4:6-12 and Joel 2:12-13)

P: Almighty Father, the ashes we receive remind us of the utter depth and darkness of our sin. Like cancer, sin spreads through every part of our lives, and you tell us that the diagnosis is terminal. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Yet, even in the midst of our sin and death, you invite us:

All: Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful.

P: Behind the ashes of this day lurks a multitude of sins. We have failed to heed your warnings, O gracious Father. You are no less active in the world today than you were when you sent plagues against your people Israel. Yet, we have disregarded your warnings and have not turned to you. When disaster strikes, we look for hope and healing in all the wrong places. Yet, in the midst of our rebellion and refusal, you invite us:


P: Like selfish children, we try your patience, O Lord God. We commit the same sins over and over again and, rather than turn from our disobedience, we take advantage of your forbearance. We act as if your patience has no limit, as if there will always be time to repent. Though we persist in this delusion, you invite us:


P: Father, we cannot plead extenuating circumstances or the weakness of our flesh or the force of the temptations. We can only plead to you because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

All: Who comes not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

P: And sinners we are.

All: Bring us back to you, O gracious and merciful Savior. Love us. Forgive us. And heal us.

Imposition of Ashes

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Worshipers are invited to come quietly to the front of the church and receive ashes on their foreheads with the words from Mark 1:15: “Repent and believe the gospel,” as a token of their repentance in the Lord. If you choose not to receive the ashes, you are invited to meditate quietly in your pew.

Announcement of Forgiveness

P: Though the ashes represent our innumerable sins, the immeasurable love of Jesus covers them all. This is a true and trustworthy saying: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, I announce to you the grace of God. Your sins are forgiven, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

HYMN: Jesus, I Will Ponder Now, LSB # 440 (stanzas four - six)

FIRST READING: Amos 1:1-2

HOLY GOSPEL: John 3:1-17

NICENE CREED

HYMN: Not All the Blood of Beasts, LSB # 431

Amos, Restore the Roar:

Part 1: “Rescued From the Rubble”

Susanna Petroysan heard her daughter cry out, “Mommy, I’m thirsty. I want a drink.” She and four-year-old Gayaney were stuck in a basement beneath tons of collapsed concrete and steel. It was December 7, 1988 and an earthquake in Armenia had just killed 55,000 people.

“Mommy, I’m so thirsty. I want a drink.”After feeling around in the darkness of their basement Susanna found some

shattered glass. She used it to slash her left hand and then gave it to Gayaney to suck her blood. Days passed. Susanna had no idea how many times she cut her hands. She only knew that if she stopped her daughter would die. Hands were cut, blood was shed, and the child was saved.

Amos, God’s prophet to Israel in the early part of the eighth century BC, offers us rescue from the rubble (information on the earthquake appears in Amos, 47-48; 59-60 – tracking the earthquake motif in Amos gives an overview of the book; p. 61 discusses the Gospel implications of the earthquake).

The earthquake and ensuing rubble was God’s judgment upon his people (see Amos, Excursus on The Assyrian Empire, 410-14).

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Just south of Naples, Italy and overlooking its famous bay is the small city of Pozzuoli. Pozzuoli has a claim to fame. It is the most earthquake-prone place on planet Earth. Every year the people experience 4,000 earth tremors! No other place in the world is so unstable except your life and mine. We know, day after day, what it is like to live with the quakes.

Tremors rumble when we say, “Just one more drink, just one more lie, just one more fling, just one more glance.” But one more always leads to one more, and then just one more. And then a massive earthquake hits and in its aftershocks we find ourselves trapped in a basement called bondage. Sure, being obsessed with pornography, money, gossip, food, people’s approval, or work is a strange place to be in, at first. It’s crushing to be trapped beneath tons of collapsed hopes and shattered dreams. But in time we become accustomed to living in destruction and death. With each passing day it becomes easier to deny that I’m stuck on stuff that kills and steals and destroys.

On this Ash Wednesday we acknowledge that the earthquakes are God’s judgment upon our willful and ongoing sin, and we humbly and honestly confess that these quakes trap and torment us all the days of our lives.

It was mid-afternoon in central China on May 12, 2008, and suddenly all hell broke loose. An earthquake hit with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. Concrete panels, crumpled steel, and crushed tile buried tens of thousands of people. They groped in the darkness, gasping for air, wondering how long they would live. Rescue workers reported that over and over again they heard screaming and more screaming —hopeless and ongoing screaming.

Five days after the massive Chinese earthquake, a group of rescue workers found the dead body of a young woman. She was in the kneeling position. Her back was hunched over supporting a crumbled ceiling; her arms stretched forward, her hands thrust firmly into the muddy earth. As the rescue workers walked away, suddenly the team leader understood. He ran back to the woman’s side and reached underneath her body. There, in the tiny shelter that the woman created by using her body as a protective shield, was a baby. He was about three months old, alive, unhurt and sleeping soundly. Inside the baby’s clothing was a cell phone. On it was this message. “My dear child, remember I love you.”

When our world crumbles all around us, when our besetting sins shatter our confidence, when all our dreams become our worst nightmares, Amos promises that God comes to rescue us in the rubble. Our God rebuilds what has been destroyed (Amos 9:11 promises as much; see Amos, 575-77; 586-88).

Climactically, God rescues us from the basement called bondage because of his sure and certain promises to the house of David, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He reaches into our wreckage to get us out, and he does it with hands laced with blood. Finally, you see, blood was all Jesus had. His disciples had deserted him. His garments had been gambled away. Even his Father had turned his back. Hands were cut, blood was shed, and we are saved.

Blood was all he had, but the blood of Jesus is all we need.“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can

make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

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At the Table tonight Jesus reaches into your rubble just here, just now. His blood rescues, it redeems, it restores, and it repairs everything that has been broken. We live in the rubble no more!

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon Revelation 1:5)

P: Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, during the Holy Season of Lent you call us to a closer walk with you. Help us prepare to celebrate the resurrection victory of Jesus with a new and right spirit. Give us loving reverence for you, Father, and the willingness to serve our neighbors. Let us pray,

All: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.

P: Lord, this great season of grace is your gift to purify our hearts, strengthen our wills, embolden our outreach, enliven our faith, and teach us how to live in this passing world set on the kingdom that will never be shaken. Let us pray,


P: O God, we ask for the grace to conquer our complaining, humble our hard hearts, and toughen our timid witness. We want to show the world your goodness and glory by being kind to all. Let us pray,


P: Father, as we meditate upon the suffering and life-giving death of your Son, bring life to our dead hearts and move us to praise your glory. Let us pray,


P: Lord, the power of the cross reveals our great sin and your greater love. Grant that through our baptismal union with our Savior that we may die to sin and live for righteousness now in this present evil age, even as we anticipate our full redemption in the New Jerusalem. Let us pray,

All: To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

ORDER OF HOLY COMMUNION

BLESSING

CLOSING HYMN – Glory Be to Jesus, LSB, # 433

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For Next Week Read Amos 3:1–8

Ask yourself: Why does Yahweh announce judgment against his people Israel in 3:1–2

(see also 2:6–16)? What does Amos 3:7–8 tell you about the origin of Amos’ difficult

message? Did he choose to speak this message, or was he compelled? Are there times when you have been called upon to speak a difficult

message? Did you speak the truth in love or remain silent?

Lent 2Order of Worship


INVOCATION


All: Amen.


P: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

All: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!

P: O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed us with the bread of tears and given us tears to drink in full measure.


P: Give us life, and we will call upon your name!


HYMN: Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain, LSB # 435 (stanzas one and two)

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION – (Based upon Amos 1:3–2:3)

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P: Forgiving Father, when we hear the prophet Amos convict others of their sin, it is easy to remain aloof as he accuses them for their wrongdoing. But we are just as guilty, and so we pray,

All: O Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

P: Creator God, you have made all that there is, and all are accountable to you. No one will escape your judgment. You know everything that happens; the sins we commit when nobody is looking do not escape your sight, and so we pray,


P: You have taken every measure to help us know your ways. Despite having written your general revelation upon our hearts and your saving revelation in your Word, we continually defy your will. You sent fire against the nations, fire which reminds us of the threat of eternal punishment, and so we pray,


P: Righteous God, we have sinned against others both actively and passively, taken advantage of people when given the opportunity, and have done nothing when we see others being taken advantage of, and so we pray,


+ A time for confession and meditation +

P: By the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I, a called and ordained servant of Christ, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

HYMN: Come to Calvary’s Holy Mountain, LSB # 435 (stanzas three and four)


GOSPEL READING: John 2:13-22

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

HYMN: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, LSB # 425

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Amos: Restore the Roar!

Part 2: “The Four R’s of Election”

Upside down — that was my position as I went over a cliff on a mountain bike last summer in Devil’s Den State Park in northwest Arkansas.

Woe!It reminded me of the time I was upside down on a zip line at Camp

Lutherhoma in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. And these experiences remind me of the day I was grammatically, linguistically, and morphologically upside down when I first heard the phrase, “niphal participle.” (Here substitute your own upside down moments; e.g., on a trampoline, while water or snow skiing, on an amusement ride).

Upside down. You know the feeling, on a roller coaster, connected to a bungee chord or while listening to a sermon!

Amos certainly knew the feeling, because God’s program in his book is to capsize, invert, overturn and upend everything (Amos, Excursus on Preaching like Amos, 601-09). Amos lived and preached in such a way that the monarchy, the temple, the covenants, the land, and the state were all turned inside out and upside down.

But one of his most unsettling statements comes in 3:1-2 (Amos, 201-04). Amos employs the prominent biblical theme of relationship, reminder, and response (Amos, 212-13).

Relationship – On a Pacific island, when a young man proposed marriage, it was customary to announce it to the entire village. Then he and the whole community would go to the young woman’s home. Her father would come outside and then—in front of the community—the father and suitor would barter. Obviously, they didn’t view themselves as doing anything chauvinistic, even though we might view it that way somewhat. The main item of value on this island was the cow. Therefore, the suitor would offer the father a certain number of cows for his daughter. The average bride was worth two cows. The all-time record was four cows. The most eligible bachelor on the island was Johnny Lingo. He was handsome and wealthy. Imagine all of the excitement among the women of the island when Johnny announced one day that he had selected a wife. But then he shocked everyone by announcing that his choice was a girl named Lisa. Lisa was not even in the top ten. She was regarded as rather plain and frightfully shy. The community gathered at Lisa’s house for the bartering. Then there was an even greater shock. Johnny’s opening bid for Lisa was eight cows. Her father almost fainted, but he managed to say yes. That very evening Johnny and Lisa were married. They departed for their home on an adjacent island. For a full year no one saw Johnny or Lisa. Then on their first anniversary they returned to visit their parents. From the moment they arrived at the dock, the grapevine went ballistic with gossip. Everybody said, “Come and see Johnny and Lisa You won’t believe it.” Everybody came, but nobody noticed Johnny. All eyes were on Lisa. She had been transformed. She was a vision of loveliness. She was poised, warm,

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friendly, and confident. At the end of the day as Johnny and Lisa were preparing to return to their home, one of Johnny’s long-time friends pulled him aside and said, “I want to know the secret of this amazing transformation in Lisa. How did it happen?” Johnny said, “I will tell you. From the time Lisa was born, she had been treated as though she was not worth very much. She had begun to believe that about herself. But I announced to the community that she was an 8-cow wife, and I have treated her just that way. She has become that vision of herself that she sees every day in my eyes.” God’s choices are just as unlikely and the price much higher than 8 cows (Deut 7:7-8; Acts 20:28).

Reminder – We have been baptized! Response – A few years ago a scientist did an experiment where he made

cocaine available to monkeys. They would pull a lever and the feeding tray would give them a hit of cocaine. Soon the monkeys got addicted to the coke ...these were happy monkeys! But then the scientist began to hold the next fix. How many consecutive times do you think the average monkey would pull that lever to get the next fix? 12,800 times. Over and over and over and over again. Gotta have it, gotta have it!

In like manner, sin addicts us to it. Gossip, anger, worry, laziness, excuses selfishness. Over and over and over and over again we scream, “Gotta have it .gotta have it, gotta have it!”

Our response to God’s sacrifice, not of eight cows, but of his only Son, has been one sorry and ongoing addiction to sin and death.

And this means the relationship, reminder, and response is followed by judgment. This is inside out and upside down!

God’s judgment upon his elect people came through “a nation” (Amos 6:14; see Amos, 428-30). But God’s final word is never judgment.

To relationship, reminder, and response he adds one more word, redemption. And this redemption comes through another prophet who, “Being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing” (Phil 2:6-7). Luther waxes eloquent: “Not in garb of pomp or power he wore; a servant's form, like men he bore.” “He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Even the best Manhattan advertising agencies would be hard pressed for a catchy jingle. “Lose it all. Imagine the possibilities!”

Omnipotent. He cries. The owner of all things, he says, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Matt 8:20). The King of Kings, he becomes a slave. The Creator, he's spit on by the creatures. The source of truth, he's found guilty of a lie. The source of light, for three hours he hangs in the darkness. The source of Life, he's crucified, dead and buried. He went from the pinnacle of praise in the universe to the ultimate absolute nothing. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him; nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isa 53:2).

As Mr. Inversion he chooses fishermen instead of Pharisees, sinners instead of Sadducees, and whores instead of Herodians. Jesus chooses thorns for his crown instead of silver and gold and spit and blood instead sweetness and light.

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His choices lead to torment and torture and darkness and death. As the Elect One, 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 inside out and completely upside down. 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 alive!

Thank God that election means more than relationship, reminder, and response. In Jesus Christ it finally and fully means complete and total redemption!

As God’s chosen and elect, loved and forgiven sinners, we will live in such a way that what the Thessalonians said about Paul and Silas will be said of us. “These men who have turned the world upside down have also come here” (Acts 17:6).

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon 1 Peter 2:9)

P: Father, you know the ways we have hurt and been hurt; how we have rejected and been rejected; how we have blamed and been blamed. Yet we still come before your throne of grace for we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to you.

All: That we may proclaim the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

P: Father we retreat and rebel, we isolate and insulate, we become cynical and sarcastic. Yet because of the love of Jesus we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to you.


P: Father may your gospel empower us to stand by those who sorrow, stand with those who are rejected, and stand for those who have no voice, for we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to you.


P: Father, as we meditate on the cross of Jesus, sing the songs of Lent, and claim the blood-bought redemption of our Savior, we are eternally thankful to be your chosen race, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people who belong to you.


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P: Father, lead us more and more into the way of the cross, the way of self-giving love, forgiveness, humility, and servanthood, for we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to you.

All: That we may proclaim the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

BLESSING

CLOSING HYMN: God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It, LSB # 594

For Next Week Read Amos 5:18–20

What sort of day did Israel expect the “day of Yahweh” to be, especially in light of the fact that they were “longing” for this day? How does Amos confirm or deny their expectations?

Why does Amos announce that this day will be “darkness and not light?” Amos warns in verse 19 that Israel’s punishment would come just at the

moment when they felt most secure. What do you think about that?

Lent 3Order of Worship


INVOCATION


All: Amen.


P: Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

All: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

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P: One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. All: The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

P: For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.


P: Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!


HYMN: Lift High the Cross, 837 (stanzas one through three)

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION – (Based upon Amos 5:21-24)

P: Almighty Father, apart from humble repentance you hate and despise our worship and take no delight in our solemn assemblies.

All: You want justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

P: When we give our offerings in a perfunctory and lukewarm manner you do not accept them; and you do not look with favor upon our half-hearted worship.


P: When you hear our shallow singing and duplistic praises you say, “Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.”


P: Merciful Father, we are guilty of having the outward form of godliness, but inside we harbor pettiness and vindictiveness. We confess it, renounce it, and disown it, trusting that you will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every stain of evil. We place our hope in Christ’s cleansing blood.


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HYMN: Lift High the Cross, LSB # 837 (stanzas four through six)FIRST READING: Amos 5:18-20


THE APOSTLES’ CREED

HYMN: Renew Me O Eternal Light, LSB # 704


Part 3: “This is the Night the Lord has Made!”

(What follows may be true of you to a large extent. If not, you may tailor the story to fit some people who are fans of the Lone Ranger).

I'm not totally comfortable admitting this, but since I trust all of you so completely, I’ll publicly confess it. In my earlier days I was an unabashed fan of the Lone Ranger. Countless times I turned on our old black and white to KWGN, that’s channel 2 in Denver, CO. For, “nowhere in those sterling pages of yesteryear can one find a greater champion of justice. We turn again to those thrilling days when out of the past come the thundering hoof beats of the great horse Silver. For the Lone Ranger Rides again!”

But in every episode 29 minutes and 30 seconds into the half-hour program, somebody would inevitably ask the question, “Who was that Masked Man?” Here was someone who was in the clutches of death, inches from total annihilation, without a pistol or in a prison or certainly in a pinch and a pickle and the Lone Ranger delivered, saved, and rescued them. And they missed it!

From their youth Israel had been called out of Egypt, fed, and nourished for the journey, and given their tribal inheritance. They had the sure and certain prophetic words of Elijah and Elisha. God had again and again delivered, saved, and rescued them. And through unfaithful living they missed it!

The result was that the Assyrian juggernaut, the rod of God’s anger, attacked and destroyed the Northern Kingdom in 721BC. That's the night when the lights went out in Israel.

Amos promises this night of darkness in our text (Amos, 348-59). This is the night the LORD has made. Two hunters came across a bear so big that they dropped their rifles and

ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other hid in a nearby cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, hesitated, and then

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dashed back in again. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree frantically called out, “Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!” “Can’t,” panted Woody, “there’s another bear in there, too.” What we may think is safe is actually a place of doom.

That is what Amos says, the night the LORD has made is like a man fleeing from a lion, and a bear meets him, or goes into the house and leans his hand against the wall, and a serpent bites him.

In the baptismal flood you and I were called out of Egypt. In the Eucharistic Body and Blood we are fed and nourished for the journey. “We have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven” (1 Pet 1:4). We have “the word of the prophets made more certain” (2 Pet 1:19). God has again and again delivered us, saved us, and rescued us. And we miss it!

Why? John 3:19 states, “This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

We love the darkness of self-centered narcissism, we live in the darkness of lies and half-truths, and we have an ongoing lust for more of the darkness that feeds our flesh. The Prince of Darkness mocks our feeble discipleship, our failed relationships, and our fatal attractions.

One of the greatest tragedies would be to live in darkness when we could live in the light. Rose Crawford had been blind for fifty years. Then she had an operation in an Ontario hospital. She said, “I just can’t believe it,” as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes. She wept when, for the first time in her life, a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted her eyes, and she could see. The amazing thing about her story, however, was that twenty years of her blindness was unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of thirty. The doctor said, “She just figured there was nothing that could be done for her condition. Much of her life could have been different.”

And much of our lives may be different as well! There is no need for us to remain in the darkness of God’s judgment for Jesus is the Light that took on flesh so that he might take us into his arms, heal our hurts, forgive our filth, and destroy our darkness. He took on flesh, not to demonstrate the innocence of infancy, but in order to live the life we could not and die our death so we need not. Dazzling light, brilliant light, eternal light. No wonder the Nicene creed declares of Jesus, “Light of Light!”

But the Light of the world also knows the darkness of Yahweh’s night. For three hours he hung on the cross in darkness. He bled in the darkness, cried in the darkness, and thirsted in the darkness. Jesus knows the darkness of Yahweh’s night better than anyone!

Would this thick darkness mean that Jesus ceases to shine again? Would the betrayal, the blood, and the burial be the final curtain call?

Never! Jesus is the great Light! John 1:5 states, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it!”

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Art Holst, a veteran NFL referee, tells about a Sunday when Kansas City Chief tight end named Fred Arbanas was tackled so hard that his artificial eye popped out. Soon the missing eye was found. Arbanas popped it back into place and was eager to resume play. Holst then said to Arbanas playfully, “I’m impressed with your courage. But what would you have done if you had lost the other eye?" “That's easy,” snapped Arbanas, “I’d become a referee!”

While it may seem like referees live in the dark, we oftentimes do.All that changes as we trust and follow Jesus who leads us to live forever in

the light of his love!

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon 1 John 1:7)

P: Heavenly Father, we pray for your holy Christian Church, scattered throughout the world, that you will empower all the baptized to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, for if we walk in the light, as you are in the light,

All: We have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

P: Father, we pray for all pastors and teachers of the Gospel, that their lights would shine brightly as their lives testify to the truth they teach, for if we walk in the light, you are in the light,


P: Lord, empower our nation’s leaders to be instruments of justice and righteousness so that your Church may live in peace and tranquility as it lifts high the cross and proclaims the love of Christ, for if we walk in the light, you are in the light,


P: Tender Father, shower your compassion upon all who walk in darkness and in the valley of the shadow of death. Heal the sick, comfort those who mourn, and bind up the broken hearted. Use us toward the restoration of all that is dark, for if we walk in the light, you are in the light,


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P: O God, give us grace to follow Jesus, the Light of the world and, in following him keep us steadfast and immoveable always abounding in your work, for if we walk in the light, you are in the light,

All: We have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. LORD’S PRAYERBLESSING

HYMN: I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light, LSB # 411

For Next Week Read Amos 6:1-7 What were the leaders of Israel busy doing while their nation was going into

ruin? Do you think times of prosperity could actually make it more difficult to believe

in God? Do we tend to turn to God more frequently in times of prosperity or crisis?

Is it enough to “do no harm”, or does God expect us to be active in helping those less fortunate than us?

Lent 4

Order of Worship


INVOCATION


All: Amen.


P: O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

All: Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

P: Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.


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P: Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity.


HYMN: My Song is Love Unknown, LSB # 430 (stanzas one through four) CONFESSION OF SINS – (From selected verses in Amos 8:4-7)

P: Almighty Father, we don’t like to admit that our sinfulness and rebellion are at the heart of some of our most painful problems.

All: We are much more comfortable discussing imperfections, weaknesses, mistakes, and errors in judgment.

P: These terms are socially acceptable, and almost everyone identifies with them.

All: But an outright acknowledgment of guilt before you, our holy God, a complete acceptance of responsibility for wrong doing, runs against our grain.

P: Yet, Father, this kind of honesty is the first step to the freedom from sin and guilt that you have provided in the death of Jesus Christ.

All: And so we confess that by our greed and indifference we have trampled on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end,

P: In their impatience with worship Israel said, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale?” At times we are no different when we ask, “When will worship be over so that we can go shopping? And the Sabbath, that we can watch the game.”

All: In your righteous judgment, O LORD, you have sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.”


P: Having confessed your sin in the gospel of Jesus Christ God says, “I will forgive your iniquity, and I will remember your sin no more.” By the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, I, a called and ordained servant of Christ, forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

HYMN: My Song is Love Unknown, LSB # 430 (stanzas five through seven)

FIRST LESSON: Amos 6:1-7

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GOSPEL LESSON: John 7:37-43

APOSTLES’ CREED

HYMN: What is the World to Me? LSB # 730


Part 4: “Grieving for Joseph”

We’ve all had experience with parties that have gotten out of hand, whether it was on New Year’s Eve, Spring break, or in the comfort of our home, watching revelers celebrate on TV.

Amos describes one party that was getting so out of hand that the revelers could no longer hear the cry of the impoverished. Amos 6:1–7 describes the indulgence of the affluent in Israel, who were celebrating a feast to end all feasts. The roar of the party was the roar for more and more, while all along they ignored the roar of the poor. We also are surrounded by a culture that knows how to party, but not how to pray; that knows how to revel, but not how to restore; that knows how to stay up all night but not how to walk in the light of day. Rather than join in the revelry, Amos crashes the party (Amos, 398-409).

The partygoers were so consumed with their pursuit of pleasure that they were ignoring the cries of the needy. They didn’t grieve over the ruin of Joseph (Amos 6:6c).

You know the story. Joseph is his father’s favorite, but his brothers hate his guts. His dad gives him the coat of many colors, but his brothers rip it off and sell him to some Midianites coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt. Joseph goes to work for Potipher, a high ranking Egyptian official, and ends up in charge of everything. And besides, Gen 39:6 says, “Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.” So Potipher’s wife says, “Come to bed with me!” But Joseph says, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” This spurned woman goes for Joseph's jugular. And since there are no sexual harassment laws in Egypt, Joseph is hosed. While in prison he and Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer make arrangements to bust out. The cupbearer is freed, but forgets about Joseph for two years. Then Pharaoh has two dreams that no one can interpret, until the cupbearer remembers Joseph. Through it all, twenty-three years to be exact, Joseph finally becomes the Joe Biden of Egypt. And just before Joseph reveals himself to his brothers they say, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us” (Genesis 42:21).

Amos equates the voiceless and vulnerable of his day with Joseph (see notes on Amos 6:6c, Amos, 407).

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Frank Layden, the former coach of the Utah Jazz in the seventies, had problems with a basketball player, so he summoned the talented but troubled man to his office. Looking the player in the eye, the coach finally asked, “Son, I can’t understand it with you. Is it ignorance or apathy?” to which the player responded, “Coach, I don’t know and I don’t care!”

Ignorance and apathy marked the party-hearty crowd described by Amos. Kitty Genovese was the young woman who was murdered in a New York

residential section while at least 38 neighbors watched from their windows. During the course of the 30-minute assault, no one even telephoned the police. Studies have uncovered some surprising facts about these people. Interviews revealed that they were not totally indifferent. The main reason nobody did anything was that each person thought someone else would take the initiative to get help.

Jesus once went through the same ignorant and apathetic meat grinder. John 1:11: “He came to that which was his own, but his own received him not.”

Jesus was mocked by the crowed, betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, forsaken by the ten, unjustly accused in a kangaroo court, sentenced to death by a weak-willed Roman, crowned with thorns by those who spit upon him, scourged by muscle-men just short of death. And so he is not ignorant of our pain, nor is he apathetic about our problems. To the contrary, instead of indifference, in baptism he pours out grace on us. Instead of neglect, in the Eucharist he gives us a taste of heaven. Instead of unconcern, through the Word we share his victory. Instead of righteous revenge (shout it out) we are redeemed in the blood of the Lamb! And so we not only grieve over Joseph’s ruin, we attend to the ruins, rebuild the ruins, restore the ruins we care for those among us who are the least, the lost, and the last.

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon Ephesians 4:32)

P: Gracious Father, during this Lententide enable us to fast from apathy and indifference and feast on acts of mercy and love and to fast from apparent darkness and feast on the reality of light, so that we are kind to one another, tenderhearted,

All: Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us.

P: O Holy Spirit, empower us to fast from words that pollute and feast on phrases that purify; to fast from discontent and feast on gratitude; to fast from anger and feast on patience, so that we are kind to one another, tenderhearted,


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P: O God, by your mercy create in us the ability to fast from pessimism and feast on optimism, to fast from worry and feast on trust, to fast from complaining and feast on appreciation so that we are kind to one another, tenderhearted,


P: By your Word and Sacraments Father, so enlighten us to fast from bitterness and feast on forgiveness, to fast from self-concern and feast on compassion for others, to fast from personal anxiety and feast on eternal truth, so that we are kind to one another, tenderhearted,

All: Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

BLESSING

CLOSING HYMN: Abide with Me, LSB # 878 (stanzas one and six)

For Next Week Read Amos 7:1-6 How did Amos respond to each vision? Is Amos truly all “fire and brimstone?”

Do you think he enjoyed preaching doom and destruction? Why did God change his mind concerning the destruction of Israel in these two

visions? Did Israel do anything to deserve God’s forgiveness? Is there a limit to God’s patience? Will he continually forgive habitual,

unrepentant sin?

Lent 5

Order of Worship


INVOCATION


All: Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP (From selected verses in Joel 2)

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P: Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation

All: God will restore the years that the locusts have eaten.

P: Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

All: God will restore the years that the locusts have eaten. P: Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God.


P: The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.


HYMN: Go to Dark Gethsemane, LSB # 436 (Stanzas one and two)

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION – (Based upon Amos 5:13–15)

P: Heavenly Father, you command us to seek good and not evil, that we may live; and so you will be with us.

All: O LORD, the God of hosts, be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

P: Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time for it is an evil time.

All: O LORD, the God of hosts, be gracious to the remnant of Joseph..P: Father, you command us to hate evil and love good and establish justice in the gate;

All: O LORD, the God of hosts, be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

P: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

All: We admit and confess our sinfulness. We have turned away from spouses, children, sisters, and brothers in our thinking and speaking and doing. We have loved evil and hated good. We have embraced the darkness and shunned the light.

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HYMN: Go to Dark Gethsemane, LSB # 436 (Stanzas three and four)



APOSTLES’ CREED

HYMN: Jesus, Refuge of the Weary, LSB # 423


Part 5: “Locusts Here; Locusts There; Locusts Are Everywhere!”

This sermon is about locusts. Now just the mention of locusts brings to mind Mr. Locust himself, John the Baptizer. Can you imagine eating locusts? A few years ago a man from Bloomington, Minnesota did. He made national news by eating thirty of them. He ended up in the hospital with a rash all over his body. Pastors call that “the theology of the cross.” Lay people call that, “just plain dumb!”

Locusts may not be our insect of choice, but they certainly were in the Old Testament. Israelites were so familiar with locusts that they coined nine different Hebrew words to describe these purveyors of powerful plagues. Sometimes there can be as many as 120 million critters in each square mile of locusts! One swarm that crossed the Red Sea in 1899 was said to cover an area of over 1,900 square miles!

And boy howdy, do locusts love to eat! Why, they can eat their own body weight each day. Just imagine eating your own body weight each day?! Uh, on second thought don’t imagine eating your own body weight each day.

As a picker of sycamore fig trees Amos had a first-hand experience with locusts (Amos, 265; 278; 441-45).

In Revelation 9 John uses the imagery of locusts to remind us of this enemy who kills, steals, and destroys. He looks at this vast army and describes them in these graphic terms: “Their teeth are like lions’ teeth. They have iron breastplates … they have tails and stings like scorpions … and they have as king over them, the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.”

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Abaddon and Apollyon both mean Destroyer. Later in Revelation 12 and then again in chapter 20 John calls this Destroyer, “the ancient serpent who is devil and Satan.” And his demons seek to devour everything in us that is spiritually alive. Their strategy is clear: “We will chew you up and spit you out!”

Satan’s lies strip away baptismal promises, Eucharistic joy, and gospel power. His temptations destroy marital fidelity, moral responsibility, and ecclesiastical civility. Satan’s swarms of demons lead us to whisper wicked words, lunge for lustful looks, hate with hard hearts, and go on in godless gossip.

Who can stop the onslaught of locusts?Little Mary was at her first wedding and gaped at the entire ceremony.

When it was over, she asked her mother, “Why did the lady change her mind?” Her mother asked, “What do you mean?” “Well, she went down the aisle with one man, and came back with another one.” Changing our mind is not always a bad thing. God changes his mind, too, and in the case of the locusts, it was for the better.

Before Yahweh Amos intercedes for Israel and God relents (Amos, 447-48). Jesus is our Intercessor and because of him the locusts have met their

match (Amos, 449-50). But to become our Intercessor Jesus was paraded outside of Jerusalem to

Golgotha where people were intentionally bent and broken, maimed and mauled, and then systematically thrown away. There “the angel of the Abyss Abaddon and Apollyon” stalked him, took aim, shot straight, and killed.

But the Destroyer has been destroyed, the Deceiver deceived, and the Devourer devoured. In fact, according to both Isaiah and Paul, this enemy has been swallowed up!

There are some years in South Africa when locusts swarm the land and eat all the crops. They come in hordes so thick that the sun is even blocked out. The crops are destroyed, and an impoverished winter follows. The years of the locust are feared and dreaded. The year that follows the “year of the locust,” however, is a year of plentiful abundance! The dead bodies of the previous year’s locusts serve as fertilizer for the new seeds, and the crops swell from the land.

In life, there are seasons of deep distress and afflictions that sometimes eat away the baptismal abundance that is ours in Christ. Yet the promise of God is that in Jesus Christ he will restore the years that the locusts have eaten! Look out locusts, here we come!

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon Romans 8:34)

P: Forgiving Father, fill your entire Church universal with truth and peace. Where it is in error, reform it; where it is in need, supply it, and where it is rent asunder, heal it. This we ask, because Christ Jesus is the one who died,

All: Who is at the right hand of God, interceding for us.

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P: Lord of power and might, bring order where there is chaos, rebuke where there is injustice, healing where there is sickness, and light to those who dwell in spiritual darkness. This we ask, because Christ Jesus is the one who died,


P: Father of our families, enrich the lives of husbands and wives, parents and children, and all in our extended families. Shed great grace upon the lonely, those who have no family near, who are widows and orphans, divorced and separated. This we ask, because Christ Jesus is the one who died,


P: Lord of all who labor, we ask for your tender support of those who are unemployed, underemployed, and over-worked. Give directors, employers, and all in authority in workplaces the wisdom and knowledge that advances meaningful labor. This we ask, because Christ Jesus is the one who died,


P: O Lord, answer our prayers, fulfill our hopes, and bring us at last to everlasting life. This we ask, because Christ Jesus is the one who died,

All: Who is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. In his name we pray. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

BLESSING

CLOSING HYMN: In the Cross of Christ I Glory, LSB # 427

For Next Week Read Amos 7:10-17

What brought about the conflict between Amos and Amaziah? Whose interests were Amaziah and Amos trying to protect? Is conflict a necessary part of life? Are some conflicts unavoidable?

Lent 6

Order of Worship


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INVOCATION


All: Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP (From selected verses in Hosea 5 and 6)

P: The LORD is like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. He says, “I will tear and go away; I will carry off, and no one shall rescue. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me. After two days the LORD will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him

All: Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

P: Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD.All: Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

P: His going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.

All: Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

HYMN: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, LSB # 451 (Stanzas one and two)

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION: (Based upon Amos 8:8-10)

P: Lord God, Heavenly Father, our rebellion and disobedience causes the land to tremble, and we who dwell in it mourn.

All: O God, it is like the mourning for an only Son, and its end is a bitter day.

P: The sun goes down at noon and darkens the earth in broad daylight.


P: You turn our feasts into mourning and all our songs into lamentation.


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P: You bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head.


P: Father, we have tried to hide our sin from you and each another. We have refused to bear each other’s burdens and turned away from those in need. We have ignored the pain of the world and passed by the hungry, the homeless, and the oppressed. We are sick of it and sick from it.



HYMN: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, LSB # 451 (Stanzas four and five)



APOSTLES’ CREED

HYMN: Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle, LSB # 454


Part 6: “Lion Alert!”

(Everyone has witnessed the might of a lion at a zoo. Develop your own experience; mine is as follows). In its “Big Cat Country” the St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park has one of the biggest lion’s I’ve ever seen. His name is Oba – that’s O-B-A. Now, if there is a fight, let me publicly make it as clear as possible, I’m on Oba’s side! Why, Oba weighs almost 500 pounds, boasts a huge mane and has absolutely enormous paws. While my three children just love the “Penguin Puffin’ Coast” and my wife just can’t get enough of those gentle giant giraffes, I like standing in front of this King of the Jungle as long as he remains in his cage! Panthera leo for Latin lovers; the King of the Beasts for nature lovers; behind bars for lovers of life! Oh, I know, Oba should be free, roaming through Forest Park feasting upon its squirrels and rabbits. But who wants to wake up to a “Lion Alert?” Who wants an up close and personal visitation from this beast? Not me. This lion must remain in his cage!

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And I ‘m not the only one who feels this way. Amaziah – the priest at Bethel – is building a career around keeping the Lion in his cage. Only this Lion’s name is Yahweh. (Amos, 64-65).

Amos 1:2: “Yahweh roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem!” The last thing Amaziah wants to see is a “Lion Alert!” So whatever the cost, whatever the compromise, this Lion must never, ever rumble in Israel’s jungle! Amaziah’s ecclesiastical policy means that anyone who rattles, shakes, and opens cages must get out of Dodge immediately!

Enter one Amos, a Judean cattleman and fig picker from Tekoa. “Lion alert! Lion alert! Call 911!” Amaziah must begin operation “Safe

Church Policy” because it is through Amos that this Lion is saying to Israel, “For three sins of Israel and for four, I will not turn back my wrath.” “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your sins.” “Woe to you who long for the day of Yahweh it will be a day of darkness and not light!” “I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.” “Woe to you who are at ease in Zion who do not grieve over Joseph’s ruin.”

This is no “still, small voice!” This is no “Gentle Jesus meek and mild.” And this is no tame, purring little kitty cat. Amos 3:8 – “The lion has roared, who will not fear? Lord Yahweh has spoken, who can but prophesy?”

Amaziah says to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.” When interpreted Amaziah is saying, “Amos, this temple isn’t big enough for the two of us. So get out of my face you fig pickin', low wattage shepherd boy prophet wannabe! My motto is tolerate, let sleeping dogs lie. I long to cooperate, to all radicals I say ‘bye’!”

This priest is an expert in image building, marketing techniques, public relations, and salesmanship. In fact, in Amos 7:11 when he reports to his boss what the prophet is preaching he conveniently avoids the sticky issues of syncretistic worship, poverty, oppression, and social injustice. His king, Jeroboam ben Joash, will no doubt recommend a raise for Amaziah because at Bethel this priest is running such a smooth religious operation. Sisters and brothers, do not be deceived! There are powerful forces in our lives, in our church, and in our world shouting to us, “Be an Amaziah clone!” Be content with religious clichés and jargon instead of blazing, burning truth!” Sit satisfied in church with the motto, “Come weal, come woe, my status is quo!”

We live in a culture that systematically domesticates, de-fangs and de-claws the roaring Lion. In 2 Timothy 3 Paul states “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days … people will have the form of godliness but deny its power.”

But living in the power Amos says, “I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet.” When interpreted Amos is saying, “I am not a religious professional, paid to make pious pronouncements on public platforms. I will not be bought, compromised, deterred, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or

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meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, back up, or let up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, and stayed up.”

And why should this shock us? Moses confronts Pharaoh with Yahweh’s thunderous, “Let my people go!” Nathan courageously puts his ecclesiastical career on the line when he summons David with the words, “You are the man!” Elijah takes the heat from Ahab who calls him “the troubler in Israel!” Jeremiah daringly rewrites Yahweh’s word after king Jehoachim has sliced it, diced it, and burned it. And Daniel’s dream of the night shatters Nebuchadnezzar’s illusion of the day.

Joining this “goodly fellowship” of the politically incorrect is Israel’s greatest radical. Why, he once had the courage to make a whip and then use it to cleanse his Father’s House. Another time he looked the religious leaders of his day straight in the eye and said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones!” Climactically he stands before his high priest and confesses, “In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

But this Lion is also the Lamb, and his mighty power is made most perfect in weakness. Jesus allows soldiers to march him along the Via Dolorosa while he shoulders his crossbar with blood dripping from his butchered back. Jesus allows his executioners to strip him naked, shove him to the ground, and pin him to wood with their tools of torture. And Jesus absorbs the spit and the insults without asking his Father to dispense twelve legions of angels.

Societies don’t execute Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers, or Sponge Bob, but they do destroy people who shake their religious establishments to the very core. “There,” they said on that Friday afternoon, “no need to call 911. There is no more Lion alert. He’s crucified, dead, and buried!”

But, coming forth from the tomb the Lion rumbles in his jungle! Revelation 5:5: “See, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah he has triumphed!” There is nothing dead about our Jesus! His is no syrupy, sentimental love. But his fierce love for you is driven by nails, marked with scars, and crowned with thorns.

Now what do you suppose Amaziah will say to Amos if the prophet finally gives up, gives in, and goes along, just to be a good ol’ boy? What will this priest say if Amos becomes a “yes” man to Jeroboam ben Joash? Amaziah—and all those like him—will say, “Welcome to our religious club where our motto is ‘Come weal or woe, the status must forever remain quo!’”

But what do you think Amos will say if Amaziah confesses, “Enough is enough. I will no longer sell my soul on the altar called compromise; its time to let the Lion loose!” Amos will raise a hand, make the sign of the cross, and announce what you hear in the absolution of your sins: “I forgive you of all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

OFFERING

PRAYERS – (Based upon 2 Timothy 1:7-8)

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P: Lord God, merciful Father, bestow upon the nations the Spirit of understanding and peace, graft in all our leaders the desire for mutual respect and love of true concord. This we ask because you did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,

All: Therefore we will not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.

P: Lord of the Church, inspire your people with a great love for worship, fervent zeal in your service, and exuberant joy in the advancement of your kingdom. This we ask because you did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,


P: Lord of all truth, enlighten all who teach and administer in our schools and universities. Create in the hearts of all students the love of learning, humility of heart, and the desire to serve you and all people. This we ask because you did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,


P: Lord of all healing, we pray for your compassionate hand to give strength to the weary, relief to the suffering, and comfort for the dying. This we ask because you did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,

All: Therefore we will not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord.P: We thank you Father for all the baptized who have departed this life, confessing Jesus as their Savior. Give us your Holy Spirit to follow their example and bring us with them to those joys unspeakable in the new heavens and the new earth. This we ask because you did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power,

All: Therefore we will not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

BLESSING

HYMN: Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, LSB # 660

For Holy Week Read Amos 8:11-14 for Maundy Thursday.

What sort of famine is described in this text? Why is this fitting punishment for Israel? Where can we go when we hunger for the Word of God?

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Read Amos 9:1–6 for Good Friday.

How is this vision similar to and different from Amos’ previous four visions (7:1–9; 8:1–3)?

What is the overall message of this fifth and final vision? Do you normally think of God’s presence as being comforting, terrifying, or

both?

Read Amos 9:11–15 for Easter.

How is this section of Amos different from anything else that we have seen in the book? Does this section “fit” with the overall message of Amos? Of the Bible?

Why do you think Amos waits until the end of his book to proclaim the Gospel? What time period is Amos describing in these verses? When did or will they happen?

It is expected that the services for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter will follow local worship customs.

The suggested Gospel Lessons are as follows:Maundy Thursday – John 6:25-34

Good Friday – John 19:17-30Easter – John 20:1-18

Maundy ThursdayAmos 8:11-14


Part 7: “The Taste Test”

“You’ve got to taste this!” So said our mothers as they thrust lima beans into our face. “You’ve got to taste this!” So say our spouses as they thrust their latest concoction of tuna casserole into our face. But all this pales in comparison to the taste test conducted by a gourmet cook as she thrust dog food upon an unsuspecting guest!

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It all happened at an elegant reception near Denver. The dog food was served on delicate little crackers with a wedge of imported cheese, bacon chips, an olive, and a sliver of pimento on top. You’ve got it. It was hors d’oeurves a la Alpo. The hostess had just graduated from a gourmet cooking course and decided it was time to put her skills to the ultimate test. After doctoring up those miserable morsels and putting them on a couple of silver trays, with a sly grin she watched them all disappear. One man just couldn’t get enough. When they broke the news to him he probably barked and bit her on the leg! In all likelihood, he was famished for real food.

Amos also knows about people hungering for real food and finding none (Amos, 529-31).

Why do you and I experience a famine of God’s word? Why are there times when he is silent and distant? Just like Amos’ audience, it is because of our diet. For breakfast, one-half grapefruit, one piece of whole wheat toast, no butter, eight ounces of skim milk, coffee black. For lunch, four ounces of lean broiled chicken breast, skin removed, one cup of steamed zucchini, herb tea, no sugar, one Oreo cookie. For our snack the rest of the package of Oreo cookies, one quart of chocolate almond ice cream, and one jar of hot fudge. For dinner, two loaves of garlic bread, heavy on the butter, one large sausage and pepperoni pizza, extra cheese, a large milk shake with whipped cream, and for desert, three Milky Way candy bars and an entire frozen cheesecake!

Oh, we try, don’t we? We try to stay on a spiritual diet of God’s word that brings vigor and health and strength and power. But then we slip, one Oreo cookie, one crumb of coveting, one piece of pornography, one slice of slander, one sip of sarcasm, and then the rest of the package of Oreo cookies! We just can’t get enough and it’s killing us!

The enemy thrusts this junk food before us on silver trays and with a sly grin watches it all disappear. Filled to the brim with his miserable morsels our desire to regularly study, memorize, learn, defend, trust, believe, love, and live out this word becomes a chore, a bore, a snore until we say “no more!”

And the result is a famine in the hearing of God’s Word. So God decided to serve up one more Word. As a Man his appetite is

defined in Hebrews 2:9, “So that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”

Talk about a taste test! This was it for all time! Jesus tasted the demonic delight called death, the soldiers spit their cheap wine, sweat running down Jesus’ cheeks along with his own blood. But there was more. He drank the cup of the Father’s wrath, every last drop. He just couldn’t get enough, and it killed him.

Yet Jesus not only tasted death. He swallowed him up, chewed him up, and spit him out! 1 Corinthians 15:54, “Death has been swallowed up in victory!”

This means that our famine and hunger has ended. The feast is here! It was Luther who pounded the table at Marburg with, “hoc est corpum meam” – “This is my body.” The forgiveness and love and mercy and salvation that was accomplished at Calvary is now present in the bread and wine by the power of the word, real body and real blood at this table.

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The famine is ended. The feast is here!

Good Friday

Amos 9:1-6


Part 8: “Buried!”

An old “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” TV show was about a woman in prison who became good friends with the prison caretaker. When a prisoner died he would ring the bell, get the body, put it in a casket and, nail it shut. Then, placing the casket on a wagon, he would take it to the graveyard outside the prison walls and bury the corpse.

Knowing this routine, the woman devised an escape plan and shared it with this caretaker. “The next time the bell rings,” she said, “I’ll leave my cell and sneak into the coffin with the dead body. Nail the lid shut and take the coffin outside the prison with me in it. Bury the coffin,” she continued, “and because there will be enough air for me to breathe for some time, you can come back to the graveyard that night, dig up the coffin, and set me free.”

The caretaker agreed to the plan. One day this woman heard the ringing of the death bell. She arose, walked

down the hallway, found the coffin containing the dead body and climbed in. Soon she heard the pounding of hammer and nails. The coffin was lifted onto the wagon and taken outside to the graveyard. After the dirt was poured on the coffin she began to giggle out loud, “I’m free, free!”

Feeling curious she lit a match to identify the prisoner beside her … and in the glimmer of light she discovered that she was laying next to … the dead caretaker! In classic Alfred Hitchcock fashion this final scene fades as we hear the woman screaming, screaming, screaming, then silence.

Ever been buried like that before? Sure you have, and so have I. We’ve been buried in questions – “If God is so good, why do I hurt so bad?” “If Jesus is the light, why am I in the dark?”

We’ve been buried in disappointment. “You’re fired!” “I don’t love you anymore!”

We’ve all been buried in the past; the minute we lost our temper, the hour we lost our purity, the day we lost control, the years we lost our priorities.

Buried, boxed in, six feet under, again, right here, just now; it’s dark, tight, and claustrophobic. And if there isn’t screaming, there are heavy sighs and lifeless looks and broken hearts.

Amos envisions a day when Israel’s temple will be judged and the people will be buried (Amos, 536-51).

Radio commentator Paul Harvey tells of an experiment involving a chimpanzee that scientists were determined to teach written communication. For

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fourteen years project directors labored with this chimpanzee, providing symbols in its cage to enable him to form syllables. Finally, the day arrived when it seemed the chimpanzee was actually going to make a sentence. Word went out. Other scientists crowded into the room. They watched breathlessly as symbols were formed into words and words formed into a sentence. At last, the first message from the world's most pampered, most cared for and most patiently trained chimpanzee was about to come forth. The scientists could hardly contain themselves as they pressed around the cage to watch the history-making sentence. What did the chimpanzee communicate? Three words: “Let me out!”

The cry, “Let me out!” is all too familiar for us. The sins of idolatry that lead to the temple toppling in Amos’ vision also

lead to our entrapment. Idols of money, sex, alcohol, possessions offer everything. They deliver nothing. We know all too well the desperate cry, “Let me out!”

But we find refuge in another temple, also toppled and torn apart by God. This temple’s name is Jesus. Because of your sin and mine, the Father marshaled every weapon of mass destruction; Judas, Pilate, and Herod, thorns, nails, and spear, darkness, sweat and screaming, screaming, screaming until there was total silence. It all ended “crucified, dead and buried.” Nothing is as bottomless as a pit, as lifeless as a grave, as hopeless as a tomb. Smell the mildew, the odor of blood, the of stench death. See the confines, the darkness, the sealed stone.

But this temple has been rebuilt (Amos, 556-57). But how does that impact my life? I’m cramped by the chaos, suffocating in

the stillness, trapped in transgressions and sins, and screaming in my silence. What shall I do? I’ve got an idea.

Let’s light a match and see who we’re buried with. Romans 6:4: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life!” Again Colossians 2:12: “Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”

You are not alone when life caves in. Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One, knows the feeling of being buried, and more than that. In baptismal promises he still comes to raise us through his suffering and death.

The Resurrection of Our LordAmos 9:11-15


Part 9: “Come to the Feast!”

“The Party is Over!”It can mean, “Its 2:00am and I've got to go to work in six hours. Besides,

everyone is leaving and my wife is probably still up, you are out of eats and

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drinks.” Or it can mean, “It’s all over, the Fat Lady has sung, the curtain has gone down, and Mighty Casey has struck out!”

It is this second sense of “The Party is Over!” that coincides with the context of Amos 9:11-15, namely God’s judgment of the temple in the prophet’s fifth and final vision. Hear the word of the LORD from Amos 9:1, “I saw the LORD standing beside the altar and he said, ‘Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake.’” Make no mistake about it, the party is over!

And yet, after God’s judgment our text from Amos 9 God states, “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.” Judgment will give way to mercy, and death will give way to resurrection. God promises to raise up the falling tabernacle of David!

On this day we celebrate that he has done just that! You see, there is nothing dead about Jesus. John 1:4 – “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 6:35 – “I am the Bread of Life.” John 6:66 – “You have the words of eternal life.” John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life.” John 11:25 – “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” John 14:6 – “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” Climactically Paul throws a triumphant fist up in the air and shouts, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Far from being over, this party has just begun. And make no mistake about this either, Jesus of Nazareth is the life of this party. He’s not some fable or fairy tale that we’ve made up inside our head, he’s God and Son, he’s risen from the dead!

But every party brings a certain set of questions. The first question is, who is invited?

Amos stresses that all are invited (cf. 9:12, “the remnant of Edom …” Amos, 588-90).

John Carlson is a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota. A few years ago he noticed that in his town on the night of the Senior Prom only the posh, preppy, powerful, polished, and popular kids went to the party. So he came up with the idea of holding a celebration for kids who couldn’t get a date because they weren’t all state and felt second rate! This prom was for them. Now Timex gives out watches to the kids who attend, other companies have joined in, and now it's more popular than the real prom! Carlson calls it the Reject Prom.

Been rejected lately? Told you don’t belong? Feeling second rate? Do you know about partner rejection? Peer rejection? Parental rejection? Parishioner rejection? Do you know about deep running personal-rejection? All are invited.

The next question, what about my appearance? Answer, come as you are. But, you say, “My face bears the marks of worry. My shoulders are stooped from burdens. My lips are dirty from slander. My heart is hardened toward my spouse and children. My fingers are stuck accusing my brother. My arteries are clogged with bitterness and resentment.”

A hen-pecked husband was advised by a psychiatrist to assert himself. “You don’t have to let your wife bully you,” he said. “Go home and show her you’re the boss.” The husband decided to take the doctor’s advice. He went home, slammed

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the door, shook his fist in his wife’s face, and growled, “From now on you’re taking orders from me. I want my supper right now, and when you get it on the table, go upstairs, and lay out my clothes. Tonight I am going out with the boys. You are going to stay at home where you belong. Another thing, you know who is going to tie my bow tie?” “I certainly do,” said his wife calmly. “The undertaker.”

Our sin shows up most in marriages and in families when we foolishly attempt to manipulate, bully, and control each other.

So you’re thinking, “What do you mean? Come as you are? I'm a spiritual mess!” So am I. So was Israel. Israel of Amos’ day was clothed with this same disgrace of sin. (cf. 9:14, “God will restore the fortunes of his [exiled, unworthy] people”, Amos, 591-92).

What we have lost in sin, God restores in resurrection. This is come as you are! Luke 15:22: “Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet let's have a feast and celebrate!” The Father provides the proper attire for prodigals. Easter baptismal robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. Come just as you are.

Third, what about party gifts?? No Gifts, please. Let me explain it this way. (What follows is my story about church potlucks. I’m sure you have your own). I loved being a pastor in Broken Arrow, OK because, among other blessings, we had potlucks down to a theological art. The idea is that you bring some chips, she’ll bring some dessert (make that pecan pie), I’ll bring some salad, and make sure Robert Buffington brings the main course. Oh Robert Buffington, what a cook!

But for this celebration we can bring nothing. He does it all! Luke 14:17 – “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant

to tell those who had been invited,’ Come, for everything is now ready.’” (9:13, Amos, 590-91). Abundance is ours!

No gifts, please, because our God puts everything on the table. These gifts were purchased at the cost of spitting, mocking, whipping, nailing, bleeding, sweating, and dying. And now Jesus lives to give the gifts on this table. And what awesome gifts! True body and true blood through which we receive washing, cleansing, healing, and life forever!

It’s common to say at the end of a party something like, “All good things must come to an end.”

Not so!Amos maintains that this feast will never end (9:15, Amos, 592-93).The feast is ready! Come to the feast, the good and the bad. Come and be

glad. Greatest and least, come to the feast!

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