The Day of the Lord

Did DirecTV steal its ad campaign from Amos?

Have you seen or heard the most recent DirecTV advertisements? They describe how their customer service has outranked various cable companies’ customer care for seventeen years, but still some people prefer cable to DirecTV. Then, the narrator lists undesirable activities that some odd people might actually like. As one spot puts it, “Some people prefer cable [to DirecTV] like some people like banging their heads on a low ceiling, drinking spoiled milk, camping in poison ivy, [licking an envelope and] getting a paper cut, [or] getting their arm trapped in a vending machine.” To me it sounds like DirecTV stole a page from the prophet Amos’ book!

Here’s how our first reading for today began:
Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
    Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light;
    as if someone fled from a lion,
    and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
  and was bitten by a snake.
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

“What a cheerful description of God’s coming!” said no one after reading this passage. So what gives? Why is this the way that Amos depicts the day of the Lord? Well, to understand we have to know what was going on in Israel and Judah when Amos prophesied.

Many would describe the 8th Century (BCE) as the heyday of the People of Israel. The kingdom was expanding. Other nations feared the Israelite army. Wealth and prosperity were common in this day. However, all the riches were not shared among all people. In fact, prosperity remained with only a select few, primarily those who were in seats of power in Jerusalem. Onto the scene came the prophet Amos.

Amos was a farmer and herder from a rural area of Judah. He denounced those who lived in power, while many suffered for want. Even though some people prospered during this time Amos claimed that God’s justice and righteousness were not being executed by the People of God and that the Day of the Lord was indeed coming, which gets us back to our passage for today.

After a description of how those in power who ignore the outcasts of society will experience the day of the Lord—remember bears, snakes, and gloom—Amos switches his perspective to that of God. From God’s perspective, at least according to Amos, it is not enough to have festivals or solemn occasions. God desires more than burnt offerings, fatted animals, or even songs of praise. What God yearns for is a people committed to justice and righteousness! Of course, all of this is in the past, right?

Sadly, we still struggle with only a few having power, privilege, or wealth. We live in a time of great disparity between the wealthy and the poor. We live in an age when many pay lip service to God, but do not receive God’s grace with an open heart ready to serve those who are in great need. Acknowledging the similarities between 8th Century (BCE) Israel and 21st Century (AD) U.S.A., as well as the problematic disparities in both societies we would do well to wonder how it is we are to go onward? “What now?” we ask ourselves.

Against the backdrop of today’s election here in Alabama, when we will elect someone to represent us in a Senate, I hear Amos calling us to approach the day of the Lord. We may believe that—like the powerful of ancient Israel—our representatives in Washington are more concerned with their own power than taking care of those on the margins. So what is it that we are called to do? The day of the Lord approaches as a terrifying event for those who stand on the side of the powerful, but what is it that we are called to do if we find ourselves in positions of privilege? The Shepherd from Matthew’s Gospel account helps to guide us.

The Shepherd goes out in search of the lost—whoever they may be. Even when we look around and believe that perhaps it is the 99 sheep who are lost our God will come to bring us home. When things seem most difficult or painful or problematic we are not called to fix everything, rather we are called to stand still and wait for God coming to us. Then, with Jesus, our Shepherd leading us we are charged to go in search of those who have been on the wrong end of power. We are called to go with the Shepherd to execute justice and righteousness. This means we are called to care with our Shepherd for those vulnerable ones—especially women, children, and people of color—who have been so abused by the systems of power in this world!

The day of the Lord is coming! It may appear to be a scary day, but the Shepherd comes in search of all sheep even the most lost among us. When the Shepherd comes searching may we not only be found by Him, but with him “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).