This is part one of a 3-part sermon series on "Hijacked Faith-a Response to Christian Nationalism" by the Rev Anders Edstrom at Greenfield Presbyterian Church in Berkley, MI. Scripture for today is Amos 7:10-8:6

Exchange between Amaziah, Jeroboam, and Amos

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, reported to Israel’s King Jeroboam, “Amos has plotted against you within the house of Israel. The land isn’t able to cope with everything that he is saying. 11 Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will be forced out of its land.’”

12 Amaziah said to Amos, “You who see things, go, run away to the land of Judah, eat your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s holy place and his royal house.”

14 Amos answered Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son; but I am a shepherd, and a trimmer of sycamore trees. 15 But the Lord took me from shepherding the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’

16 “Now then hear the Lord’s word.

You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel,

and don’t preach

against the house of Isaac.’

17 “Therefore, the Lord proclaims:

‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city,

and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword,

and your land will be measured and divided up;

you yourself will die in an unclean land,

and Israel will surely be taken away from its land.’”

A vision of summer fruit

8 This is what the Lord God showed me: a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “Amos, what do you see?”

I said, “A basket of summer fruit.”

Then the Lord said to me,

“The end has come upon my people Israel;

I will never again forgive them.

3 On that day, the people will wail the temple songs,”

says the Lord God;

“there will be many corpses,

thrown about everywhere.

Silence.”

Judgment on oppressors and hypocrites

4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy and destroy

the poor of the land, 5 saying,

“When will the new moon

be over so that we may sell grain,

and the Sabbath

so that we may offer wheat for sale,

make the ephah smaller, enlarge the shekel,

and deceive with false balances,

6 in order to buy the needy for silver

and the helpless for sandals,

and sell garbage as grain?”