Amos 9:1-10

The final vision which Amos gives is different from all the others. In order to bring this scene into focus, we need to look at how it all began.

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In every lesson in the next few weeks, you'll be ask a simple question - will you make a prayerful commitment.

If this church was given a physical exam today - what do you think the diagnosis would be - healthy - slightly sick - very sick - dying?

 When a church ceases to have a heart and ministry for its community, it is on the path towards death. Whenever local churches are mentioned in the New Testament, they are always exhorted to be others - centered.

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In every lesson in the next few weeks you'll be ask a simple question - will you make a prayerful commitment.

If this church was given a physical exam today - what do you think the diagnosis would be - healthy - slightly sick - very sick - dying?

The most pervasive and common thread in dying or dead churches, they live or lived for a long time with the past as Hero. They clung to things of the past with desperation and fear. Their motto is "we will die before we change".

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Amos 8:11-14

God's judgments work out in the ordinary and the humdrum. They aren't confined to great supernatural explosions of wrath at the "last day". He is God the Creator and therefore His judgments will be seen within the operations of human and physical nature. 

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Sometimes when someone dies, they perform an autopsy to figure out why. We are going to look at some autopsy reports and evaluate where we are and see if we have any symptoms. Are we alive - dead - or sick?

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 Who gives Joseph a thought once Christmas is over? The poor carpenter who dreams dreams. But it's his humble willingness to abandon his notions of holiness and embrace the scandalous that allows the miracle of Christ's advent to unfold. 

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I know how it reads, where Mary officially gives Gabriel her consent. But for me, the "Here I Am" moment that precedes the "yes" is wonderfully significant. I want us to linger over it. We forget that before we can give ourselves away, we need to have coherent selves capable of that giving. We must understand what we are doing. 

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Amos 8:1-10

Spring, Summer, Autumn, so runs the gradual process of maturing in the realm of nature, and here, it depicts the ripening of human conduct and character to its full development - either for good or evil. Their religion had utterly failed to alert them to a God of judgment and therefore the fact would spring upon them all unready, when they expect just the opposite. "Your songs will be turned to wailing's"

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 Mary's inner life wasn't a spiritual blank slate. Mary grows up in a faithful Jewish community. We know from the Magnificat that she is well-versed in the Hebrew scriptures. She knows the spiritual history of her people. She recognizes her God as the God of Hannah, of Judith, of Deborah. Yet she is much perplexed. "How can this be?" is her response.  

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 Amos 7:10-17

This is a very interesting part, a personal interview between Amos and an unknown Amaziah the priest of Bethel. This little piece reveals Amos at his courageous best, but more than that, provides us with deep instruction about the nature and function of the man of God, the experiences he may expect to encounter, the resources on which he can draw, and the persevering fortitude which is to mark his career. 

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