Our Scripture reading for this Sunday is Amos 5:18-27.
God's people in Israel were called to be a special witness for God. It was their job to show God's faithfulness, God's love, God's character to the world.
As we read Amos 5:18-27 we hear that hasn't happened.
Through Amos God says:
I hate all your show and pretense -- the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
(Amos 5:21-24 NLT)
The Israelites didn't worship right. It wasn't that the people didn't go to the temple, it wasn't that they didn't offer sacrifices, but what they did there (and how they did it) had no affect on what they did when they left and went out "into the world".
Through Amos God reminds them, "You can't do that." Worship isn't worship when it's only once a week. It's not worship when it doesn't affect the rest of your life. It's not worship when it's just a show. By approaching worship in this way, God's people were leading the world away from God.
One of my favourite quotes is from Brennan Manning. He writes this:
"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
That's the challenge that God's people faced when Amos prophesied, and that we face today. We have been given so much. God has given us grace after grace after grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God showers His people with mercy and compassion and justice. Worship is our response (our 24/7/365 response) to this amazing good news.
But do our lives and our behaviour and our worship reflect that? Could someone describe God's character, love, mercy, and compassion if they only had us to go by?
Or is God speaking to us through Amos as well?