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Morning Devotion for the Season of Easter
May 17, 2024
Thurgood Marshall
The Invitatory
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Reading: Amos 5:10-15
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
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Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
“Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time” Amos: 5-13
What timely counsel this proverb offers now that we find ourselves in the midst of a political season. Add to that the many protests organized on the campuses of colleges and universities. Fortunately I do not engage in social media , so I am (blessedly) unaware of the accounts of all those on either side of the political spectrum, I imagine such posts are filled with sardonic humor, righteous indignation, and sometimes even downright cruelty aimed at those who happen to disagree with the one who posts. While I, as much as anyone, acknowledge that the stakes are high and that our choice of policymakers and national leaders is vital, I almost always succumb to the temptation to stay out of the fray and keep silent in such a time as this.
This passage from the prophet Amos expresses several indictments with a faint glimpse of the hope for repentance. The opportunity to repent is only possible when the guilty parties recognize the magnitude of their violations. The words from Amos are not words of false hope, but words of realistic hope that rely on the open, generous and gracious response of the hearer.
With our direct access to information and media outlets, the court of public opinion has never had so much sway on the culture as it does now. Of course, one could simply portray the media as the scapegoat, but neither the reality of our ratings-driven media culture nor the prophetic tradition allows us to do that. The ancient prophetic tradition suggests that while ultimately the kings, priests, and nobility make the decisions, the whole community would suffer God’s judgments.
There was a very interesting and hopeful news report of a school in Israel that serves both Jewish and Islamic students. These students are taught by both Jewish and Islamic teachers and together they, often through difficult conversations, discuss their various beliefs and positions on a variety of topics. They all seem to embrace and are dedicated to this particular type of curriculum and form of education. One student observed that “it is only through talking that we can come to understand each other.” What wisdom and hope are expressed in that observation.
Might we seek God and live by recognizing the complexity of the world’s problems and not fall prey to the absolutism of an entrenched and divided political fundamentalism? Now that I think of it, the proverb in verse 13 is even more appealing. It advocates silence—a surprising conclusion, coming from an outspoken prophet. This reads as a side-comment cautioning us to consider not entering the fray. Perhaps it is prudent to keep silent in such a time. In silence that is characterized by active expectation we might experience the graciousness of God. Then we might hear more clearly the immediate challenge to “seek the Lord.” This is an expression that points to the Lord as the subject of enquiry and the suitable source of human desire. One can almost sense the stirrings of resolution of our discordant positions and speech in that very exercise.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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