Our first reading is from Amos 5:6-7, 10-15.

Every time the first reading is from one of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, the question of purpose always comes up. In my mind, prophets are always some version of John the Baptist. Prophets live in faraway places, wear clothes made out of terrible fabrics, and eat unhealthy diets of bugs and honey. They are wild, holy, and trouble makers. This, of course, is my bias. Prophets come in all different shades, ages, sexes, and come from all sorts of places. Prophets exist throughout history and are all around us. One of their primary functions, I believe, is to be a mirror. They show people who they really are and what they are really doing. Prophets highlight greed, injustice, and suffering. They show all the ways we fail to live the way God wants us to live. This, in a sense, is what "speaking truth to power" means. Prophets show the world how it truly is even if, as we see in John the baptist's case, that can lead to their death. 

So what is Amos doing in our text today? Amos is a prophet, a resident of the kingdom of Judah (around Jerusalem) who spent his ministry preaching in the Northern Kingdom of Israel (When Solomon died, his kingdom split in two: Israel in the north and Judah in the south). He's a landowner (a herder) which means he is wealthy. He knows what it means to have money and, above all, he knows what the culture is like at the top. When he looks around, he sees greed devouring people and communities. Those with wealth are getting wealthier at the expense of those around them. Their desire to gain wealth is at odds with the desire of God for all to thrive. Amos is telling those around him to stop focusing only on what they want. God's wishes and desires should not only be named; they should be seen in all that we say and do. 

Amos' words extend beyond money. In everything we do, God is there. God desires justice. God desires equality. God desires and continues to work for a world where everyone experiences abundant and thriving lives. God wants us to each have a life filled with abundance and God wants us to work so that our neighbor, family, friends, and strangers have abundant lives too. Amos' words are about more than money but it includes our money too. So how is our handling of wealth reflecting what God is doing in the world?