Pentecost 18c - Amos 6:1-7

Amos 6:1-7

Amos’s “alas” could have been written for our time when bad loans repackaged in new paper have brought the mortgage industry house of cards crashing down and the rest of the economy with it. Those most responsible seem to have gotten a get out jail free card and while the politicians point fingers at each other no one is grieving over the ruin of “Joseph” except the “Josephs” losing jobs and homes and for many any hope of finding gainful employment again. In the land of endless distraction we can be like those lounging on couches listening to idle music oblivious to the fact that shuttered storefronts represent real people who longue not in luxury but for lack of a job and whose only song is a lament. The word of Amos was a warning that went unheeded by those at ease in Zion secure on Mount Samaria until the Assyrians came knocking on the door with an eviction notice. Whether we recover from this crisis or not the way we heed this warning is to grieve with and for those who suffer loss of home and livelihood while at the same time acting on the word of James 2:14-17 by providing comfort, support and shelter as we are able. In so doing we anticipate the day when alas will be alleluia and we find our place in the many rooms of the Father’s house.