THURSDAY, December 3

No, those words are not the words of some crank preacher on a street corner; they're in the Bible. But street corner preachers are right about the import of the words. In fact, the prophet Amos resembled such a preacher--he railed at sinners; he was irritating, threatening, a loner, unaffiliated with any established religious body, and seen as a nuisance or a lunatic.

But Amos made it into the Bible, whereas the bishops and cardinal rectors of the day did not. So should we be scared of meeting our God? That depends. Amos roared against injustice, scorching his complacent, comfortable listeners for ignoring those to whom the nation's bustling economy brought no benefit. Yes, those people would soon meet their God and would find the encounter a grim one. Amos didn't mince words.

There's more in the Bible than Amos, though. There is mercy as well as judgment, grace as well as law (and Amos himself hints at it once or twice). Grace is not cheap, however. It will not do merely to say, "I believe God loves me despite my shortcomings." That is true, but God calls us to share in his love, and it is a love to be lived, not merely talked about. The experience of divine love should issue in holiness of life.

PRAY for the Diocese of Western Kansas (Province VII, USA)

Ps 18:1-20 * 18:21-50; 2 Peter 3:11-18; Matthew 21:33-46