Measured by Justice and Mercy

First Reading

A READING FROM THE BOOK OF AMOS

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, 'Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.'" And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' "Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, 'Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.' Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parcelled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.'"

AMOS 7:7-17

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO LUKE

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

LUKE 10:25-37

Sermon: The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

Every year in worship our readings focus on a different Gospel—Matthew, Mark, or Luke—with bits of John thrown in here and there. But what’s often missed is that the Hebrew Scriptures follow a theme too. Year A focuses on beginnings—Genesis and Exodus. Year B highlights the monarchy—the kings of Israel. And Year C, the year we’re in now, turns our attention to the prophets.

When I say that we are going to be focusing on prophets, many people think of men who predict the future. But in Scripture, prophets were ordinary men and women who heard God’s call and spoke difficult words to those who often didn’t want to listen.

Their messages regularly included a warning about what God would do if people didn’t change how they were living. If someone had wealth and took advantage of others to get more, if someone ignored God’s commands and lived only for themselves, if someone worshipped other gods, the prophets warned them: change, turn back to God, listen to God—or you will experience God’s judgment. It’s no surprise, then, that those in power—those with wealth—hated the prophets.

These themes make the prophetic texts deeply important for Christians. Even though Jesus doesn’t appear in them, they were part of his world. As a Jew, Jesus knew the prophets. Their words and messages shaped his childhood faith and formed the foundation of his ministry. If you want to know why Jesus had a heart for the poor, critiqued religious hypocrisy, and spread a vision of justice, just look to the prophets.

Today we see the connection between the prophets and Jesus when we look at Amos’ words then turn to the Gospel. In today’s first reading, Amos—a shepherd from a region called Tekoa—is called by God to be a prophet and given a strange vision: a plumb line, a tool used to measure how straight a wall is. God uses this plumb line to measure the integrity of Israel, but Israel fails the test. Israel is ignoring God, taking advantage of the poor, and not living the life God calls them to live. So, God tells Amos that Israel will be punished: “the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate…the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste.”

The priest Amaziah hears Amos’ message and is not pleased. He tells Amos to leave, prophesy somewhere else. But Amos doesn’t back down. He stands firm and delivers God’s word. He tells Amaziah that he too will die in an unclean land and that Israel will go into exile, just as God has said. Amaziah, though a priest, is just as guilty. He isn’t living as he should—he’s enjoying comfort at others’ expense.

This passage places two men in contrast: Amos the prophet, a shepherd from the countryside, and Amaziah the priest, connected to the king’s court. Both hold religious roles, but their lives are very different. Amos is not associated with power or wealth…Amaziah is. But it is Amos who God calls, who speaks God’s truth, who critiques the mighty king, priest, and people of Israel, holding them accountable to God’s standards. If they don’t live up to what God wants, they will be punished, they will be exiled.

Amos’ message, although powerful in itself, is echoed through the life and teachings of Jesus. In today’s Gospel—the story of the Good Samaritan—Jesus challenges assumptions about who lives according to God’s way. The priest and the Levite—figures of religious authority, akin to Amaziah—walk past the injured man. But the Samaritan, the outsider, is the one who stops and shows compassion. Using Amos’ language, the priest and the Levite fail the measurement…they don’t live up to God’s plumb line of mercy and justice.

Both Amos’ message and Jesus’ message speak volumes to our own world. Together they tell us that while people may wear robes, hold titles, and carry authority—none of this means they reflect the heart of God. Sometimes those in high places forget about justice, compassion, and integrity. They forget how their riches, their power, impact others. They forget the man on the road. Held up to God’s plumb line, they don’t always measure up. We see this in politics, in the church, in every powerful system.

And these readings not only point outward, but they also point inward. They call us to examine ourselves and our lives…just because we attend worship, just because we are Christian…are we living how God calls us to live? Are we being people whose lives are shaped for others and not ourselves, who are doing whatever we can for those outside these doors who suffer, who struggle, who just need to know that they are loved?

As theologian Stanley Hauerwas puts it: “The church must risk being peaceful in a violent world, risk being kind in a competitive society, risk being faithful in an age of cynicism, risk being gentle among those who admire the tough, risk love when it may not be returned—because we have the confidence that in Christ we have been reborn into a new reality.”

To live this way is to resist the pull of comfort and indifference. It’s to refuse the path of Amaziah, who was so focused on his role and wealth that that was all he cared about. It’s to reject the ease of walking past the suffering like the priest and the Levite did. Instead, we are called to slow down, to notice, to respond—to allow our faith to shape our actions, our relationships, all that we do.

We are called to listen carefully for God’s voice in the quiet places, to be willing to speak when it's uncomfortable. To act with mercy, even when it costs us something. We may not be a shepherd like Amos or a Samaritan, but we are called. Because the world still needs prophets, those who hear God’s call and respond. May we have the courage to be among them. Amen.