113 Shout praises to the Lord! Everyone who serves him, come and praise his name.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations; he is more glorious than the heavens.
5 No one can compare with the Lord our God. His throne is high above, 6 and he looks down to see the heavens and the earth. 7 God lifts the poor and needy from dust and ashes, 8 and he lets them take part in ruling his people. 9 When a wife has no children, he blesses her with some, and she is happy. Shout praises to the Lord!
We might be less than good at helping the needy. But we find here that God needs them, God uses them, God lifts them.
However joyful this Psalm seems, praising God is not just about being happy and singing lovely songs. We can’t read it in isolation. It’s not about ignoring what is going on around us. We praise God as much with our actions. It is joining with him, working for others, that they are lifted from their despair.
When will this be over? When can we get back to doing what we were doing?
The people might have attended worship, but their minds and hearts were not in it. They were just waiting for the moment they could get back to what they were doing – which was certainly not behaviour honouring God.
4 You people crush those in need and wipe out the poor. 5 You say to yourselves, “How much longer before the end of the New Moon Festival? When will the Sabbath be over? Our wheat is ready, and we want to sell it now. We can’t wait to cheat and charge high prices for the grain we sell. We will use dishonest scales 6 and mix dust in the grain. Those who are needy and poor don’t have any money. We will make them our slaves for the price of a pair of sandals.”
7 I, the Lord, won’t forget any of this, though you take great pride in your ancestor Jacob.
I’m sure all our minds wander in church… But are we thinking of trampling the poor and needy? Or do we think we are?
All the people were interested in was getting the best deal and advantage for themselves.
Of course, we wouldn’t do that. Would we?
Are we more interested in a good price for what we’re buying, without caring about those producing it.
Amos points us to it being our religious responsibility to care about how others are treated. But it also goes beyond that:
Are we less than honest in our dealings with people?
Do we stand up for the rights of the poor and down-trodden? Do we let untruths continue to be peddled without challenging them. (See the excellent Truth and Lies Report – don’t believe everything the press tells you!)
Do we take advantage of people?
All these attitudes are matters of faith. God calls out those whose attitudes are wrong. And it’s not just the big things, it’s the small attitudes in our lives day by day.
When will this be over? It will be over when attitudes change. When people want others to get as good a deal, if not better, than they are.
And by people – I mean me, and you.
Could Amos’ words apply to me? Am I going to do something about it? Will such behaviour be over in my life?
There is no greater prayer than this song by Graham Kendrick
15 Tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. 2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”
4 If any of you has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the ninety-nine in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.”
7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to.”
One Coin
8 Jesus told the people another story:
What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won’t she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it? 9 Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found the coin I lost.”
10 Jesus said, “In the same way God’s angels are happy when even one person turns to him.”
An individual sheep and an individual coin have their worth. They are worth searching for if they are lost. Ninety-nine sheep are not more valuable than just one, because each of those 99 is an individual one. It does not have value just as part of a crowd, but as its individual self.
One coin is not of no importance is you still have another nine. No the group of ten is incomplete without its final member.
To Jesus, each and every person is valuable. Whether they are part of a crowd, wandered off or got themselves lost – they matter to him.
And that is not just abstract, it’s personal. That means each and every one of us. You, me, the person we sit next to on the bus, the person pushing and shoving in the queue, the person waiting next to us in the doctors in fear and trepidation, the person struggling to carry their bag up the road, the person asleep in a doorway, the person shouting and keeping us awake… The list could go on. Every person, whether we love them, are frustrated by them or are scared by their behaviour, yes even me – each and every one of us is special to God. He would notice if we were missing and would drop everything to come looking for us.
That is how much he loves us, how much he cares for us – and no one is excluded.
Thank you Lord
for how precious each one of us is to you.
Thank you that you care enough
to notice when we are missing
and come to seek us out.
Thank you that each and every individual
is important to you,
not just part of the crowd.
Thank you that you want to bring us all home.
Lord,
help me not to be elusive,
but to allow myself to be found,
to come when you call,
to return to your care
Pam's Perambulation 