Amos 5:18-24
Welcome to the last three Sundays of the church calendar, in
which our attention is turned to the last things, the end times, the second
coming of Christ and the kingdom to come.
We know that history has an end.
There is a day on God’s calendar – circled in red. We don’t know when it will be, but he has
promised us this sinful, fallen, broken-down world will not go on like this
forever.
Our readings for today each take a different look at that
day. Let’s take a look at each of them
for a better picture of just what’s in store on that day, that final day, the
Day of the Lord.
But the Day of the Lord can mean not only the Last Day (as
in, THE Last Day). It can also mean the
day in which the Lord acts, decisively, in judgment and mercy. In some sense Good Friday was the Day of the
Lord – the day in which Christ acted to secure and guarantee the victory for us
all by his cross. The Day of the Lord,
the day in which God acts, might be the day in which he comes again in
glory. It’s similar to the way John the
Baptist and Jesus himself speak about the “Kingdom of God” being at hand. The reign and rule of God is about to happen
– God’s about to do something. So sit up
and pay attention!
The Day of the Lord, in this sense, can be different
depending on the hearer. And certainly,
also, in a sense, it can mean, for each of us, the day of our death. The day in which we meet our Maker. And the Day of the Lord was the same day –
but it was certainly experienced as a very different day, but the wise and the
foolish virgins in our Gospel reading.
We’ll get there in a just a few moments.
First, let’s take Amos, then. The prophet Amos was a bearer of bad news
during the time of the divided kingdom, a prophet from the south, with a
message of doom and gloom for the people of the north.
Amos comes to disabuse them of a false sense of
security. They were looking forward to a
day – a day of deliverance – a day of victory – the Day of the Lord. Their enemies the Assyrians were looming
large, a wicked and brutal empire that threatened destruction. But they felt quite secure, because, hey –
they were doing all the right things.
Outwardly, anyway, their religion was tip-top. All the right sacrifices. All the right festivals. All the important observances. But there was a problem. Their heart wasn’t in it. It was all for show. They worshipped in vain. They didn’t truly believe.
We are tempted to the same, aren’t we? A great church with a brand new organ and
reverent ceremonies and no-nonsense liturgical worship. A beautiful sanctuary and regular services
every Sunday. Outwardly, it might look
like we too are doing all the right things.
But then we could look a little closer.
We could peer inside the heart.
Take a look inside your own.
The first table of God’s law accuses us here. We do have other gods, don’t we, that take
the place of the true God. We let other
things take his place in our life. Maybe
it’s money or possessions. Maybe it’s
our own status or our creature comforts.
Maybe it’s even our politics.
Where do we truly place our fear, love, and trust? And if those other things should be taken
away – those false gods ripped from us – what is left for us but despair?
And so Amos says to the Israelites, “oh, you’re looking
forward to the Day of the Lord, are you? Well you shouldn’t! Because it’s not going to turn out the way
you think it will!” You may escape the
lion, only to run into the bear. You may
make it out of the frying pan, only to fall into the fire. You can’t escape God’s judgment. The wages of sin is death.
And sure enough, the prophet knows best. History bears out. The Assyrians do come, and they do destroy,
pillage, murder and disperse the Israelites. The land is laid waste. God’s day of judgment
for them could not be avoided, any more than an sinner can avoid the final day
of wrath – apart from Christ.
Far better to heed the prophetic word and repent. Far better to rend our hearts and be
disabused of complacency and false comfort.
For then the healing balm of the Gospel is applied. Then the soothing comfort of Christ’s mercy
does its work. Then the true problem is
addressed, the sin is forgiven, and death and despair give way to life and
hope.
The Day of the Lord.
We shouldn’t rest in our own merits and look forward to that day with a
false sense of security. Nor should we
grow complacent and neglectful of the true worship of repentance and faith in
Christ. We ought not despair of that day
as if we are stuck in our sins with no recourse. But in Christ we can look forward to the day
– the final Day of the Lord in joy and hope and peace.
That’s how Paul describes the end in his letter to the
Thessalonians. Paul gives us words to
“encourage one another”. And boy do
they. He especially teaches us that the
Christians who have fallen asleep are not gone forever – but that their death
is like a sleep – in that they will awake, arise, and live. When Christ comes again in glory with the
angelic shout and trumpet call of God – the dead in Christ will rise, and we
also will be changed. Our bodies will be
glorified and made ready for eternity, ready to meet Christ. And so we will meet him in the air, and be
with him forever.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Could it be any more stark a contrast between
Amos’ view of the Day of the Lord? For
the ancient Israelites – the Day of the Lord was a death they should
dread. For Christians who receive the
comfort of Paul – the Day of the Lord couldn’t be pictured any better! We get to be with our loved ones who have
fallen asleep in Christ. And even
better, we all get to be with Jesus. Now
there is some encouragement.
And Jesus himself both encourages and warns us about that
day – with his parable of the 10 virgins.
They are all waiting, waiting for the bridegroom to arrive – and when he
does, the party will begin! They are
waiting – but it seems like forever, the hour grows late, and so they fall
asleep. But then he comes – suddenly –
and only some are found ready – ready with their oil, ready to go in and join
the feast. The foolish virgins have to
go on a wild goose chase for oil, and then never get in to the banquet anyway –
the door is shut. The bridegroom doesn’t
know them. They’re left out, shut out,
and so they miss out on all the fun.
Now, we could try and peg every element of this parable down
– and some have – to one extent or another.
What does the oil stand for? Who
are the wise and the unwise virgins?
Where do they buy the oil? (and
if oil is faith can you really purchase it?)
Who are the oil-dealers? And what
does it mean that all fell asleep but only some had oil? Instead of getting bogged down in all the
details, this kind of parable is better understood with particular attention to
the main point of Jesus: the greater
point which he provides at the end of his story – “Watch therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour.”
Watchfulness. A key
quality for the wise Christian. Watching
for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who has promised to return – but
unexpectedly. Like a thief in the
night. Watching, for he can come at any
time, on any day. Watching and waiting
and being prepared for his second advent.
But how do we watch and prepare? By doing lots of church? No, that didn’t work for the Old Testament
people – at least not in and of itself.
Religious rites and ceremonies themselves are nothing if they are only
outward. The God who desires mercy, not
sacrifice is the Bridegroom who comes looking for repentance and faith! Now there’s the true readiness, watchfulness,
preparedness. Believing in Jesus. Now there’s a full lamp – that’ll get you to
the party. The Word of God and the
Sacraments prepare us, too – they are the means of grace that create faith in
us, that faith by which Christ saves us.
Watchfulness, then, means, particular attention to these things- hearing
the word, receiving the gifts. Not only
outwardly, but in true faith.
And then, when the Bridegroom comes, he knows you. Just as the Good Shepherd knows his sheep and
his sheep know him. So the bridegroom
will say to the unwise, “depart from here I don’t even know you” and to the
wise, the faithful, the watchful – “come on in, join the party”.
Watch and pray, Christian.
Be faithful, Christian. Avail
yourself of the gifts he gives, Christian.
And so be wise, we watchful, and be ready.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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