“THE CHOICE BETWEEN PROPHETS AND PROFITS”

AMOS 4:1-12

8:1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit.

2 And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

Caveat Emptor.  If you took Economics 101 then you know that Caveat Emptor is Latin for “Let the buyer beware.”   Behind that warning is the realization that some people will take advantage of you if you let them.  So you better do your homework before you buy that car.  You better take the time to read the fine print before you sign that contract for your new cell phone and you better not believe everything that insurance salesman tells you.

Caveat.  “Let the buyer beware.” A man learned that lesson while driving from Oklahoma to Texas.  Just before he got to the state line he saw a sign for cheap gas; only $2.50 a gallon.  The man looked at his gas gauge and decided to stop and fill his tank up.   Then when he went to pay for his $2.50 a gallon gas he asked the cashier a question. “By the way,” he said, “how much does gas cost these days in Texas?” That’s when the clerk smiled and said, “About $2.25 a gallon.”

Caveat Emptor. Unfortunately, some people will take advantage of you if you let them and that’s especially true if it puts more of your money in their pockets.  Caveat Emptor is the reason why we’ve seen a lot of shady business practices in the news the past few months. For example, we’ve learned that Toyota dragged its feet when it came to recalling cars that were dangerous to drive. We’ve learned that a lot of brokers put a lot of people in subprime mortgages that they knew they wouldn’t be able to repay.  Let’s also not forget all the games that the credit card companies have been playing. Then there’s the controversy that’s erupted over Avandia.  Avandia is a diabetes drug that has made GlaxoSmithKline billions and billions of dollars in profits.  This past week the Food and Drug Administration held a special meeting because the evidence suggests that the drug might not be safe.  If you take the drug the evidence suggests that it increases your risk of a heart attack by up to 40%.  What’s even scarier is that there’s some evidence that GlaxoSmithKline played some games with its research to hide the danger from the FDA.

When it comes to putting profits ahead of people perhaps the biggest offender right now is BP Oil.  Don’t even think about that huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.   When it comes to BP’s lust for profits all you have to do is look at what happened last year to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi. If that name doesn’t ring a bell let me jog your memory.  Al-Megrahi was one of the terrorists who blew up that Pan Am jet over Lockerbie Scotland back in 1988.  Last July he was released from prison and allowed to return to his home in Libya.  We were told at the time that he was suffering from cancer and had three months to live.  So letting him go home was the compassionate thing to do.  What we didn’t know at the time was the role that BP played in the decision to release him.  BP’s role of course was quiet and behind the scenes.  So, why did BP want al-Megrahi released?  Well, three months after he was released the Libyan government signed a multibillion dollar gas and oil exploration deal with guess who?  That’s right. BP Oil.    By the way al-Megrahi is still alive and well one year later.

No wonder so many people today are so angry. People feel the same way Mark Twain felt many years ago when he went on a trip to the Holy Land.  While he was there he decided to take a moonlight cruise with his wife on the Sea of Galilee.  When he asked how much it would cost the boat owner looked at him in his nice white suite and said $25.  Twain knew that the boat owner was trying to take advantage of him.  So, he told him to forget and added angrily, “Now I know why Jesus decided to walk.”

People are disgusted with the bankers and big business, the CEO’s and the captains of industry. What we’re seeing today though isn’t any different from what the prophet Amos saw three thousand years ago and I’ve got news for you.  What Amos saw also made him angry, very angry.  In fact, prompted Amos to pronounce God’s judgment on the merchants and the money changers of his day.  “Hear this,” Amos said.

With those words Amos pronounced God’s judgment on the merchants and the money changers.  Amos let them know that if you’re going to follow God you can’t just do it in the sanctuary on the Sabbath.  You also do it with in your shops with your shekels. The message also included a stern warning. What Amos basically said was, “If you don’t act and change your ways God will act.”  Listen again to the message that God gave Amos to deliver to the merchants and the money changers. God said,

Now you would think that the threat of sackcloth and going bald would be enough to get everyone’s attention.  I know that it would have gotten my attention.  The people didn’t listen though.  They didn’t change their ways and so that bitter day did come thirty years later.  It came when the Assyrians swooped down from the north to conquer and totally destroy the kingdom of Israel.  That little bit of history makes me wonder. Maybe this Great Recession that we’re experiencing is God’s judgment on our nation’s greed and materialistic ways.

Maybe this Great Recession is God’s way of sending a message to the bankers and big business, the CEO’s and captains of industry.  Maybe it’s God’s way of telling them to stop lusting after bigger profits and to start listening to the words of the prophets. Maybe this Great Recession is also God’s way of asking everyone on Main Street a question. The question is this: Which abundant life is more important to you?  Is it the abundant life that you’ll find in the department stores or is it the abundant life that you’ll find when you follow God’s only begotten Son?  It sounds like a no brainer question but it isn’t a no brainer question for a lot of people.

Consider if you will a trend that has emerged when it comes to getting married.  According to an article last week in USA Today more and more people are getting married in their favorite retail store.  It’s true.  Some couples are saying “I do” in places like Taco Bell, Home Depot or TJ Maxx.  TJ Maxx is where Lisa Satayut and her fiancé Drew Ellis are going to be married later this month.  They’re going to walk down the size 8 shoe aisle in the TJ Maxx store out in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  They made the decision to get married there because Lisa said, “The one constant in my life, no matter what, has always been TJ Maxx.” All I can say is you’ve got to be kidding.  The one constant in your life is TJ Maxx?  What about your family and your friends?  What about your faith?

Conventional wisdom suggests that you should never say never but I can tell you this with absolute certainty.  I will never officiate a wedding at a TJ Maxx store or any other store for that matter.

There’s a difference between the abundant life that you’ll find in the department stores and the abundant life that you’ll find by following God’s only begotten Son.  The abundant life that you’ll find in the department stores will only leave you with more bills that will have to be paid which will mean more stress in your life and more hours working to pay off all that debt.  The abundant life that you find when you follow God’s only begotten Son will lead you to the peace that passes all understand and a gratitude for the blessings that are already all around you.

The difference between the two abundant life’s can be seen in a story about a businessman and a fisherman.  One day a saw a fisherman playing with his son on a beach.   The businessman shook his head in disbelief. “Why aren’t you out fishing?” he asked.  “Because,” the fisherman replied, “I already caught enough fish for one day,” “So,” the businessman said. “Why don’t you go out and catch some more?”   “Why?” the fisherman replied. “What would I do with them?” “What would you do with them?” the businessman exclaimed. “You could sell them and earn more money.  Then you could use that money to buy a bigger boat and catch even more fish.  Then you could use that money to buy another boat and another boat.   Eventually you could own a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me.”  The fisherman was puzzled.  “Then what would I do?” he asked.   The businessman smiled.  “Then you could relax and really enjoy life,” he said.  Now it was the fisherman’s turn to shake his head in disbelief.  “What do you think I’m doing now?” he asked.

Things will change when enough people on Main Street understand that the abundant life that Jesus offered is better, much better, than the abundant life that Wall Street wants to sell you.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

July 18, 2010