Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
I suppose all of us are feeling a bit of anger at Chinese manufactures who have used lead paint in the toys they produce for Mattel Corporation and other toy companies throughout the world. They undersell many American toymakers and have shifted jobs to China.
Such behavior is hardly new. In English we say we are going to “cut corners” or “skim a bit off the top”—all expressions which imbed in them the idea of knowingly practicing “deceit”. We want to make more by giving less. We want to cheat. Behavior like this is sinful, selfish, exploitative. Morality tells us “to do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” but too often we do not practice what we preach.
In today’s lesson from Amos, the prophet rails against shoddy business practices. He cites specifically using false balances. Balances were scales used to measure out portions. We still use them at the grocery store in the fish and deli counters. You can calibrate scales so that they do not measure accurately and give the appearance of selling less as more. It is an age old practice.
His remark about buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals refers to the grossest form of exploitation. In the world of Ancient Samaria – the Northern Kingdom of Israel – we are at about the year 800BC, land created wealth. If you had property, you could farm. As the population grew, as it does in peace time, the percentage of land holders dwindled. People became laborers – selling their labor to make their living. Often if people had too many children, they could not afford to feed them. If famine hit, or an economic recession, people would go into debt – so much debt that they could not hope to get our of debt. To redeem themselves – they would have to sell their children into slavery – one by one – the oldest first. Slavery, as practiced by the Israelites was a bit more humane than the slavery others practiced and there were time limits, seven years. But Israelites could sell slaves to Egyptians, or other non-Jews and these folks practiced the cruel, abusive forms of slavery.
Amos rails against the unfaithful ones of the Northern Kingdom too who as he says “Can’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so that they can get back to making money. At this time the new month was a Sabbath Festival as well.
Money is always a competitor with God for our love and affection. Money buys power and influence. You can influence the political system – you can get what you want and do what you will.
Money can enable you to forget that you need others and that you need God. Money tempts us to forget that it is God who provides everything we needs. It creates the illusion of autonomy and independence but money can not buy relief from cancer, or an aneurysm, or diabetes. People who are really sick turn to God right away. All of us do. If you really believe in God’s existence and goodness, you trust that God will always provide you with enough and your heart will overflow with gratitude. When we are touched by God’s love it is easy to see your neighbor as one of God’s own children. They enter into our understanding of family – of loved ones.
Today’s lesson talks about business practices and the world of work. It is easy for us to be angry at people who cheat us. I’m annoyed every time I cut my grass on the left side of my house because the builder stripped off the topsoil to extract every possible dollar of profit from the land he held only briefly and now because what he left is subsoil, I struggle to grow grass – the soil is so poor.
But as Jesus would say “Before you judge your sister or brother, look at yourself do your own inventory of sins.” His actual words were judge not lest you be judged, for the measure you give will be the measure you receive. to make the print really clearly, Jesus said “Before you take the tiny speck out of your neighbors eye, take the beam, the log, the plank out of your own.”
I work for you and the church and for God. I make my living by pastoring. I visit the sick. I think about what the Bible says and try to make it meaningful and relevant each week. I teach you and your children. I organize ministry, I pray for you. I am supposed to do this at least 40 hours a week—because we are in a covenant. I could easily cheat you and admittedly some days and weeks I work harder than others.
It is the same with you I’m sure. Some days you are the model employee, other says you do the minimum. All of us can easily gripe and complain about our employers. Yet they are the ones taking most of the risks. In truth, they often profit well, but sometimes they take losses – even go bankrupt. God asks us to stretch our perception of them and try and see things from their point of view – and be reasonable – and grateful.
60% of the people in my last congregation spent their formative years during the great American depression of 1929-1940 and the terrible lean years of war – a total of about 18 years in dire times – times of want – lean years. I’ll never forget the story one man told me of competing with 60 other people for a job cleaning sewers. It was gross, disgusting work but he prayed every day in thanksgiving for the job that fed him and fed and clothed his family. He worked as hard as he could and was constantly coming up with creative ways of saving time and money to please his employer and show his gratitude.
We are all connected. The great Golden Rule puts us on a Gold Standard. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It is so basic. Do not exploit others; instead treat them as though you were doing business with Christ. When someone pays you – do your best – offer them your full potential.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Who We Are