Two Christmas stories

Amaziah
Priest at Bethel
Northern temple
False worship
“Temple of the kingdom”

Bethel where Amos was doing his work
Amaziah
Tattles to the king
Kicks him out
“Go home and prophesy”

Amos
I was just a shepherd
God told me to do this
Your wife will be a prostitute, which I believe is Hebrew for no
Not a curse; just the truth
Didn’t want to hear, so it’ll affect his whole family

Xmas
Shepherd
Outsider but shouldn’t be
Rejected

3 Visions
First two
Punishment coming, Amos intercedes, God relents
Harvest, King’s Mowing
Fire, a bit easier to understand

3rd
Plumb line
Construction
Weight on a string - perfectly level
Wall - is it level? Is it leaning one way or the other?
Plumb line makes it clear

God will establish a plumb line…if you are level, you stay…if not, it is gone
Jeroboam’s line, High places
I will not pass by them…I won’t ignore that which is out of level

God cares…wants the wall to stand

Xmas story?

plumb Iine
we are falling down
Jesus the cornerstone
Matt.21

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. —Matthew 21:42-46

Today, won’t you consider these two stories?
Will you hear the living word or reject him…because he’s not from here…his word is not what you want but what you need

Will you allow the cornerstone to realign your life?
Brick by brick

Come to the table