Daily Readings - Sat Jul 07 2018
Amos
11"In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,12that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," declares the LORD who does this.13"Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.14I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.15I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them," says the LORD your God.
Matthew
14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"15And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.16No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter themes of restoration and renewal, as God speaks through the prophet Amos and through Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Amos envisions a future where the tabernacle of David is restored, and Israel is rebuilt, symbolizing God's promise of abundance and peace. This vision is set against the backdrop of a time when Israel was prosperous yet corrupt, and Amos calls for justice and repentance. The reading from Matthew shifts our focus to Jesus, who responds to questions about fasting by emphasizing the joy of his presence and the incompatibility of old traditions with the new covenant he brings. He uses the metaphors of a patch on old cloth and new wine in old wineskins to illustrate that his teachings cannot be confined by old ways.
These readings invite us to reflect on the nature of God's work in our lives. Amos reminds us that God is always seeking to restore and renew His people, even in the midst of decay. Jesus, in Matthew, challenges us to embrace the newness of His message, which cannot be contained within the structures of the past. Together, they teach us that God's plan is always forward-looking, bringing new life and possibilities.
In our daily lives, these readings encourage us to trust in God's plan and remain open to change. Just as Amos looked forward to a restored Israel and Jesus brought a new covenant, we too can expect God to do new things in our lives. We are called to be flexible and trusting, knowing that God's new ways are for our good. The moral lesson here is clear: embrace the newness God brings, do not resist change, and have faith in His power to restore and renew. Let us approach each day with openness to the Spirit, trusting that God is always doing something new in our lives.