Plumb Lines

 Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

There are so many presenting social issues these days that I find it overwhelming to even think about them, let alone try to do something about them. There is the on-going humanitarian crisis on our borders; concerns about climate change; the war in Ukraine, the recent legal decision about abortion, and gun violence everywhere. When it comes to the fentanyl crisis and mental illness, I find myself personally frustrated with these baffling and cunning diseases, ones that easily cross all socio-economic boundaries and borders. And when people are asked about the “very big” problems in our country today, the number one answer is inflation.

It was the plumb line of God in the story of Amos that brought social issues into sharper focus for me. I had been involved with a coalition of churches in Connecticut which had created a transitional living facility for homeless women and children. We called it Amos House, notably after the prophet in today’s Old Testament lesson.

According to my HarperCollins Study Bible, the message of Amos is “direct and uncompromising. Over and over he announces to the people of Israel that, because of their social injustice and religious arrogance, the Lord will punish them by means of a total military disaster.” Indeed it was only 50 years later that the king of Assyria, which is current day Iran, began to aggressively incorporate both Syria and Israel into his empire. The conflict in the Middle East remains of concern even today.

Oftentimes ruffling the feathers of people in power, specifically the religious and political leaders of his countries, Amos denounced the Israelites for reliance upon military might, for grave social injustices, for abhorrent immorality, abuse of power, and shallow meaningless piety. Amos spoke about the lack of legal due process and the enslavement of people because of debts. (NRSV p 1170)  

Amos believed that he had been called by God to sound the warning bell, not just to the Israelites, but to other countries as well. He told them that they had violated standards of international conduct, and they lacked integrity. You have forgotten your covenant with God and chased after false idols, Amos prophesied. You have neglected the needy among you. You are a self-indulgent society and this plumb line reveals that your lives are crooked. “Prepare to meet your God,” warned Amos.

In addition to the plumb line, Amos uses four other images to paint a picture of God’s impending judgment. Locusts will come like a plague and destroy your crops. Fire will reign down from heaven like a lightning bolt in the middle of a summer storm, striking your bell tower and setting it ablaze. Your basket of summer fruit will rot and you’ll never see the time of the fall harvest. And then, in his final and most disturbing vision, Amos says he saw the Lord standing beside the altar giving orders for the total destruction of their people.

In true rabbinic fashion, the lawyer, a teacher of the law of Moses, was preparing himself for eternal life by testing Jesus, considered a prophet in his own day. The lawyer asked questions of Jesus because he wanted to be justified, that is to say, he wanted to be made right in the eyes of God and his fellow Jews. He wanted his plumb line to hang straight. “Who is my neighbor?” he asked Jesus, “and how can I inherit eternal life.” 

Like the lawyer in today’s gospel, we too might start asking Jesus these very same questions. “What must I do, indeed, what must we do to be justified in the eyes of God?” “You know the answer,” said Jesus. “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Not so easy, I say, to Jesus. It’s hard to love people when their behavior is unloveable, violent, and destructive. When the late Fred Rogers walks into my room and asks me, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” I say, “Well, that depends. You seem kind and gentle, but I’m not so sure about them.” 

Like the priest and the Levite I have crossed the road many times to avoid people who make me uncomfortable. I have put up blinders so that I cannot see someone who is standing, lying, or sitting right in front of me in distress; or I see something and yet I say nothing. I have made false assumptions about people because of their race, class, faith, age, and political party. I have erected walls because, for the life of me, I do not know what to do about them…. or me…..or it.

Overwhelmed with the issues of today, we may throw up our hands in despair and ask, what on earth can I do, and what on earth can we do, when the problems seem so very big and we are so very small. “How can we stay hopeful? And what are we to do?” the Rev. Scott Gunn asked in Forward Today. “We can offer compassion. Console those who suffer. Speak up for the voiceless. Give our substance to those who have less. Name evil when we see it. Love our enemies. Pray for the needs of the world. And above all bear witness to God’s grace and mercy.” (June 29, 2022) Or as the clergyman, Edward Everett Hale, once famously said, "I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."

When I learned how to wallpaper for the first time many decades ago, I was introduced to a plumb line. For those of you who have yet to encounter this simple little tool, a plumb line is a weight attached to the end of a string which, when held up against a wall, reveals a straight line. One can end up hanging crooked wallpaper without it. And this is what the Lord told Amos, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel” because God wanted them to see how far off the mark they had become. 

I soon realized that the plumb line is both a personal and a communal tool which is needed repeatedly in our homes, our churches, our countries, and throughout our world. As new construction began on Amos House, I found my own life at home crumbling. Despite my best efforts at wallpapering over the cracks, there were some things that couldn’t be covered up. Like the kingdom of Israel then, indeed even like our own country and countries throughout our world today, trouble was brewing.

In my despair, poverty, and fear I began a new journey of personal questions, spiritual growth, and reflection. I began to take my faith seriously, attending Bible study, serving on the outreach committee, and just showing up for worship. In church I found plenty of good Samaritans who showed me the mercy of God and the Way of Love. This week when a Boston hiker took a treacherous fall on Mount Monadnock, a group of strangers sprang into action to help. Good Samaritans appear every day; they show up, pay attention, and try to be a part of God’s mercy and grace.

God’s plumb line, as revealed by the cross, points us inward. How far have I strayed from the Way of Love? What needs repair in my own life and the life of my family? The cross also points us outward. Who needs my help and what words of truth must I speak? And, finally, the cross points us upward. What idols do I worship? And what prayers can I offer?

When I look at the cross, I am reminded of my own ability to wander far and wide from the mark. I can see the injustices in our society, and the diseases and violence that destroy our lives. I recognize how nations and families can easily become broken and divided. And I know that the hard work of reparations, renovations, and reconciliation takes time and a willingness to work together in the Way of Love.

During that difficult time in my life, I found a new plumb line. It is the cross. I found a new prophet. It is Jesus. The cross calls us to repentance and reminds us of the unfathomable mercy of God. On the cross, we see Jesus, who justified us and made us righteous in the eyes of God. By his cross and precious blood, we are redeemed; and by his wounds we are healed. In Christ, we are delivered from evil, brought out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, and out of death into life. With plumb lines in hand, we are made worthy to stand before God.

Whatever house you enter today, hang on to the cross. Wherever you travel today, hang on to the plumb line of Christ; for by using it, our wallpaper will hang just a little bit straighter. And that is good news for us all.

Amos 7:7-17

Luke 10:25-37