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Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors

² And he said: “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.” ³ Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron. So, I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. I will break the gate-bar of Damascus and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir,” says the Lord. ^[1]Amos 1:2-5

It is my presupposition that we all ‘like’ it, so to speak, when God gets mad in the scriptures. I mean, come on, isn’t it the truth? We get excited when we read that God will vanquish all of Israel’s enemies and that Israel will prevail. Yet many times God’s wrath was turned towards Israel for their lack of fidelity to God and for other things; remember the whole golden calf incident?

In the Old Testament scriptures, which are ancient Middle Eastern texts written by human hands, they attempt to explain how God worked in the world at that time and place. In other words, the context is extremely important to pay attention to. One must look at the time, place, cultures present in the area, customs, religious practices, politics, power, and the currency or trade. It is also important to note whose hands have written these scriptures and how many times they have been redacted and edited. Ever wonder why so many versions of the bible exist today?

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, believed there were four important filters that should guide the church's work. They are reason, tradition, experience, and scripture. In other words, it is not enough just to look at scripture, but one must look at all the parts that make up the whole of God’s work in the world.

Albert Outler, one of the foremost scholars on John Wesley’s theology in the 20^th century, will call this the ‘Wesleyan Quadrilateral.’ Later in his life, he would lament having ever given such a name to this concept.

Sometimes I can understand God’s rationale for doing what God does in working with humanity; other times, I scratch my head. When I try in my own ability to understand what God was up to in the past, what God is doing in the present, and what God will do in the future, my mind unravels like a roll of twine holding onto a box kite that is out of control in high winds. In the case of the book of Amos, God, through Amos, delivers this horrific prophecy against Israel’s enemies. And we might think that’s a good thing—we might cheer on God with God’s righteous indignation to trample the enemy, but is that the point of what is happening in this prophecy? I must wonder if perhaps it is a reminder that God is the ultimate protector of God’s people in their times of suffering and hopelessness, as Israel was experiencing. 

I have always abhorred war, murder, and loss of life of any kind. For all my life, I have held that position. However, I realize that there are times when, in the defense of others and one’s country, it is a necessary evil.

My father served in the Navy for close to 25 years.  He was a sonar technician on guided missile destroyers during the Vietnam War. The ships he served on were never sent to Vietnam, and during his time, they patrolled the eastern coast of the United States all the way up to Antarctica. He always told me that they were just “testing new equipment.” I never questioned that well until…

He loved being part of something bigger that had a mission to protect and serve. I can remember he would bring home bumper stickers with the NAVY's slogan at the time, “It’s not just a job but an adventure!”

There was a time before I graduated from high school when I considered following in his footsteps and enlisting as an officer because I wanted to fly rescue helicopters off aircraft carriers. Even though at the time I was pretty much in good shape, I was too tall and wore glasses—the recruiter reassured me that there were other jobs that I could do, but after exploring the possibility of having to go to war and doing the unthinkable, I just couldn’t commit my life to service in that way.

I have great respect for individuals who place their lives on the line in service to this country all throughout history. I have rejoiced when soldiers (men & women) have returned home from deployments and mourned with families who have lost loved ones on the battlefield. I have held the hands of those who have come home with horrific wounds that they will live with disabilities all their life and the PTSD that comes along with the horrors of war.

I had an interesting moment this week when I accidentally met someone from Ukraine. She and her family had come to the United States as refugees and were now working professional jobs. They had been in the United States for about a year. This individual described that the hardest thing she had to do was leave her country and come to a place where she had to learn not only English but also the customs and traditions of this nation.

She and her family hope someday to return home—but at this point, there seems to be no end to an unjust war that has raged on for over four years. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in Kyiv and watch my neighbor's apartment being bombed or tanks rolling through the streets. It is inconceivable to imagine having to flee with only the things that you might be able to carry in a backpack to any place that will take you from the suffering. Ukraine is not the only place we see this happening. It is happening all over the world as countries wage wars and, in the process, cause great suffering, death, and humanitarian crises not seen since the days of World War II.

All of us want to believe that God is always on our side. We always want to be on God’s side because, after all, it is when God wins, we win, right? What if it wasn’t about winning, but shifting how we think about the world that we live in and the way God really works?

John Lennon once sang the following words with his wife, Yoko Ono: “All we are saying is give peace a chance…” One would think we witnessed the worst parts of humanity in this world in the 20^th century, yet we continue to witness a world hell-bent on destroying itself. Somehow, we haven’t learned that perhaps the answer to all this mess is to begin to stop and listen to one another. One of the great verses of one of my favorite hymns, Let There Be Peace on Earth, is this: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me…” Perhaps John Lennon and Yoko Ono were onto something—perhaps in a different way, thinking the same thoughts.

My seminary training focused on history, theology, polity, and philosophy. There was very little about leading a church. At the time, what was coming out of the mainstream ‘church growth’ movement was the idea that “if you build it, they will come.” Denominations and pastors led their congregations into campaigns to build bigger and better buildings. They invested in staff to develop new programs—traditional liturgy was abandoned in favor of a streamlined service geared toward getting people into sanctuaries. Then 9/11 happened, and for a moment in time, there was a shift in thinking. Somehow, faith was important once again. Families returned to the church and sought comfort for about a year, and then it was over.

Our identity is not defined in how we worship God, but how we learn; one of my seminary professors said, “We need to hear, honor, and respect the voices of all people…” I wish I could remember the last part of that quote, but it suggests that the voices crying out in the darkness of the night need to be heard, honored, and respected—those who are living in places filled with the horrors of war, living in camps, dying for clean water, food, and shelter. Those individuals who are coming to America by any means necessary, Ani Difranco writes in her song, Every State Line which came out in 1992, these tough words:

I got pulled over in West Texas

So, they could look inside my car

He said, "Are you an American citizen?"

I said, "Yes sir, so far"

They made sure I wasn't smuggling

Someone in from Mexico

Someone willing to settle for America

Cause there's nowhere else to go…

I caution you, if you go looking for this song on YouTube or Apple Music, the remaining verses contain explicit language and concepts.

Those words, which were just song lyrics during my high school years, are playing out today and have been for the longest time.

While Ani DiFranco takes a sarcastic, even, one would say, sarcastic tone toward what she experienced, there was a time when people from all over the world were welcomed to find refuge.

Emma Lazarus’s words in her 1883 poem, “The New Colossus,” are inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"[12]

For me, it is a reminder that all of us have come in search of new opportunities, our grandparents, great-grandparents, and their parents before them. They were coming from all over the world, from poverty, famine, and war-torn lands, hoping, by the grace of God, to find refuge and hope for a better life.

Having this moment with this individual from Ukraine, which lasted only a few minutes, impacted me by bringing, first and foremost, to mind the suffering her country was experiencing and the tough time she and her family were having trying to figure out this place called America. She also said that it has been impossible for her family to understand “American football.” Who would think that would be of concern to someone who lost everything they had in a war with no end in sight?

A few years ago, the United Church of Christ chose a new vision statement to guide their practices as a denomination:

“God is still speaking,”

What I love about this vision statement is that it is a reminder that what has been learned in the past and even the present is not what will be learned in the future, because:

“God is still speaking,”

I have been a United Methodist all my life, and I have seen shifts and changes in the denomination; some have been for the better, and some have been for the worse. No church is perfect. If you do find the perfect church, preacher, or Bishop—I implore you to run as fast as you can!  

God wants us, as human beings, to learn from our mistakes and grow in the grace and peace that only comes from God and God alone. As I cleared out my office for this move to Cortland and the beginning of this new season of service, I filled my recycling bin with all the church growth books on my shelves. Every three-ring binder of material from seminars that I have attended over the years, and decided to look at ministry in a new way—

This year at the Upper New York Annual Conference, a fresh wind blew through the worship and fellowship time. It was as if there had been a shift in attitude and a spirit of living into a new reality. The vision statement adopted by the Council of Bishops charts a new course for a new way of doing ministry in the 21^st century.

Love Boldly: Passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender, and walk of life.

• Inspired by Matthew 22:37-39 and John 13:34-35

  
  
  
  

Serve Joyfully: With a Christ-like heart, journey alongside the most vulnerable, offering care and compassion with joy.

• Inspired by Psalm 100:1, Nehemiah 8:10, John 13:14-15 and 1 Peter 4:10

  
  
  
  

Lead Courageously: Follow Jesus’ example by resisting and dismantling all systems of evil, injustice, and oppression, striving for peace, justice, and reconciliation.

• Inspired by Joshua 1:9 and Ephesians 6:10

The year I was commissioned (2023), many congregations closed or disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church. Many pastors I had come to know over the years turned in their credentials to join a new denomination. It was also the year, as an Annual Conference, we saw the largest number of retirees and clergy deaths. It was and still is a time of mourning and pain. I await the day when the fullness of God will draw us together again. However, I know that will not happen until we cross the river Jordan and enter the promised land.

I continually learn that while the Old Testament brings us demonstrations of God’s anger and wrath at times, God has God’s reasons; and it is not for me to comprehend—but to use what I have learned from the Scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit always and everywhere to put people first.

This is a new day when death and dying have been swallowed up by the resurrection of Christ. The words we need to remember are from Jesus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”^[2]

We have a lot to learn about God’s love and grace. Just as this individual and her family struggled to understand this place of safety, wealth, and the freedoms that so many around the world don’t have access to.  We, too, must understand that God is not on the side of the winner, but those in need of hope, and rest—may we realize that through hearing, honoring, and respecting voices we may live out the words of Emma Lazarus:

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

There are times when I wish I had followed in my father’s footsteps and joined the NAVY, but I realize that the vocational call on my life is far more than I can ever understand or conceive. I pray that God would help me continue to live out that calling even in the face of a world fraught with evil and hatred.

From the whole of scripture, reason, tradition, and experience, I understand this: if we don’t learn from the past, live in the present, and seek a holy, Spirit-filled future, we are doomed to repeat the past’s mistakes over and over. May we beat our swords into plowshares and plant seeds of grace, love, and hope.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Am 1:2–5.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Mt 22:37–40.