It is not easy to stand up to someone bigger than yourself,

be that in a physical confrontation or any other way.

Take the OT and the Gospel lessons today. In both cases we have truth confronting power.  Growing up in a family where hierarchy mattered and where home was a man’s castle – my father was king, my mother queen and we kids were the subjects, the serfs, the proletariat.

Maybe because rebellion in my family was anathema, it was out of the question; it was seen as a sign of insurrection, apostasy … all those words mean about the same thing.

I have always been a little at odds with authority that based its legitimacy on the tone of voice, a uniform, or tradition. Words like plumb line, canon, ruler, scale, and bench line come to mind.

All of those are ways to gauge how things measure up. They are ways to identify deviation from the norm.

Amos speaks out against power. Amos, in our time would be considered not only unpatriotic, but a traitor; even an enemy combatant, if you recall that even the personal chauffer of Bin Laden has been so labeled and imprisoned in Guantanamo.

Amos has a vision.

            I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel.

            I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.

Translation – Jeroboam, the king, will die in battle.

Then we are told that Amaziah the priest of Bethel - the tattletale of the Ministerial Association, runs to the national security advisor and tells him that there is a renegade clergyman in the ranks who has called for the President's demise.

Amaziah then runs back to Amos and tells him that the King is not at all happy about the way he has been preaching and that it might be in Amos’ best interest to catch the next flight out of town.

That is where the OT lesson for today stops.

It does not give us the response of the Prophet that comes in vss. 17ff. This is what Amos tells the good reverend:

            Your wife shall become a prostitute

            Your sons and your daughters shall be killed by the advancing armies

            Your house and land shall be confiscated and given to others

            And you will be deported and live in a pagan land, where you will die.

And you thought Jeremiah Wright used strong words when he condemned the US involvement in Iraq and the use of torture …

Speaking the truth to power has its downside. In recent years I have been surprised how we clergy have been silent about the abuse of power in high places.

No one seems to want to take responsibility when low- ranking enlisted men and women engage in very unmilitary-like behavior in far away places.

Of course the question is why did Amos speak in such strong invectives, in such strong derogatory language in the name of God; no sweet and gentle Jesus is calling here.

In Ch. 4 Amos called the women of Israelite aristocracy cows. Because along with their husbands they “oppress the poor – crush the needy, they sell the righteous for silver, the needy for a pair of sandals.

And that is all that I feel comfortable in quoting to you in mixed company.

Speaking truth to Power when you are an adolescent is one thing. It may get you suspended from school for a few days or put on restriction for awhile or in my case land you on the floor.

Scripture was quoted to justify the oppression of juvenile rebellion with something about sparing the rod and spoiling the child.

Thank God for the Gospel and the NT where Divine prerogative does some major revision of the record, which we know as the Good News.

But the good news is interrupted by one of those “truth speaking to power” episodes in today's readings. 

If you recall, last week's Gospel ended with Jesus sending out the disciples to preach, teach, heal and grow the Kingdom.

Next week you will hear how they did… 

Mark’s story of Jesus catches us up on the comings and goings of John, the cousin of our Lord, who preached repentance and baptized all who came out to the wilderness to hear him. That included Jesus.

It is with this story that Mark begins to tell us about Jesus. Mark’s gospel has no birth narratives, no angels announcing to the shepherds a special birth in Bethlehem, no manger and no inns where the holy couple are turned way, no census and no wise men.

No silent night holy night in Marks’ story of Jesus.

Jesus' story in Mark begins with a baptism in the river and the news that John is now is jail… while the king decides to throw himself a birthday party since no one else would do it.  Herod Antipas was the grandson of Herod the Great who reigned when Jesus was born and had John the Baptist arrested and thrown in prison. We are not told exactly why, other than in today’s reading we learn that John’s imprisonment came about because Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, didn’t take well to some of John’s sermons where he pointed out that “it is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

As we learn that Herod was not too particular with regard to his conjugal preferences. So when Herodias’ daughter did the dance of the Seven Veils, as a birthday present for Herod, he was so taken by her that he promised her pretty much anything she wanted… She, being only a child, runs to mommy and asks what it is that I should ask for…

Herod was sorry that he had made such a deal, but being the man he was he was not about to back down. The rest is history.

 So far this homily has been safe. The question of course is who speaks truth to power today? I don’t see it happening. And please don’t tell me that religion and politics don’t mix!

A few brave souls in the media who are labeled liberal, like Bill Moyer or Leonard Pitts, Jr. of the Miami Herald… but not many clergy.

But you should be happy to know that the Lutheran Church is not just about collecting stamps, box tops, or making teddy bears for Bosnia, as important as those are.

At the Synod assembly in New Brunswick this year, we heard from Bruce Davison, who represents us at the Lutheran Office for Governmental Ministry and Pastor Andrew Genszler who is our representative in the halls of Congress in Washington… both speak truth to power on our behalf.

Desmond Tutu on occasion, has spent time with clergy in Pawley's Island, I heard him when apartheid was the official policy of the S. African government.

I remember hearing him speak at an Episcopal Church in Georgetown, the county seat.  At the end of his presentation someone asked how we could help address the issue of racism in S. Africa. 

His answer bothered many and I feel it is still as true today as it was then.  He said what Americans could do was not so much economic or political sanctions, as important as those were at the time. What was needed was that Americans, especially American Christians, be less comfortable with their privileged position. What we need to advocate against, is not just the injustice in other countries which at that time was the S. African government, but our American military industry, the injustice of our own economic system and the racism that grips our very soul.

The Bad News is that we are sinners, or as we say in our confession - In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone. . .

The Good News is that once I picked myself off the floor, my dad didn’t hold grudges. He forgave my adolescent importunity, my fat mouth as they say in the South and so does God.   Amen.