One of the things that this congregation has been discerning is what role they might play in the future of this wonderful spot in God's creation. From our farmers to our boaters and beyond we are full of people with a keen interest in keeping S. Baldwin County beautiful for years to come. In fact, our jr and sr high students are talking about this in Sunday school and our adults will be conversing about it over adult beverages at our Draughting Theology sessions on the beautiful Fish River.
As I read the lessons today, the Hebrew idea of the land struck me in Amos' lesson. The idea being that the land, and more so the people's occupancy of it, was directly related to their fidelity to the Lord. Their sinfulness resulted in the land "vomiting them out" to exile. Having listed the various ways in which the people had taken advantage of one another, and especially the poor, Amos asks this question, "Shall not the land tremble on this account..?"
I wonder if this is the realization that we are coming to? Have we found that the way in which we have taken advantage of all sorts of things is causing "the land to tremble"? How can we make restitution? It is not a political debate, as far as I see, but a call to repentance, reflection, and new action. To treat with respect all those things that we, for so long, have taken advantage of will mean going green, better business practices, treating others with love, etc., etc. How long must the land tremble before we get the message?
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