November 29, 2021
Amos 2:6-16 (NRSV)
written by Bill Buchanan
Bill Buchanan is Executive Director of Youth Mission Co, and one of the writers of our year-long curriculum, Journey of Justice.
To learn more about this and other YMCo curricula, visit our resource page!
Amos 2:6-16 (NRSV)
written by Bill Buchanan
Bill Buchanan is Executive Director of Youth Mission Co, and one of the writers of our year-long curriculum, Journey of Justice.
To learn more about this and other YMCo curricula, visit our resource page!
Selling Out
“God does not demand that every man attain to what is theoretically highest and best. It is better to be a good street sweeper than a bad writer, better to be a good bartender than a bad doctor, and the repentant thief who died with Jesus on Calvary was far more perfect than the holy ones who had Him nailed to the cross.” - Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island
In our popular culture we have a slang term of someone “selling out.” For example, when a musical artist turns away from their previous counter cultural themes in order to get more exposure, popularity, and money, or when an independent business owner sells their business to a large conglomerate because the offer was just too high to pass up. In this text we have a similar dynamic of the prophet Amos calling out those who have placed profit over people and turned the most vulnerable into commodities. The prophet clearly tells us that this path leads us to a bad place.
Question:
In what ways is our current society built on a history of commodification of others?
What is God calling us to do here and now to change our mindset, both individually and collectively?
What is God calling us to do here and now to change our mindset, both individually and collectively?
In Youth Mission Co’s curriculum, People, Planet, Prophets, we look back at the history of our country and how our greed has led us to a current situation of extreme economic disparity. To learn more about our available resources, visit our website.
