G. Archer Frierson
Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
• CLICK HERE for a complete, online copy of this season's devotionals.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary
Advent Devotional for December 7
• Amos 5:18-24
Most of us want to do what is right. We want to be good people. Yet despite these desires, we inevitably mess up. Our intentions do not accord with the results. Such seems to be the case in Amos 5:18-24. In these verses, Amos charges the Israelites of doing deeds that, though done to please God, actually displease God: “I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies” (v. 21).
Rather, instead of these things, what God desires is to “let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (v. 24). These verses are frustrating. People offer sacrifices, go to church, celebrate religious holidays, and give up meat for Lent not because they despise justice or righteousness but because they are trying to be pious the only way they know how. Justice and righteousness are vague, confusing, and as a result, more difficult to understand. We have difficulties knowing what justice and righteousness really are and how we are to go about helping to increase them.
And therein lies the key difference between these religious acts and the righteous and justice demanded by God. Righteousness and justice are things for which we need wisdom, understanding, and clarity to discern. They require thought, and in thinking about them, we are confronted with our limitations. Though made in the image of God, we, many times, do not know how to “let justice role down like the waters.” Indeed, we are frequently lost, confused, and confronted with ambiguities. And in being so indelibly flawed, the demand for righteousness and justice shows us how much we, as limited creatures, can only hope in God and God’s promises of a better world.
Dr. Suzie Park
Interim Dean & Associate Professor of Old Testament
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?
• Students in our masters-degree programs receive up to 85% need-based tuition aid.
• Historically, more than 80% of our graduates are called to congregational ministry.
• Our students come from more than a dozen denominations.
• Our alumni serve in ministry in forty-eight U.S. states as well as in twenty different countries across the world.
Your gift to Austin Seminary contributes to scholarships, housing, computer equipment, library materials, and other resources needed by seminarians as they fulfill their calls to Christian service and leadership.
Your support underwrites the finest theological faculty and an administration committed to upholding the highest standards possible with respect to the unique vocation of ministry.
Every gift is significant and is appreciated. They are put to work right away and make a real impact. Please send your gift today.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary
No comments:
Post a Comment