000 Allen FMT (i-xxii) - The Presbyterian Leader

gress; to Gilgal—and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every
morning, your tithes every three days . . . for so you love to do, O people
of Israel!” (4:4–5).
We sense that worship had become empty. Genuine worship reflects
and reinforces an active faithful life of doing justice. Worship without
practical ethics is empty, about this Amos is clear. We may assume that he
also thought that ethics without worship is blind, but speaking to a dire
situation, he was concerned with righting the listing ship, not with framing
a comprehensive view.
Rather than this empty worship, he proclaims famously, “let justice roll
down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream” (5:24). It
is said that the prophets expressed grand visions and the rabbis wrote contracts,
as though there were some great chasm between these two. But it
was Amos who called for justice to be done in particular cases—“in the
gate”—indicating that the concern for cases and contracts was at the heart
of the prophetic message. Letting justice roll down like waters will require
much attention to particulars if justice is ever to be done anywhere.
This reading is paired with Matthew’s parable of the Ten Bridesmaids;
it would be more appropriately paired with his parable of the Last
Judgment.
Wisdom of Solomon 6:12–16* (Paired)
Proper 27 [32]/Year A 113
On Proper 8/Year B we note that the Wisdom of Solomon was written during
the Hellenistic age when Gentiles, probably in Alexandria, were harassing
the Jewish community. This book intends to strengthen its readers to
maintain fidelity to their heritage even when harassed. In the reading for
today, one strategy of the writer is to continue the wisdom tradition of Israel
while grafting into it some ideas from popular Hellenistic philosophy in
order to show that those who possess wisdom can live confidently in the
present because wisdom brings them immortality. In the Jewish wisdom tradition,
Wisdom is one of God’s closest agents, who was active in creation
and who continues in the world to help the community live according to
divine design. Wisdom of Solomon adds to this notion the idea that Wisdom
will guide the soul to the goal of life, which is to live after death in the
immediate presence of God. This is what it means to be immortal.
Much like Proverbs 1:20–33 and 8:22–31 (see Proper 19/Year B and
Trinity Sunday/Year C), Wisdom 6:12–16 personifies Wisdom as a
woman. She is radiant (illuminating) and unfading (immortal). The key
point is that those who love Wisdom and seek her (especially members of