The Breakdown: "Game Recognize Game"

30:08 a God who cares about those who are oppressed. And so going back, shifting back toward the overview of who Amos is, Amos, his sketch or his bio sketch, if you will, is found in Amos chapter one, verse number one. Also in Amos chapter seven, verses 10 through 15. Amos is a shepherd or a sheep breeder from Tekoa, about 10 miles from Jerusalem. Some scholars would even suggest that he and his colleagues reared a special type or a special breed of sheep. Those sheep specifically who could have been stunted in growth are those sheep that were possibly small. However, either way, they were of great value because of their wool. Well, Amos knew ultimately what it meant to tend to those or tend to a flock, right? And what it means for a flock to ultimately depend on someone to help provide, guide, and lead them along their journey. In fact, they would even suggest, if that was the truth, that they tended to a special type of sheep, to those particular type of those sheep that he was breeding with his colleagues, it becomes even more relevant because it means that Amos would have also known specifically what it means to care, not just for a flock, but for a flock that could have been looked down upon or considered less than.

31:30 He also was one who cultivated sycamore trees. We see that in Amos chapter 7, verse number 14. And theologically, we know that sycamore trees, those are trees that essentially, theologically they mean those who possibly seek God. We see that in Luke chapter 19 when we see Zacchaeus who climbs the sycamore tree so that he might see Jesus. Sycamore trees are also a symbol of commonality because it is contrary of those who are arrogant because of their wealth. Those who tended to sycamore trees are those who tended to flocks that was seen as somewhat, if you will, in antiquity a commonality, a job of commonality. And also sycamore trees could also be understood as a snapshot of judgment. We see that in Isaiah chapter 9. Amos was not a prophet or was born a prophet or a son of a prophet, but God called him. And so why is that important? Because that lets us know that no matter where you are today, no matter what space you find yourself in, God can still use you and call you to speak a word on his behalf for his people.

32:34 And so when we continue to look at Amos' overview, You can't run past that. because a lot of times God is so free in what God does. God doesn't have to consult your background in order to write your next chapter. And so a lot of times it's almost as if God says in Amos's case, here you are. And really he's a rancher. I mean, when you look at what, I mean, he's a rancher, so he's a well-off dude, comfortable life. and he says okay you ain't got nothing in your background that says you're going to be a prophet but I'm about to write a new chapter in your life and nothing in the previous chapters is going to lead you to believe that this is what's next in this chapter. God is that free in our lives and so I just couldn't let that run by because the more it hit me since Sunday it's like Amos had nothing to do with being a prophet or a preacher and God said but you won't be a prophet and a preacher because god says i am free enough in your life to write a chapter of purpose for you a next chapter of purpose for you and that next chapter may not have a thing to do with what you've done but but but watch this whenever god does that you ain't got no choice but to walk by faith if you're gonna do something you're not an expert in this every step is a step of faith i i just couldn't i forgive no that's good doc so in other words god uses who god wants to use it doesn't matter what you've done however god wants to use however god wants to use god uses who he wants to use however god wants to use them that's that's powerful that's powerful um and so um and again uh that's very rich so again amos he says in fact uh let's look at i think it's uh here verse number chapter seven um he says i'm not i'm not i didn't

34:40 come from a background of prophecy or i'm not a son of a prophet he said but god still took me And that's powerful. And I think all throughout the biblical narrative, we see how God constantly snatches people from where they were to use them for a greater and a divine sense of call for God and God's people. And so Amos, the book of Amos in this overview, Amos is one of the most clearest and strongest calls of justice found.

35:22 Found, I'm sorry, the Bible's clearest and strongest call of justice is found in the book of Amos. Amos prophesies the northern kingdom of Israel during the time of economical prosperity. This economical prosperity was clothed in oppression, spiritual hypocrisy and corruption. We put some take a screenshot of it. If you're watching online, if you're in the house now, we put those verses next to those forms of spiritual corruption. We see sexual abuse in chapter two, verse seven, slavery, two and six charging interest to the poor. Chapter five, verse number 11, corruption. Right. When we talk about illegal processes. We just witnessed that recently, chapter five, verse number 10 and verse number 12, and then misappropriation of collateral in chapter two, verse number eight. And so as we continue to look at this, also what's interesting is when we look at this particular verse in chapter five, verse 24, in a sense, what some people would call possibly this this prophetic handiatus.

36:34 Right. In Amos, chapter five, verse number 24. Uh, this text is one of the most popular and most quoted scriptures in the Bible. I find it interesting that alongside of this studies have shown that the, one of the other top verses that's quoted is Psalm 23 verse number six. What's interesting is that both of them, um, have a hindaitis, if you will, that is a rhetorical device used to express a singular complex idea using two words connected by conjunction nice and warm strength and power it's essentially one by way of two and in the text it says but let justice roll on like a river righteousness like a never failing stream and the question is some people may have raised is there a difference as we do know there are going back to translations pastor there have been bibles that have they have snatched that word justice out and attempted to replace it with righteousness and what's interesting is um is that it is a hypostatic union it there is justice you cannot mention righteousness utilize the term righteousness and not look at the idea of justice It is justice. Justice is always for we are righteously just because of who God is.

38:05 And God always handles the scales of justice. In fact, we have a God who is just. We don't serve a God who strips or pulls out justice of the picture. And so I thought that was interesting there. And so, Pastor, one question I would ask is what would you have to say or what would you say considering those warped translations that try to remove the terminology of justice? And why is it important for us today as Bible readers, as churchgoers, as as as as children of God to continue to look at that term justice, if you will, and make sure that it is not stripped away from our theological vocabulary? Larry. Right. And I appreciate that. Uh, I would just say you can't even call yourself righteous if you ain't about justice. Uh, uh, the pastor of Wheat street, William Holmes borders, uh, who King really looked up to growing up. He told this story that I think answers your question about during the depression, there was this rich, you know, white owner of a big, you know, former plantation and so a brother who was a sharecropper you know discovered that this man had a lot of food so it's during the what great depression so he goes to the man's house rings the doorbell and he says well come around to the back and i'll give you some food so the brother goes around to the back and listen to what happens according to william holmes borders opens up the door and says okay I'm about to give you this food but I want you to pray with me over the food I'm about to give you now bow your head close your eyes and repeat after me and he said our father who art in heaven the brother responds your father who art in heaven and he says I didn't say that I want you to repeat after me our father who art in heaven brother repeats your father who art in heaven and he says I'm gonna give you one more chance I said our our our say our and he said okay our

40:17 he said now say our father who art in heaven he said your father who art in heaven he said why do you keep saying your when I say our he said because if I say our it presupposes that we're in the same family that I am your brother and you are my brother and our father would not be pleased with you giving his children food that he blessed you with through the back door. So this dude called himself being righteous, but he wasn't practicing justice. And so when you wed those together, I think it's important to understand that anyone calling themselves personally righteous, they're not about the justice life. You're just not. You're just not. According to the concept, you just lift it up. But also one of the things that you shared was something that was a girl, New Testament scholar, who I quote about the whole justice, righteousness, peace.

41:19 Man, she was my teacher, my Ph.D. teacher, brilliant New Testament scholar, biblical scholar, Shively Smith, Shively Smith, Shively Smith. You see her name on anything, it will open your eyes about scripture. Okay. Shively Smith blew us away in class. I mean, his PhD class was studying the hermeneutics of black women writers of the 19th century. And she just dropped this on her way to teaching the lesson. She said that up until the King James Version, and understand the King James Version is one of the first translations of the Bible into English. It's one of the first. Okay. Keep that in mind before the King James version, the most popular English translation was the Geneva Bible G E N E V A. That was the most popular translation in the Geneva Bible. There's a word translated. Watch this, a word translated justice in the Geneva Bible that the King James translators translated righteousness.

42:33 Okay, I'm going to help you. So seek first the kingdom of God and his justice. It's different than seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, because if you're not careful you'll make righteousness personal okay blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice that's how the geneva bible translates the greek word there but the king james and subsequent english translations followed king james's lead and they translated it righteousness now after her class I couldn't help but run with this because you know this this is a we're gonna have a conversation DA why would they why would King James have his translators not use the word justice but instead righteousness King James well yeah because just well for me like if I were to define justice, I would say justice is protecting the sacredness of humanity, right? So if you go to Matthew 5 where you find that, and this is my New Testament, you know, I love my New Testament professor, I forgot his name. Oh man, I know you're talking about Warren Carter.

43:55 How he talks about, particularly verses 1 through 4, that Jesus is not being spiritual, right? And when you translate that, he is giving his disciples instructions on some habits they ought to have. And one of those is that you have to hunger and thirst after justice because people's humanity is being degraded and stripped away because of oppressive systems. So of course he would change that because now you say you hunger and thirst and after pulling down political systems that oppress, that's threatening empire. So that's why it will be stripped away because now that's not saying as a Christian you have to have that habit. And King James is presiding over an empire. Correct. The British Empire. Go ahead. So I want to ask you this since you said that, because one of the things you talked about was worship and justice cannot be separated. And I don't know if you remember years ago you did the book of Amos. We had a big banner behind us that said worship and justice go together. And we had that the whole month long. And as you said that on Sunday, I went to Amos seven and 13, whereas empire and priesthood.

44:57 What the priest is telling Amos, don't ever prophesy in Bethel ever again. This is the king's sanctuary in the temple of the kingdom. Not this is God's sanctuary in the Lord's kingdom, but it's connected, right? So the church has gotten in bed with the empire, right? And so I think that's important because America can be seen as Bethel, right, in terms of how that works. And I think historically it's important to think about that because many churches, as we know historically, right, they blessed slavery. They preached obedient to the enslaved, developed philological defensism for white supremacy, separated salvation from justice, and left the sanctuary to lynch black bodies. And so we have to be very mindful of that. And this is why, so for them, worship and injustice go together. Wow.

45:50 So I want to ask you, what is, and I mean, because it was very clear, right? They have very clear things they did in the name of God. Talk to us about what is it about worship? Are we missing something in worship? What hinders us from worshiping and going out doing justice in very clear, distinct ways that we can recognize? Because black liberation reading this would say, who is being oppressed? And one minute to y'all would just say, whose bodies bear the brunt of the oppression? Go ahead. Go ahead. That's for me? Yes. Okay, so cool. So here's the deal. Again, I go back to the fact that it's King James. Whose hermeneutic and theology informs so much of Western worship, Western preaching, Western teaching, and King James was not about.

46:46 And you understand why? I mean, King James is running an empire that says what? The sun never sets on the on the on the British Empire. And so as a consequence, you know, you had the British Empire in Australia, you know, colonizing Australia. So many countries in Africa. So King James is like, I'm not about to have you all worshiping God and and and believing that God is a God of justice. I want you all to be well behaved slaves. I want you to be holy. And I want Rosa Parks on the back of the bus praying and not protesting. OK, so it's very important to keep that in mind. And that is that that that a Western approach to scripture and worship is going to always be vertical and ignore the horizontal dimension of the cross of the Roman cross at that. OK, it's basically as long as you get to heaven, as long as you are pleasing in God's sight, as long as you are living a righteous life, as long as you're doing this and doing that.

48:00 And so every time they read scripture, it's rare through the lens. Watch this of individual piety and getting my life with Christ straight, because as long as I'm straight with Christ, everything is fine. And for me, that's like, well, you don't even know Jesus. Because Jesus says the spirit of the Lord God is upon me. The Holy Spirit came on me to it and anointed me. We're talking about the anointing, the anointing. It destroys the yoke. Does the anointing cause you to preach good news to the poor? Does the anointing use you to set captive folk free? Does the anointing use you to give health to those who are blind? Does the anointing use you to deliver the downtrodden? Does the anointing use you to liberate those who are captive? But folk ain't trying to hear that in a culture where capitalism says, I've got to inform our understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

49:05 And that means you've got to be a success. You've got to have this and have this and have that. And I ain't saying God as opposed to you having stuff. I'm just saying God is about justice and justice. One writer says is enoughness. I was going to say, and so, and so, and so that's, that speaks to why verse 22 explicitly. God says, I ain't got no regard for none of that. All of that is, is, is nothing. I will not accept it. It's empty worship. Pastor Harris. No, I was just going to say, I think to your point, that's why it's so important for us to lean into our own theologies as we read scripture. So if you were to have a woman's lens on this text in which you would understand is communal flourishing is the goal. Right. And so justice then would be communal and measured by the healthy institutions and not individual success alone.

50:05 So I think that's why it's important for us to then use these other lens. And that's one thing I want to say about Amos. Right. I know he said I'm not a prophet, not a son of a prophet. And as you said, God will use you how he wants to use you. But I think Amos, and I want you to talk about this too, because you said that we, what you said on Sunday, we are created in order to have a calling to make a difference. Something of that sort. It's like we're created on purpose for a purpose. But what I believe about Amos is that though he lived well, even though he was around other people who may not have been living well, he still was in solidarity with them. And you think back in the day, the domestic worker lived next to the lawyer, the sanitation worker lived next to the doctor, right? We were all there, and we didn't say, well, why can't you do it? I did it. Right? They understood that there was a system at work that precluded everybody from breaking through that rose that comes out of concrete. So for me, I think Amos had these four windows in which he understood God and his relationship with God and people, which was social, political, cultural, and economic.

51:07 economically. I think that's the, those were his windows and those were not separated. And that's why he could be in solidarity with those who did not have. So when God called him to use them, however, he was still prepared because he already had understanding of what it meant to be human. And we can say he understood that this African worldview of Ubuntu, you know, where Ubuntu came out of, right? Nutsu meaning that I'm only a person through other people. So I think he understood that, which is why he was able to, God was able to use him how he wanted to and he was willing to be used. So I think it was something about Amos, how he grew up, what he saw, how he was in solidarity, where when that call came, he answered. Because he had went through a process. We don't know what that process was. His mother could have taught him that. So I think that's always important. It's how we read text, what other theologies we look to other than certain commentaries that will be from a Western lens.

52:02 Because then we'll understand what it means to be human very differently and what it means to be communal very differently when we don't just lean into Western ways of understanding that. That's good. That's good. So, Doc, so I have a question for you. Considering that and even as Pastor Ayers brings up Amos's background and him having experience right in the field, working with the sheep, in what ways do you think that that's important? You know, we look at the Bible, we see Abel, right? He tended to the sheep. We see Abraham who tends to the sheep. We see Jacob who tends to the sheep. We see all of these leaders, if you will, in Scripture who tends to the sheep. David, right, who's on the backside of his father's pasture, tending to the sheep. We even fast forward to the New Testament, Jesus Christ, right, the good shepherd, right, tending and loving us and God's people as a sheep.

52:57 So how do you how what about Amos's background? Do you think even psychologically allows him to have a sense of compassion as it pertains to caring for people, leading people, loving people? So I'll just say this. And I answer it on two levels. Second level is going to be a little different. At first level, I see where you're what you're driving at, because David says, OK, if you want to know what shepherds do, let this sheep testify. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. And so is the shepherd. It's the job description of the shepherd to meet every need that the sheep may have. It's in the job description of the shepherd to protect the sheep, to provide for the sheep. And so sheep find themselves according to the shepherd that is leading and feeding them.

53:55 Sheep find their needs are met. And so in a sense, Amos, as one who had been a rancher shepherd, again, that's Ron Sider. Ron Sider looked at the Hebrew and said he wasn't just a shepherd. He was a rancher. And when you look at the fact that he's also tending what, sycamore trees, he's doing more than just one thing. And so it's important to just kind of see it as not one of the impoverished shepherds of the land, but a shepherd. Watch this. Who has who is blessed, who is prospering, as it were, and using that to make sure to follow the point you're making that the sheep prosper. OK, here's the second point that I want to drop on you. And that is I got this from Amos Brown, my pastor, ordained me. Dr. Brown says, when you look at Amos, I got to go, I forgot to do this Sunday too. Etymologically, the name Amos means burden.

54:58 Amos had a burden for justice I'm gonna let y'all just because I gave y'all some good stuff you just he had a burden for justice I hope y'all are feeling that right now so go even beyond his vocation He just has a and maybe his burden for justice played out in making sure the sheep were taken care of. But again, he's a rancher. This means the dude is like middle class, upper middle class. And Amos Brown says this. Amos, that's his name. Amos Brown, my pastor, says this. He says that Martin Luther King Jr. was middle class. he came from a middle class family lived in atlanta in what what's that street uh in atlanta where ebenezer is uh can't think of the name of it but it's a middle class huh sweet auburn avenue sweet auburn avenue and dr brown said think about it martin luther king jr middle class but he dies fighting for the poor.

56:24 That's Amos. Amos is a rancher and Amos can't stand to see poor people being oppressed. And I think that's something that again, when you're about that justice life, it's like, okay, I'm blessed. But what am I doing with my blessing for those who are not as privileged as I am? And I think it's important that you bring King up because we know he actually could have went another direction. What? He could have went and pastored a middle class high stock, still stock in church, which is what his father wanted him to do. Yes. And just be a little comfortably. So it cleared somewhere something hit Mark. Professor. Oh, yes. He had options. Okay. Let's be clear. He had real options even during that time. And so I think. Doc, I got to do this. Okay. Please forgive me, but you're going to love this. You're going to love this.

57:16 King and Coretta get hooked up while they're both in Boston studying and they have a decision to make. Go back down south or stay up here in the north. And Coretta was the one who put it in his ear. We need to go back down south where the people are. Coretta don't get the kind of shine that she deserves, but it could very well be that King never would have come back down south. and history would be different if Coretta had not put a bug in his ear. Oh, she definitely hooked him up. Right. And if you read her memoir, you will really see the ways in which she was movement. You know, she was almost like Moses' wife. Like Moses' wife is in and out of the text. She come in, she go out. But we never give her credit for being part of liberating the people. Like saving his life because he didn't know what to do. Right.

58:08 So I think it's always important that we read into that and read the women back into the movements, right? Very important. But, yeah, I think that's what, I mean, Martin said that, right? That's what I was doing. Yeah, I know. And we appreciate that. You do that very well. And we appreciate it. But that's what, that's what, but Martin King said that. He said it was Coretta who brought me in. And, of course, you know, Bernice will let you know that, too. That was her mother. So very important in terms of that. And I wonder, then, if someone is listening, like on Sunday, when you said, you know, you have to make a difference in this world. but if somebody, I don't know what to do, like how would you tell someone if you're not sure, you know God created you for a purpose, how do you kind of, how do people, how do you put yourself in a position to hear what that purpose is, and then what are some processes that you might go through to really make that difference? I just love that question so much because now it sends me back to what I didn't even think about to give Sunday that I just tried to give, and that is Amos, His name means burden. Could it be that the difference you're supposed to make is whatever God has put in your spirit, on your heart, on your mind that burdens you?

59:24 It just won't let you go. And as a consequence, you've got to do something about it. It burdens you. It burdens your heart. And as a consequence, God then starts working on you at the place where you are burdened. Here's what gets me. Got to read some women back into this thing. OK, because I'm trying to follow your lead, Doc. Think about the fact that December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks sits on that bus and she testifies. One reason she refused to give up her seat was because she was burdened by what had happened to Emmett Till and Emmett Till's mama's courage to open up that casket. Because don't forget, it's December 1st, 1955 and August 28th, 1955 is when Emmett Till is what? lynch slain and then the funeral takes place and mama teal says i want y'all to see what y'all did to my son and has an open casket funeral and rosa parks had that that burdened her that became a burden on her and i'm simply trying to say in answer to your profound question and that is okay what is it that really burdens you if if if you're a child of god and nothing in this world burdens you? I won't even finish the sentence, but that's the best answer I can give there.

1:00:57 That's good. That's good. Okay. So I'm a shift gears real quick, doc, but stay in the same lane, if you will. Um, on Sunday, uh, you mentioned, um, that great speech, uh, given by Frederick Douglas, um, what to slave, um, is the 4th of July. Um, could you expound on, um, today? I want rephrase the question what to the 21st century black community to to those within our community is the 4th of July well again it's an excuse to do a cookout but it's not as it's it's it's a reflection more and more of how much this country ain't what it proclaims. And it's almost, because I want to be respectful, but I just keep thinking about, what's his name, Nathan? Yeah, Nolan, Nolan, Nolan. I'm sorry, please forgive me nolan and he goes out with some white kids they come back he doesn't he doesn't come back nolan xavier wells yeah yeah i yeah and and and that's the thing because they did a piece this morning and it talked about that this ain't the first time that someone has been the only amongst whites and they the ones who don't come back. I mean and it's happening as we celebrate 250 years so what to Nolan's family is your fourth of July? What what to the family of the one-year-old that was killed? Is it in Mississippi? In Mississippi and we find out that not only is it senselessly tragic and heartbreaking but it's like y'all weren't y'all did wrong

1:03:05 y'all did wrong and basically all you get is what is he uh with he he's he's suspended with pay what to that baby's family is your fourth of july you know and those are what explicit examples but what to those of us who every day have to deal with microaggressions what what to those of us who every single day recognize that there are certain doors shut to us simply because of how god made us you know what so so the fourth of july becomes as lary daniel favors and others have said the fourth of you lie it's it's it's it's it's huh yeah you lie you lie y-o-u-l-i-e that's right yeah yeah so so so it's it's i mean so so sadly frederick douglas's speech all these years because that was what July 5th 1852 in Syracuse New York and here we are in 2026 and uh one of my favorites is uh oh man uh attorney uh Ellie Mustall Ellie Mustall anytime you see he's talking please check him out Ellie Mustall I was listening to him today and he said it's only appropriate that Donald Trump is the president of this country as we celebrate the semi-quincentennial because he's a mirror as to what this country really is.