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[ Silence ] [ Music ] ♪ Come, thou almighty King ♪ ♪ Help us, by name, to sing ♪

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♪ Help us to praise ♪ ♪ Our Lord, all glorious ♪ ♪ All-homage glorious ♪ ♪ Come and reign over us ♪

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♪ Ancient of days ♪ ♪ ♪ Come thou, O mighty King ♪ Help us our name to sing.

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Come, God of our today. Help us our name to sing. We've come to praise. We've come to praise.

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We've come to praise our name. ♪ Of the Almighty King ♪ ♪ Help us, Thy Name to sing ♪ ♪ Of the Almighty King ♪

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♪ Help us, Thy Name to sing ♪ ♪ We come to praise ♪ ♪ We come to praise ♪ ♪ We come to praise ♪

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♪ Our day ♪ ♪ Honor our glorious ♪ ♪ For our victorious ♪ ♪ Come and reign over us ♪

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♪ Come and reign over us ♪ ♪ Honor our glorious ♪ ♪ For our victorious ♪ ♪ Come and reign over us ♪

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♪ Come and reign over us ♪ ♪ We've come to praise you ♪ ♪ We've come to praise ♪ ♪ We've come to praise ♪

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♪ Our Lord ♪ ♪ For our glorious ♪ ♪ For our victorious ♪ ♪ Come and reign over us ♪

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♪ Come and reign over us ♪ ♪ For our glorious ♪ ♪ For our victorious ♪ ♪ Come and reign over us ♪

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♪ Come and reign over us ♪ ♪ We've come to praise ♪ ♪ We've come to praise ♪ ♪ We've come to praise ♪

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♪ The King ♪ ♪ The King ♪ ♪ The King ♪ ♪ The King ♪

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We come to praise, we come to praise, we come to praise the King. I despise your festivals, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. And the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon.

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Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the melody of your harps, but let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. These are the words of Amos, a prophet from Tekoa. It is recorded in the book that bears his name, the fifth chapter, the twenty-first through the twenty-fourth verses.

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The Prophet from Ticor. An unknown prophet appears in the sacred precincts of Bethel, the religious capital of the Northern Kingdom. He has the smell of a shepherd,

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one who has spent many hours in the pasture with the sheep. His clothes bear the stain of sycamore fruit. His name is Amos. He is a prophet without portfolio.

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He does not have certificates or degrees characteristic of the prophets of Bethel. Bethel. He has no license, no ordination papers. He's a prophet without portfolio. Amos is what we would call today a bi-vocational pastor, one who carries on the work of preaching in connection with a secular job. He has no credentials, I

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I said. In Bethel, those identified with the priestly position are expected to wear the finest clothes and drive the finest cars. When asked who he is, he replies, "I'm Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, and a dresser of sycamore trees. Amos, you're out of your league.

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You're from the southern kingdom. This is the northern kingdom. Reverend, you're out of your league. Where did you say you're from?

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Tekoa? Yes. That little hick town? Nobody from that place could possibly have any word for us.

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Again, what did you say your name is? Amos? Amos. A prophet without portfolio.

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Did you come from a preacher's family? Are you a PK, a preacher's kid? No, you're just a professional prophet. And you're not a professional prophet,

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not a son of a prophet, but you say you're called to preach? That the Lord called you from being a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees

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and sent you forth to preach? Amos, why didn't you stay in Judah and preach? There are plenty of people in Judah who need to hear your gospel. But this is Israel, the northern kingdom.

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This is Amaziah's territory. He's the superintendent up here. He's the bishop. We do not need your preaching, Amos. We do not want to hear your kind of proclamations.

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This is Bethel, the king's chapel. The prophets that are welcome here are those who dine with the king and deliver messages that are tailored

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to the king's satisfaction. Amos in Bethel. Amos, a prophet from Tekoa, but he is in Bethel preaching. Well, he preaches social justice. And all of us are concerned about our individual rights. We get a feeling for that at a very early age. What's mine and what's thine. Every person wants to be

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treated right. We want to be treated fairly. We want to receive our share of the pie. We our part. We want what is due us. We want our pound of flesh. Social justice requires us to go the second mile. We must go beyond ourselves and show concern for others. Personal Social justice is an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth.

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Social justice reaches out to the wounded traveler on the Jericho Road. Listen, famous prophetic cry for social justice. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. This is strict and exact, giving each person his due.

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Righteousness implies benevolence, kindness, generosity. Justice may be legal. Righteousness is associated with a burning compassion for the oppressed. Justice says that a man must not beat his wife,

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but justice does not require him to love her. Righteousness shows compassion in affirming certain actions. We call them affirmative action. We're behind in the race, and we must run faster

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or have certain favorable conditions if we are to catch up in the race. Justice, the God of the biblical faith demands justice. The God of Israel commands justice. The Northern Kingdom may have moved their capital,

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but God's demand for justice has not changed. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah are enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity and peace, But God has not changed his demand for justice. Well, the people have their fine summer homes.

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The stock market is at an all-time high in Bethel. Church attendance has set new records. But God has not changed his demand for justice. Sacrificial offerings keep the priests busy.

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Worshippers take great pride in their music, the dignity and beauty of the worship service. But God demands justice. God is not satisfied because we have a beautiful worship service arranged, what we call a ritual, when we go through it.

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It may be a wonderful thing in our sight, but God demands more than ritual. He demands righteousness. God demands justice. So the condition in Bethel was one where justice was not being practiced. God demands justice today in our land as we celebrate Independence, our birthday. It is good for us to think about what God demands of His people.

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Look at the criminal justice system. You don't have to go down and stay in the court very long and listen to and watch what is taking place. Those who are using drugs and just have a little amount of drugs, they get long sentences and they're usually our color.

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But God demands justice. People in Israel think that God will excuse their sin because of their worship. Not so. God is the God of justice. Let justice, justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

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Not just ritual, but righteousness. God says, "I hate, I despise your feast days. I will not smell your solemn assemblies. Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them.

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Neither will I regard peace offerings." You know, we're inclined to deny justice on the basis of the person that may be charged, the person who is the recipient. So people say, "You want justice?"

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And the word comes back, "How much justice can you afford?" But God isn't talking about that kind of justice. The people of Bethel disregard Amos because of his social status. Reverend Amos, prophet from the cold.

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You know how we are when somebody comes from a little town. I grew up in a small, I was in Oklahoma, a little town called Fort Gibson. And I didn't want to tell people where I was from. because it was so small that the fire department had to come from Muskogee to Fort Gibson.

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And we have a tendency to pigeonhole people according to where they are from. As one of my friends said, "But Marvin, you know, people who come from small towns have small ideas." That's not true. Demas comes from a small town and yet he has a vision of the world.

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He has a vision of justice, that which is absolute. So much injustice, but God demands justice. Justice in our educational system, justice. I discovered some years ago that there were those who came through the system

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and they didn't have access to what others who came through the system had. Some took freshman college English while they were still in high school. Others took it and yet they have to take the same exam when they go to the college entrance exam. Justice! Justice.

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Injustice still reigns in so many places in our world and in our land. Justice, injustice. Martin Luther King said it well when he said that injustice, anyway, is a threat to justice everywhere. Justice! God commands justice. And as we meditate upon this great country of ours, the founding fathers,

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I hear Thomas Jefferson as he says, "I tremble when I reflect that God is just." I tremble when I reflect that God is just. Frederick Douglass, great champion for freedom in 1856,

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said when he was invited to speak to a group of abolitionists, he said, "Then why are you inviting me here? The 4th of July celebration, say it's a great celebration for you, but it's a sham for me. And it's like the little boy, they were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, we're questioning under God now. under God, with liberty and justice for all. And a little African American boy said, "Except me." God commands justice, not justice just for one group, but justice for all, justice not according

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to race, justice not according to your place in this economic struggle where you may be, justice for every person. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a Mighty Stream. Like a mighty stream.

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Not like raindrops, but like a mighty stream. And we've had the experience of that in recent days as the waters have gathered around. A mighty stream. Justice like a mighty stream, yes, a mighty stream.

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A mighty stream pushing against established structures. A mighty stream pushing against mountains and causing them to crumble, a mighty stream, yes! That changes the course of history. The mighty streams that we are witnessing today are looking for paths, they make their own paths.

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God commands, not this preacher. God commands justice. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. So let us, as his people, commit ourselves anew to working for justice, for there is injustice all around us, and there is the God of justice

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who's prepared to strengthen us for the struggle. As we sing the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of those who were joined with the family of God here at Ebenezer. As we sing, we invite you to come by letter, by Christian experience, on profession of

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faith. (music) [Music] Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.

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♪ Let the water and the blood ♪ ♪ From thy wounded side which flowed ♪ ♪ Be on thy way ♪ ♪ Be of sin the doubled cue ♪

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♪ Save from wrath and make me ♪ ♪ And make me pure ♪ ♪ Could my tears ♪ ♪ Forever ever flow ♪

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♪ Could my zeal ♪ ♪ No longer ♪ ♪ Linger no ♪ ♪ Peaceful sin ♪

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♪ Could not ♪ ♪ Alone ♪ ♪ Thou must save ♪ ♪ And all alone in my hand ♪

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♪ No price I bring, simply to ♪ ♪ The cross I cling ♪ ♪ When I draw thou please ♪ ♪ Gave me a flurry of tears ♪

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♪ Thou bleeding breath ♪ ♪ When my eyes ♪ ♪ Shall close in death ♪ ♪ When I rise ♪

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♪ To earth unknown ♪ ♪ And behold ♪ ♪ Thee on thy throne ♪ ♪ Rock of Ages ♪

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♪ Plead for me ♪ ♪ Let me hide ♪ ♪ Let me hide ♪ ♪ Let me hide ♪

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♪ Myself ♪ [singing] Jesus prepared this meal for his disciples as he was facing the cross. He gave the command to his disciples to continue to observe this meal, and as often as we do it, we do so forth his suffering until he comes again.

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So those who accept Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life, the privilege to commune at this table, we invite you to do so. Let us bow our heads as we go to God in prayer. Oh Lord, we thank you that you are the God of justice, that the day will come when you will righten all wrongs. Every valley will be exalted and the mountain and hills shall be made low.

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So it is in that faith that we come to your table to thank you for delivering us from Egyptian bondage and leading us on the way of full freedom. We ask your blessings as we come to celebrate your goodness and your grace. We ask that you will bless this cup, representing the shed blood of our Lord, and the bread which represents his body.

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May we rededicate ourselves to your service, looking forward to that great banquet that you have arranged for all who trust in you. Amen. Jesus took the bread,

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blessed it, break it, gave to his disciples, ministering in his name, I give you this bread, representing the broken body of our Lord, take and divide it among yourselves.

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Likewise also he took the cup and gave to his disciples, ministering in his name, I give you this cup, representing his shed blood. Drink ye all of it.

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(choir singing) (choir singing) (choir singing) ♪ To get up on the hills ♪

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♪ Get up and pray ♪ ♪ Pray to get up on the hills ♪ ♪ We get up on the hills ♪ ♪ Send my praises to the rising sun ♪

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♪ Oh, Lord, have mercy on me ♪ ♪ Let us be one in love ♪ ♪ On my knees ♪ ♪ Let us take my life together ♪

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♪ On my knees ♪ ♪ Green and gold on my knees ♪ ♪ With my praises to the rising sun ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪

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♪ And the shield ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ - Let us commune together. As we close, we sing, "Oh, how he loves you and me.

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"Oh, how he loves you and me. "Oh, how he loves you. "Oh, how he loves me. "Oh, how he loves you and me."

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He gave his life. What more could he give? "Oh, how he loves you. "Oh, how he loves me."

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Let us not just stay still, stand where we are, but let us move about as we sing, giving a holy hug, a holy handshake, a holy kiss.

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As we move about singing, please, let us all stand. ♪ He loves you and me ♪ ♪ Oh how he loves you and me ♪ ♪ He gave life ♪

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♪ What more could he give ♪ [Music] [ Music ] We praise thee, O God, for the Son of man,

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for Jesus, who died and is now our God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]