Speed Bumps

It started along the sea front and gradually migrated into suburbia. Now, even in my own street, within the next few months they will arrive: speed bumps. Those misshapen rolls of tarmac and bituminous paint whose aim it is to have an argument with my car’s mortal coils. Unlike certain Top Gear presenters, I appreciate the need for these bone shakers as they serve a valuable purpose reminding us of our surroundings and giving a wake up call to our (legal) obligations not to speed. The book of Amos is littered with ‘speed bumps’, uncomfortable but necessary reminders to the people of Israel and for us today to wake up and pay attention.

It sounds as if the Israelites had fallen asleep at the wheel, certainly with regard to their worship. The heater is full on, the radio is blaring and the windscreen wipers are doing that funny hypnotic thing that windscreen wipers do. They choose to ignore the rather large warning signs about the road conditions, fallen trees, potholes, fuel shortage and the small matter of earthquakes. They choose instead to rely on the false cosiness of the tin box in which they are travelling – shame about the four flat tyres. Then comes that speed bump, Amos 4 verse 12: ‘prepare to meet your God’. Did they even see it coming? The Israelites had chosen to ignore God and now they were going to be introduced to Him…formally. I sense that Amos struggles to find words to express the enormity of the impending presence of God. He looks around him and his eyes settle on the surrounding mountains: “see them? that’s God that is”. He stands amazed at the creative genius of the sun rising: “see that? that’s God that is”. As the Message puts it: ‘His name is God, God-of-the-angel-armies’. Talk about smelling the coffee.

It is a timely reminder of our relationship with God. God speaks directly into and through every part of our living. In the case of the Israelites he shows them hunger so that they should be reminded of their daily need for Him. He shows them thirst so that they should recognise the dire condition brought about by not relying on Him. He even puts stench in their nostrils to contrast with the sweet scent of being in His presence. It begs the question: what has God shown me today for me to hear him speaking? I cannot get away from those words: prepare to meet thy God. There is a clear sense of confrontation, as opposed to the psalmist who also mentions hunger and thirst (the good kind) and cannot wait to meet with God – Psalm 42 verses 1 & 2. There is a world of difference between meeting God and meeting with God.

So there we have it. It’s on this cliff hanger, with the bus teetering on the edge Italian Job fashion, that we wait for the outcome with Amos.  Are we there yet?…are we there yet?… are we there yet?

Greentea