Amos 7:1-9
Psalms 9, 15, 25
Revelations 1:1-8
Matthew 22:23-33
My father’s career was mainly in the corporate world but he loved to build and fix things with his own hands. Daddy had a very enviable workshop filled with all kinds of tools. It is hard to say if I was more fascinated by the many specialized pieces he had or if I just wanted any chance to tinker with him. l was a girl child of the 50’s and it probably never occurred to him that I was interested in being out working in the garage so my opportunities were often limited. I still have the distinct memory of him teaching me about a plumb line, what it was used for and how it worked. His was a metal orb with a point at one end and a loop at the other for tying the string. I remember him telling me that it needed to be sturdy, to have enough weight to straighten the string and hang straight. What a simple design; a true straight line from above.
The Psalmist in today’s reading prays, “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths.”
Amos tells us that the Lord Said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel.”
God sent us Jesus; the perfect straight line in which we are to build our lives. God sent Him to be the standard. When we wander from the standard we are out of plumb. Lost and swinging sometimes at the end of our rope. I could go on and on with the imagery but my prayer is to continually recognize when I am off.
Dear precious God, as we prepare again for the coming of your son, let us open ourselves to learn his ways and walk in the path he has for us. Amen
Jennie Perry