Like a River

Amos 5:24 (NIV)"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"I love fly fishing. And, related to that, I love water and especially mountain streams. One of my favorite streams in the Smokies has been Road Prong, a relatively small stream that runs from near the road to Kuowhi down to the Chimney Tops trailhead. I fished this stream many times and with each visit recognized many specific pools and landmarks along its path. One such landmark was a natural dam consisting of large logs stacked one on top of the other and wedged between rocks on each bank, forming a natural waterfall. It had been around long enough to even acquire a name, Peg Leg Falls. The stream was maybe six feet across at this point. Again, a relatively small stream.On one occasion following a major rain event, when I reached the point of Peg Leg Falls, I saw that it was no more. The force of the water rushing down the mountain in this otherwise small stream had dislodged the huge logs and washed them out of sight. I have seen other such rain events move large rocks and even change the course of a river.I believe it is such an event that Amos is referring to in the scripture for today. The New English Translation reads "Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up." Amos, like other Old Testament prophets says that God has grown tired of his people's rote religious practices and, instead, wants to see justice roll down like a river. He wants to see righteous actions more than just ritual sacrifices and festivals.When we see injustice in our time, there are so many obstacles to achieving real justice that we don't see a way to achieve any significant change. Each of us is just a drop of water that cannot change the course of the river in which we find ourselves. So how can we bring about such pivotal change? In John 14:11-12, Jesus says "Believe when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these." How is this even possible? Well, consider that when Jesus died and was resurrected, it is believed that he had about 120 followers. Empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, a single sermon by Peter resulted in about 3,000 people being added to their number. It was a virtual torrent of faith in an unbelieving time.Empowered by the Holy Spirit and echoing the voice of God in this world, we together can become a torrent of justice where injustice has become lodged in our path. We can become torrents of kindness and compassion in a world of sadness and defeat. We can become torrents of healing to the brokenness around us. We can become torrents of mercy where hardness has prevailed. We can become torrents of love where hate abounds. What we cannot change on our own, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can surely accomplish as we work and move together as the body of Christ in this world like a rolling river of grace. Let it be so.PrayerHoly Father, empower us, direct us, use us as the body of Christ in this world to break down the barriers of injustice, of hate, of brokenness, of despair. Use us to change the course of rivers and bring about your Kingdom in this world. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Charlie Barton.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.