Amos

Amos, by Gustave Doré

Children’s Sermon

8 November 2026

Good morning, guys.

So today we read the words of the Prophet Amos. Do any of you know what a prophet is, or what a prophet does? A prophet is someone who tells the truth—especially someone who speaks hard truths, truths that powerful people do not want to hear. A prophet comforts the afflicted, and afflicts the comforted.

Amos hadn’t always been a prophet. It’s not like it was the family business. He’d actually been a shepherd, taking care of his sheep and his fig-trees. But he had to speak out—God called him to speak out—when he saw how terribly the rich were treating the poor.

And the rich of Amos’ day liked to think of themselves as very religious. They followed all the proper rituals, paid for the most lavish sacrifices. (Sacrifices were a big thing back then.) And they told themselves, “Man, I hope that God shows up soon, to tell us just how special we are, and what a good job that we’re doing.”

But Amos says to these rich, powerful, religious people, “Why do you want the Day of the Lord? When God shows up, let me tell you, the truth comes out. And the truth is that God doesn’t care about your money, or your rituals, or how much you can spend on outward signs of piety.”

What do you think God cares about? Bible verses on your Instagram? #blessed

“No,” Amos says. “God cares about justice and righteousness. God cares about how you treat your neighbors, for they’re His children too. So watch out, when you say that you want God to show up, in case you think that you might be better than other people. The truth of the matter is that God is concerned with how we love each other. And justice is what love looks like in public.”

So if we want God to show up, if we want the Day of the Lord, then we would do best to remember that God is already with us, in our neighbors, and in the poor. That’s where we’ll find Jesus.

Okay? Let’s pray.