FRUITFUL METAPHOR - Fruit forms the first part of our lesson in Amos 8; unfortunately, the metaphor has little meaning simply because it reflects a more complex word-play in the Hebrew, between qayits and qets, between fruit and ripeness. The New International Version at least attempts to reflect this nuance: " ‘What do you see, Amos?’ he asked. ‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered. Then the LORD said to me, ‘The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.’ "

THE END? - The word-play also carries the idea of "The End." That’s how the NRSV chooses to translate the same verse: Amos, what do you see? And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come upon my people Israel."

The noun used in 2a carries the idea of end; end of life, eschatological conclusion. But here, the word is used to speak of the end of a people. The end means death; Amos wants lead us in the singing of funeral songs, wants us to take "The End" seriously.

Thomas Long discusses how each culture attaches certain rules to specific kinds of literary forms. In one example he places a news report of a stolen clock into a story format and closes the news report "The End." "The end? We resist those two words, saying to ourselves, ‘This cannot be all. There must be more to the story than that.’" Amos speaks of the end of a people, community as they know it. When have you seen Amos’ words in the ending or death of things around you-relationships, neighborhoods, businesses, families, congregations? [1]

The end? How can Amos say this is the end of Israel?

When we take seriously the terror that lies in the word, "end," we see that it is not surprising that Old Testament authors did not use it very often; neither is it surprising that some modern interpreters have tried to read the vision in a less severe way . . . Many organizations (churches included) are kept barely alive, long beyond their natural, useful lifespan, because the remaining members cannot acknowledge that the end does come . . .

This is the most disturbing word Amos could have spoken . . . Each of us will die, whether we can comprehend that now or not. Cherished relationships will end before we are ready to give them up, and will not be renewed no matter what we do. Groups to which we have devoted our energies will just wither away . . .

Yet Scripture speaks of a God who alone transcends those absolutes. God created something new out of the death of the chosen people (Isaiah 43:19). God refused to allow the death of Jesus to be the end of the redeeming work, but through resurrection brought new life to those who believe in him. God also promises us another kind of new life, after our deaths, something we cannot "know" but can only believe . . . Sometimes the word new can be almost as threatening as the word end. Only a fully committed faith in a God who is in charge-of our lives, of history, of the world-makes it possible for us to hear those words without shuddering. [2]

Fruitfulness. Israel has become disconnected from God much as fruit when plucked from their source dies. Amos detects no pulse, no heartbeat in Israel’s relationship with God. Yahweh says that they have become disconnected. Unfruitful. It is critical to be connected to the Source and to live our lives out of that Source.

One Sunday morning as everyone arrived at our church, they were greeted by a huge leafy tree in the narthex. An artist had created an inspiring, life-sized apple tree-but without a single apple on it.

But as worshipers entered the sanctuary, they were given a beautiful and brightly colored paper apple. As the worship service unfolded, the theme of fruitfulness became apparent. The gospel lesson was about the fig tree that did not produce fruit for three years and was judged by the owner of the vineyard to be useless and thus chopped down. Yet, coming into the plot, the vineyard dresser pled for judgment to be spared the tree. "Let me fertilize this tree and give it every opportunity for it to produce luscious fruit. If by next year the little tree has not borne fruit, then let’s axe it."

As part of the "Response to the Word," all the congregants were asked to take their piece of fruit out and to inscribe on the back of it what fruitfulness they wished God to produce in their life in one year’s time.

As worshipers left church that day, several of our worship team stood near the leafy apple tree to attach these fruity "commitments to growth" on the apple tree. The final image of the leafy tree was this gorgeous, fruitful tree - placed in a prominent place in our worship space to remind us that God calls us to repentance and fruitfulness.

_______________________________________________________
[1] Thomas G. Long, Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989), page 17.
[2] The New Interpreter’s Bible VII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), pp. 414-415.