Amos 7:7-17

Confrontation

Most pastors don’t care for confrontation. Maybe, that could be said for most people. There are the rare few of us who thrive on the tension and drama that comes with a direct standoff, folks made for the Wild West, for showdowns at high noon. While there may be the occasional glutton for a face off, I know few people who appreciate those who antagonize and condemn their very way of life, of devotion and practice.

Like scolding parents, we all have parishioners within our communities who are quick to give us an earful, to lecture us on the way in which we are failing without giving us much affirmation or at the least, a lesson on how we might turn things around and succeed. I imagine the majority of us lovingly tolerate these…