 The first reading comes to us this morning from Amos, chapter 7, verses 7 through 15. Amos is not the kind of prophet attached to temples or royal courts. Rather, he is an ordinary farmer from Judah, the southern kingdom, called by God to speak to Israel, the northern kingdom. God's word of judgment through Amos conflicts with the king's court prophet, Amaziah, whom Amos encounters at Bethel. And so we read.