Living In Between

Zechariah 13:1-9
Two verses from today’s Old Testament reading caught my attention. “On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive, but each of them will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth’” (Zechariah 13:4-5). “I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil…” How similar these words are to those of the prophet Amos. “Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”’” (Amos 7:14-15).

In the first case –– in Zechariah –– we are told that in shame false prophets will turn from their deceptive ways and will deny that they were ever engaged in such work. In the second case, however, –– that of Amos –– one who has come to be recognized as a legitimate prophetic voice rejects the title. Oddly, both Amos and the false prophets of Zechariah ultimately point to agriculture as their true occupation. For Amos, this probably meant that he was not a member of the guild of prophets, that he was a true outsider who was doing what God had called him to do. It was a task he could not avoid yet one he accepted reluctantly. The false prophets, however, would be running away from a deceptive past in which they had spoken, not God’s word, but their own, for they had not received a call from the Lord but lived as though they had.

As one who feels called to preach and to serve the church in a particular way, I take each of these stories to heart. On the one hand I know the danger of sharing a “false gospel” based not on the gospel but on what others want to hear. I also wrestle frequently with the heavy expectations that fall on ministers to function with integrity and honesty. Though I am hardly a farmer, there are days when I would welcome the chance to run away and lose myself in a different line of work. At those times I am comforted by Amos’ words and the fact that someone else has come this way before. On other days I find myself swelled by pride and making assumptions that are clearly not correct. Those are the days when I hear the words of Zechariah as a warning against complacency.

No life of faith is easy, no attempt to serve God is without challenges. We all struggle and we all fail from time to time. But somewhere between the false words of pride and self-centeredness and the true words of God’s judgment and grace we find a path to walk that leads us forward in hope. That is the journey we must seek.

Prayer: Almighty God, by your grace may our words be true and our faith be sustained all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Approved

Luke 11:37-52
I love the subtle connections we find throughout scripture. In fact, we have a good example of one today. We know that the author of the gospel of Luke is also the author of Acts, so look at these two passages, one from today’s gospel reading and the other from a familiar account in Acts.

“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs” (Luke 11:47-48).

“Then (Stephen) knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. And Saul approved of their killing him” (Acts 7:60-8:1).

Jesus condemned the lawyers and Pharisees with whom he speaking in the very strongest of terms, going so far as to say they had concurred with the murder of prophets generations before. Based on that passage, then, what are we led to think about the man who would later become one of the greatest evangelists in the history of the Church? When first we see Paul (still called Saul), he is witnessing and approving of the murder of a Christian by a crowd made up of lawyers and Pharisees. (Paul was still a Pharisee at this time, as well.) Are we supposed to like Paul at this point in the story? Are we supposed to expect great things from him as an apostle? Hardly! In fact, Luke would have us understand what a devious and dangerous man Paul really was. And yet, when the time was right even this Pharisee had a role to play in the life of the Christian faith.

Now turn back to the account from Luke. Knowing that Paul will one day find a role in the life of the Church, are we free to assume that those to whom Jesus is speaking are beyond redemption? No! If Paul can be converted, so can anyone. Why? Because the Pharisees and lawyers in Luke’s account are figuratively guilty—they act out their approve of the killing prophets long before. But Paul was literally guilty of aiding and abetting in the murder of Stephen. If Jesus can redeem Paul, Luke tells us, then we must be slow in assuming anyone is beyond the redemptive power of God in Jesus Christ which, by the way, goes for you and me as well.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we sin and help us to live as your people, sharing the good news of our own redemption with the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What Do You See?

Jeremiah 1:11-19

Among the gifts given by God to those called as prophets is an ability to perceive things in a way others cannot. Even before he was called Isaiah saw the Lord sitting in the temple and heard the members of the court of heaven speaking (Isaiah 6:1-5). According to our reading from Jeremiah today, the same gift of perception was given to this prophet as well.

“The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.’ The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, ‘What do you see?’ And I said, ‘I see a boiling pot, tilted away from the north’” (Jeremiah 1:11-13).

Twice God calls on the prophet to take note. “What do you see?” God asks. In the first case Jeremiah sees an almond branch. In the conversation that follows God reveals a pun. The Hebrew word for almond tree is shaqed; God will be “watching” (Hebrew: shoqed) or guiding the divine word to make sure it is achieved. Jeremiah receives this message from the Lord and grasps it’s meaning because of his gift of perception. In the second case Jeremiah sees a boiling pot which is tilted in such a way that it points to the south. As God goes on to reveal, this vision also speaks of events to come. Someone without Jeremiah’s gift of perception might well have missed the meaning, but the prophet comprehends what God is saying.

There are those within the modern community of faith who have the ability to perceive things in unique ways, who can imagine possibilities that would not occur to others. This is not to say they are on a par with the prophets of old, but the church can benefit greatly from their gift. But really, all of us should be challenged by the question, “What do you see?” When we look at a neighborhood do we see opportunities for outreach? When we observe the practices of a congregation do we see ways to make it more open to others, more caring, more accepting? When we take time to note the policies of our state or federal governments do we recognize a greater need for justice? When God asks us, “What do you see?” how do we answer? Jeremiah faithfully shared the word of God as he perceived it. What has God revealed to us, and what will we do with it?

Prayer: Lord give us the willingness to look beyond our own lives and into the world around us, and help to accept the challenges we find there as opportunities to serve you. Amen.

When the Light Shines, Pay Attention

Isaiah 9:2-7 2

Peter 1:12-21

Sometimes a little light can be a bad thing. If you happen to sit near someone who insists on texting in a movie theater, then you know how distracting it can be. A more drastic example comes from World War II. Then cities in Europe went to extreme measures to remain “blacked out” during the night so that enemy bombers would have no point of reference, no matter how small, by which to drop their bombs.

But when it comes to the prophetic word of God, the brighter the better. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;” Isaiah tells us, “those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). This is good news because it represents a turning point in the lives of God’s people. No longer will they be subjected to the doubt and fear of spiritual darkness. For in the days to come the light of God will be shining and joy will abound. The writer of 2 Peter takes it a step further. “So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). In other words, given a choice between a path through the darkness or one illuminated by lamp, the wise will choose the way that is lit. Pay attention to the light, 2 Peter tells us. It is shining for us.

Perhaps another way to understand this is to consider Isaiah’s passage as a promise that we may be tempted to dismiss as wishful thinking or too general to take seriously. But the writer of 2 Peter assures us that the witness of the prophet is accurate. Indeed, we have Peter’s word on it, for he is a witness to what Isaiah was promising. Pay attention to the light, he tells us. It is shining for us, full of life-sustaining power, full of hope, full of joy. Clearly, that is where we need to be looking.

Prayer: Lord, may the light of your word fall upon our path and guide us in our living. In Jesus’ name. Amen.