Before I Heard the Prophet

My life was much easier before I listened to prophets.

Let’s be clear on what a prophet is. They don’t tell the future. Those are fortune-tellers, and I don’t believe in those.

Prophets and the word prophesy get confused with telling the future. Prophets are future oriented. Prophets for me are those who are reading the signs and saying, “Hey! If we keep behaving this way, this is what’s going to happen.”

For example, one of the most misunderstood passages of all time comes from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: A young woman will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Many folks, include the Gospel of Matthew, say this verse points right to Jesus. Sure! I’ll go with that. But that’s not the only thing it points to. When read in context with the rest of the chapter, here’s what it means.

There are these two bad kings harassing Israel. Yet the prophet says to endure. That’s what our faith does, it helps us endure. It does not help us escape. Faith gets us through. The Prophet is reading the signs and says, “Here’s what you can look for: A young woman will give birth somewhere. And by the time that kid is on solid food, these two bad kings will be out of our lives. So hang on a bit longer.”

That’s the Pastor Luke paraphrase. The Prophet Isaiah is reading the signs that others aren’t picking up on. Prophets see things most of us want to ignore.

I get that. My life was much easier before I listened to prophets. There are a million reasons not to listen to prophets. We’d have to change. We don’t like change. We would have to admit that how we were living was wrong on some level. We don’t like admitting we’re wrong. As much as we don’t like prophets, we need them.

And so the prophet John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins… And this was his message, “After me comes the one more powerful than I…”

John knows just who he is. He’s not the messiah. He’s the voice in the wilderness. He is not the way, he is pointing to the way. Pastor Rich Villodas recently tweeted, “John is one of my favorite people in scripture. He knew who he wasn’t (I am not the Messiah) & he knew who he was (I am a voice in the wilderness). Every day I need to get clear in my soul who I am & who I am not. Otherwise, I find myself living a life God never called me to.”[1]

The life God calls us to and that John is pointing to is about repentance. That misused, guilt-inducing word. Yet the word “repentance”[2] means to “Think differently afterwards.”

As Maya Angelou stated and I have great faith in, “When we know better, we do better.” Although, I promise you that your life will be much easier if you don’t listen to prophets.

They have harsh words. They point out sin. They ask us to change our ways. How we live. They want us to think differently afterwards. Before I heard the prophet, I could pretend, deny, and ignore the plight of my neighbor. After I heard the prophet, I had to think differently. To realize I had the story wrong. Or I knew only part of it. I had to realize who I am and who I am not.

John comes and points the way. He is a voice calling in the wilderness. “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”

Does God really need straight paths? No. I don’t think so. It is we who need them. We need to make the paths straight for one another. If we’re in the ditch, we need help getting out of there. Whether it’s a literal ditch or metaphorical one, we in the low places need to be raised. Reminded of our humanity. That we are made in the image of God. If we’re in the high place, we need reminders to come down, humble ourselves, give of our time, talent, and treasure to help those in the ditch.

Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. When I was in 5th grade we had a big competition between each class for a food collection at Christmas. Our parish was going to deliver food baskets, and the class that collected the most would be given a pizza party. Look. I think the secret to ending poverty in this country is to throw pizza parties for elementary schools that collect food. Our school generated so much food! I remember the entire stage in the cafeteria being completely covered, with food spilling out into the room. It was everywhere.

I don’t remember if my class won or not. Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t. I do remember on the first day of Christmas break hearing a knock on the door. I opened it up and there as a man holding one of those baskets my sister and I donated to. I was floored!

“Mom…? Are we..? Are we poor?” I asked.

We had a rough year. We needed the help. I was shocked at the realization. I think my sister and I cried. My heart is for the poor. Part of my call is to make the paths straight. I know what it’s like to be down there. I know what it’s like to fall into a good job and become callous about the needs of others. To forget those who helped me get to a good job, and act like I am self-made.

No one is self-made. Each of us are made in the image of God. I don’t want to belittle hard work or gumption, I am a huge fan of those things. But I do need a reminder of who I am and who I am not.

Our work as the church is to help pull folks up. Yet we also need to study what factors contribute to folks falling down in the first place.

It’s a hard thing. Paul writes that the Truth will set us free. But first it will hurt like hell. We’ll want to deny, ignore, or down-play. The prophets call us to repent. To think differently about how we’re living. To admit we’re wrong. To go and sin no more.

It’s hard, but we can do this. We are one of the most adaptable species on the planet. When we know better, we do better. Once we realize who we are, and who we aren’t, we can rightly change to live the life God is calling us to live.

“It is not our job to finish the work, but we can’t abandon it either.” So said Rabbi Tarfon so long ago.[3] We must listen to the prophets. To make the paths straight. To lift one another up, to keep each other humble. And over time, it will be better for our children’s children. That change over time is how the kingdom of God creeps closer. Each generation repenting, changing, adapting, making the ways straight. That change over time, well… It’s evolution, baby!

It’s nothing to be afraid of. Prophets point the way we ought to go. Listen to the prophets! You’ll find that your life is much easier after.

Wait, what?! I have been lying to you all this time. I have said “My life was much easier before I listened to prophets.” But it wasn’t. The anxiety I felt trying to guard my worldview and keep it safe. I had to listen to certain news outlets, the rest were fake or biased. I had a curated list of who I could listen to, and who was unapproved. The guilt I carried. The hardness of heart I had toward my neighbor. These things are not good for your soul. That’s not good for your social life. It’s not good for the common good.

I’m trying to repent of my past behavior. You may find yourself feeling shameful or regretful about past behavior—I know I do, sometimes. Then I remember the words of the prophet. And I remember who I am. And who I am not. I am a child of God here to welcome, love and serve other children of God.

As my friend the Rev. Jon Komperda wrote, “in a year in which Hope has been…difficult to see.
Hope is unseen because it hides,

Behind dirty mangers,

Among scandalous parents,

In ordinary broken bread,

Between dying thieves and rebels,

On a cross.

Hope is unseen because it hides,

Behind rundown neighborhoods,

Among criminals and refugees,

In dirty apartments,

Between dying addicts and martyrs,

On death row.”

Hope is in the bleak words of a prophet,

And the promise of spring in repentance.
In cans collected and delivered.
In reminders of who we are… and who we are not.
Thanks be to God. Amen!

Works Cited

[1][1] @richvillodas, 12/6/20 at 9:37 p.m.

[2] The Greek word is “metanoia” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(theology)

[3] Pirkei Avot 2:21. Pirkei Avot translates to “Chapters of the Fathers” and it is part of didactic Jewish ethical teachings. Rabbi Tarfon lived between 70 CE and 135 CE.

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