We Need More Disturbing People
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
September 10, 2023
Welcome Friends to Light Reflections. This Sunday at the Meeting is Kick-Off Sunday. The text I have chosen for today is Joel 2:28-29a from the Voice translation.
Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
Your elders will dream dreams;
your young warriors will see visions.
No one will be left out.
Being that it is Kick Off Sunday, I usually begin this season with a new sermon series. Since throughout most of the summer, VBS, and even at Annual Sessions we looked at Light and Darkness, I felt I wanted to go in a completely different direction to start us off this Fall. And the subject I have decided to teach on, may come as a surprise to some of you. Most churches today, especially Friends, avoid discussing it or pass right over it. And honestly, I would have followed suit.
That is until last year about this time, I was contacted by my friend and former Professor Emeritus of Religion and Biblical Studies at George Fox University, Howard Macy. I consider Howard a “Weighty Friend” who has spoken great wisdom in my life during some tumultuous times. On occasion we still talk over Facebook messenger or by email, but this time he was reaching out to me to read and possibly endorse he latest book. Without hesitation I told him to send it my way, and I would immediately read it. When it arrived in my inbox, I quickly opened it and found a very brief little book of only 6 chapters/essays and an introduction.
I have said on many occasions, that it seems that as the people I find the most wise and profound in my life continue to hone their thoughts, their books get smaller and more concise. If you don’t believe me look at the size of Richard Rohr, Parker Palmer, or even Phil Gulley’s books – they have become smaller over time but almost pack a bigger punch.
The book that Howard sent me fit this description. At only 75 pages, I read it one setting, yet stopped multiple times to reflect, pause, and even ponder what all was being said. This little book opened my eyes to something I had not seen before in the pages of scripture. Thus, when I went to write my endorsement of the book, I said the following:
“I cannot recall the last time I preached on the biblical prophets, but that is going to change. Howard Macy has reintroduced his readers to these neglected characters and revived their messages for our times. More than ever we need “disturbing people” willing to guide and challenge us in the way of righteousness, justice, love, and truth. Throughout this book, you will find a renewed call to pick up this prophetic mantle and bring peace and hope to our world.”
So, this Kick Off Sunday we are going to take another (or maybe your first) look into the biblical Prophets – not individually, but more as a group. Think of it as Howard says, “looking at a family photo rather than individual portraits.” And as with most of my sermons, we are not going to nail down all the answers, or tie up loose ends, this series is to help give us new insights, as well as whet our appetites for more as we personally ponder and study throughout the weeks ahead.
This morning, I want to follow Howard’s advice and give a brief overview or refresher of the prophets, so we are starting on a hopefully similar page.
Just hearing the topic, some of you may already be considering checking out right now, the idea of the prophets may seem to you irrelevant or even boring. I thought the same, but had to believe that my friend, Howard, had in all his wisdom seen something more (and I believe he has). So, I hope you will join me as we explore how to befriend the prophets again in 2023.
Let’s start with a brief overview from Howard.
A common short description says, “The prophets spoke to the people for God and to God for the people.” It simply captures the basics. Another common way of speaking of the prophets is to note that, in Israel, there were three offices: prophet, priest, and king. This honors the reality that prophets played a significant role, though it neglects the fact that it isn’t an official role, unlike those of the royal and priestly families. Prophets were only appointed by God.
Of the several metaphors people use to speak of the role of prophet, I find the idea of “ambassador” compelling. An ambassador represents a particular government and is authorized to speak on behalf of that government. In a sense, prophets are ambassadors of God’s government, God’s realm, which is much broader than simply the people of Israel and their kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The Israelites understood that God’s sovereignty extends over all the earth, over all of creation. So, the prophets come as ambassadors from that realm, speaking with the authority of the sovereign. For the prophets, being in between God and the people they belonged to and loved was often awkward and sometimes painful, especially if the message they had to deliver was harsh.
Christian history defines two groups of prophets that are seen in the Hebrew scriptures – there is the former or early prophets starting with the prophet Samuel. And yes, there were other prophets before Samuel like Abraham, Moses, Miriam, and Deborah, but most historians separate them from this category. The Early Prophets refer to those between 1000 to 800 BCE. This would also include familiar characters like Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha. Most of their stories can be found in the Hebrew books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.
What are labeled the Latter Prophets are those after 800 BCE. You would find their writing in the books Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and several others.
As Howard states,
For the purposes of our family photo of prophets here, we will treat the prophets as very much alike over the centuries. They share similarities in their interactions with kings and queens, their messages to the people, their calls, and their common themes.
If there is one word that has been used to describe modern-day prophets, it must be the word – DISTURBER. You cannot think of names like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Galileo, Charles Darwin, Mohammed Ali, John Lennon, Greta Thunberg, and so many more who challenged the status quo without utilizing the word, disturber. Even Martin Luther King Jr. was given the title “The Peaceful Disturber” during and after the Civil Rights Movement.
Rabbi philosopher, Abraham Joshua Heschel called the Hebrew prophets “some of the most disturbing people who have ever lived.” They are in a similar category to those names I just read off. Yet too often when we think of “disturbing people” our first response is to avoid them – probably because they are actually not disturbing us, but rather challenging us, making us feel uncomfortable, or maybe even deep-down a bit guilty.
I agree with Howard that the world needs more disturbing people. People who can envision the wonders of life together that God intends for us. People who can see through and call out the ways we corrupt that life. And people who can teach us how to walk in God’s ways. That is who the prophets in the scriptures were. And as we begin to get to know them better, just maybe like many of our Quaker ancestors, we too will take up their mantle and become like them.
Yet, before we get to the point of befriending the prophets, let’s take a moment to talk about some of the obstacles which arise in getting to truly know them. Howard points out several obstacles that I just want to hit on briefly.
1. Their Role and Character: Often people think the prophets were eccentric cranks totally obsessed with the end of the world. OK, I admit, sometimes the prophets can seem a bit weird, but remember they were ordinary people like you and me – and let’s be honest, we can be kinda weird at times, too, correct?
Howard gives us a slightly different definition and it is much more relatable:
“A prophet is a visible sign and enduring witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.”
Just take some of the “disturber” names I listed before and put them in his definition. For example: Martin Luther King Jr. was a visible witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.
Friends, each one of us, with that of God within us, can live into that description. Eric, Mary, Wolff, Abby, Ed, Lisa, Corrine, Larry…Fill your name in here… is a visible witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.
2. Unfriendly Translations: One of the biggest obstacles to understanding the prophets have been the translation of the scriptures we have been reading. Many traditional translations draw us by their beautiful phrasing BUT block us from the true or deeper meaning.
For example, many love the King James Version for its lyrical beauty, but a more modern translation that uses current phrases that we would utilize today are much more helpful in understanding deeper meaning. This is exactly why I will often utilize The Message, The Voice or some other modern translation within my teachings.
3. Miss their point: Most of what the prophets were saying were said to people of a specific time and place nearly 2500 years ago. That means you and I are going to need some background to get their point.
Sadly many, simply have distorted their words to fit their theologies or desired outcomes – which have led to dangerous conclusions that many of us have been hurt and abused by in other faith communities.
4. Poetry vs. Prose: As with differing translations, we also need to understand that most of the prophets’ words were written in poetry rather than prose. Often the lines come off as brief, sometimes even graphic and upsetting, causing us to have quick reactions.
I like what Howard suggests for us to do when reading the poetry of the Prophets. He says,
“…you have to listen patiently, soak in it, let it soak into you. Let the images live and the word plays do their job. Slow down and listen.”
5. Misleading Expectations: In the scriptures, God sent prophets to particular people in specific circumstances to give words of guidance, hope, warning, or correction. And we should believe that those people in their context would understand what they were saying.
Too many people today, think that what the prophets said were filled with codes and with baffling lingo that people throughout the ages have had to decipher or unpack.
Let’s be honest, this is what sells Left Behind, End Times, Bible Coding, and Rapture books, and creates followings…but this was never the intent. It is all due to seeking out…
6. Hidden Meanings: Howard says,
“Trying to tease out hidden meanings, mostly to serve our curiosity and need to control, generally obscures what the prophets have to say while we are looking for the things they don’t say. The clear witness and major themes of the prophets, if we receive them, will challenge us to live today as fully as they did the original hearers.”
And finally,
7. Unapproachable: We love to put people today on a pedestal (and we then love to take shots at them to knock them off). We kinda have done that with the prophets as well. In Christianity, we use a variety of different words to describe these people – when I was an Anglican, we went more along with the Roman Catholics and called them Saints. Many Evangelicals and Protestants simply call them prophets but hold them almost to a saintly state. And even within Quakerism, we often talk about Mystics attaining a level that is almost other-worldly.
In each case, overtime, people have given these saints, prophets, and mystics an almost superhuman quality that after a while removes us from relating to them. I immediately think of the many myths of Francis of Assisi, or the power of Billy Graham, and even though I love our own Quaker mystics, I have heard people talk of Elton Trueblood in this manner.
Friends, please hear me on this, each saint, prophet, or mystic, was first and foremost – JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. If anything, these people we admire, listen to, and follow, should as Howard says, “…remind me of how faithfully all of us can actually live ordinary life a day at a time.
And that brings me to my final point as we wrap up this first sermon. There is this interesting thread running through the scriptures that Howard points out. Moses in his prophetic role, pushes back on Joshua saying, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them.” Later, the prophet Joel exclaims God’s promise (and our scripture for today):
Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
Your elders will dream dreams;
your young warriors will see visions.
No one will be left out.
Multiple times in scripture, the disciple Peter exclaims that the Spirit of God was poured out on the people he was speaking to and even on occasion to the Gentiles and it says they all began to prophecy.
The Apostle Paul even includes prophecy as one of the gifts that he hopes will be poured out and available to all people.
So, what does this mean? Well Howard closes with this…
“They [these prophets] hold out the prospect that, individually and in community, we can all share the identity and the witness of the prophets, which is another reason to come alongside them. I know well that many folks resist taking for themselves the title “prophet” and shy away from regarding themselves as a prophet. I share that reluctance. But despite that, as the Spirit calls us out and empowers us, all of us can be visible signs and enduring witnesses to God among us. We can point to God’s steady presence and how the extravagant love of God pursues us. We can call people to join in the ongoing longing and work for renewal and healing restoration. We can invite folks to know God intimately and to embrace what God delights in – compassion, justice, and right living. We can join the prophets in being disturbing and helpful people for the love of God.”
So, are you ready to join the prophets over the next few weeks and learn from them how to be disturbing but helpful people for the love of God in our world?
As we ponder that, let us enter waiting worship this morning. I also have a couple more queries that may help you center down and focus during this time of expectant waiting.
1. What have been my perceptions of the biblical prophets? Have they been positive, negative, or neutral, and why?
2. Who have been disturbers in my life? What have I learned from them?
3. How am I a visible sign and enduring witness to God among us?