Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 3-118

PROPHETS ARE NEEDED TODAY, TOO!

From ‘Sunrise Sunset’ (HarperCollins/Harper San Francisco), Rowland Croucher’s book of daily meditations. Feel free to use or adapt it.

I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Acts 2:17.

Prophets and prophecy are mentioned ten times in Acts 1-5.

Prophets have occupied a central place in the history of God’s people. Prophecy is a particular word inspired by God, given to a particular person or group, at a particular moment, for a particular purpose. Pastors comfort the disturbed, prophets disturb the comfortable! Prophets listen to God and tell us what they hear. They are ‘seers’, seeing beyond the superficiality of things into the deep realities of our existence.

Prophets couldn’t care a fig for the illusions and myths of institutions. So those who derive their personhood or status from institutions are always threatened by prophets – which is why prophets were crucified in ancient times and left off the agenda in ours!

C S Lewis said about Satan that we can fall into two opposite errors – disbelieving the devil’s existence or putting him centre- stage. So with prophets. They head the New Testament lists of spiritual gifts to the church (can your church name its prophet/s?), but we mustn’t canonise their utterances as a 67th book of the Bible! Of course, false prophets are still with us (most of the quasi-Christian cults are formed by them) but so are authentic prophets.

Prophets were not popular with important people, Lord. If I am called to listen to your voice, to see into your mysteries, may I too prefer your truth every time over the applause of ‘the establishment’. Amen.

Shalom! Rowland Croucher http://jmm.aaa.net.au