Sunday 4 Ordinary C

Image: Tissot, James, 1886-1894
Brow of the Hill Near Nazareth
from Art in the Christian Tradition,
a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

January 10, 2016
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To be God’s prophet is a thankless job and one that can be downright dangerous.

To be God’s prophet requires a daring that will speak or write the word of truth to those who would rather lie, dissemble, deny or otherwise ignore that truth.

To serve as prophet demands that the servant of God promote justice among the unjust at any cost.

Plainly put, to be a prophet for God in this world is to be a “party-pooper” par excellence because the prophet must be willing to bear an unpopular and often unwanted message to an un-welcoming and unyielding audience at moments and on occasions that usually seem most inopportune.

Jeremiah, whose call is described in today’s first reading, was such a prophet.

Paul, who celebrates the virtue of love in today’s second reading, also served bravely and admirably in this regard.

But the prophet from whom all others take their lead and inspiration is Jesus, featured in today’s gospel.

Within moments of inaugurating his public ministry by reading from an Isaian text (61:1-2; 58:6) that he then embraced as his own prophetic agenda, Jesus receives mixed reviews.

Some are impressed and marvel at is words; others claim a familiarity that diminishes Jesus’ significance in their eyes.

Suddenly, the situation escalates and Jesus becomes the object of indignation that quickly turns to hostility.

His own people attempt to kill him so as to silence him just as the voices and messages of so many prophets had been silenced in the past.

Given the rigors that inevitably accrue to the life of a prophet, why would anyone accept such a calling?

Yet, if we are to read today’s texts with the openness and responsiveness they invite, each of us must come to the realization that, rigors or not, we too are called to be God’s voice, God’s prophets in our world.

Along with Jesus, Jeremiah, Paul and so many other voices, our voice also must speak God’s truth, God’s justice, God’s goodness into the ears and hearts of all those whom God would have us serve as beloved brothers and sisters.

But where shall we find the courage or even the desire to speak? To serve? To love?

: “Do not fear or lose heart … for the battle is not yours but God’s … take your places, stand firm and see how the Lord will be with you.”

Similar assurances were extended to Jesus, Jeremiah and Paul; similar assurances of God’s presence are also extended to each of us who are called to the daunting service of the Word.

we do not have to struggle to find answers to all our problems and/or challenges.

In fact, says Cloniger, the opposite is true.

Our part in the crisis that is prophetic service is: to surrender our will and ourselves to God in prayer; to keep our eyes fixed on God, to stand still and listen to God; to choose not to be fearful or discouraged or defeated; to show up and see what God will do.

Notice that the part we are to play in the process is not aggressive; nor does all depend upon or center upon ourselves.

We are not the hero of the story.

Rather, we are called to watch, to wait, to listen for God’s voice and to trust in God to act in us and through us.

This trusting surrender does not, however, give us permission to take to our beds and pull the covers over our heads.

On the contrary, we get up, we show up, we stand up, we look up, we listen up and we follow up so as to be active participants in God’s plan.

In this way, even the difficult and seemingly overwhelming task of being God’s voice and speaking God’s truth, God’s justice, God’s peace and God’s loving purposes in our world can be realized.