The Sunday Sermon: August 28, 2022 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture: Luke 4:14-21
Be a Prophet
Last week we were Priests. I hope that continued for you beyond our hour together on Sunday morning. Priests to and for the Community we are called to in our lives as disciples. Numbers one through five on the bulletin insert from last week that is once again an insert this week. Proclaiming the Good News, bearing the burdens of others, being a part of something bigger than yourselves, building up the community by taking on responsibilities that cost us something: time, talents, and money (or tithes, if that makes you feel less nervous!).
Last week we were priests.
This morning we seek to be prophets. That sounds more daunting doesn’t it? Maybe more so than being a priest. “Priest” sounds professional, comfortable, structured and safe. But what do we know of prophets? Wild haired, loud, doom-saying honey and locust eaters. Why would we want to be a prophet? Well … because we’re called to be.
Listen for the Word of God … Read Luke 4:14-21 … The Word of the Lord …
Jesus was a prophet and we don’t picture him in the way I just described. Still … prophets make us nervous. I’ve realized this past week that there is one thing, at least, that makes us more nervous than talking about our “priestly roles” as a member of this church, talking about how much time we do, or don’t, spend taking care of one another, coming to worship and study, and giving our money for the upkeep of what we have here. That one thing, at least, is our call to be prophets in and for the world outside of these walls and beyond this campus. Priests tend their own gardens. Prophets get their hands dirty in other’s gardens. They don’t seem to go together.
In fact, it has been written: “The Prophet is the constitutional enemy of the Priest and priestly religion. (A Prophet is) the scorner of sacrifice and ritual doings … (The Prophet is) a voice of doubt about the doctrines and the literature which shelters the priest.” (Walter Rauschenbusch). But the reality for us is, our one list (lift it up) – which is hardly exhaustive – includes the roles of both priest and prophet.
Into our service to the church through budgets and pledging, preparing and studying, providing and caring, maintaining and ensuring – into all we do as priests, the voice of the Prophet should also sounds in our hearts, and be voiced on our lips. It’s a fascinating relationship. One is the “constitutional enemy” of the other. And yet … we are called by God in Christ to be both … Priest and Prophet. Jesus does it: Maintains the community that is the church and calls forth “newness” and “possibility” within it and – and here’s the genuine challenge – beyond it, in the world. We, too, are called to “challenge” the status quo and “change” the status quo whenever and wherever the radically inclusive love of God is being limited because of it.
How do we do that? Lets’ start here .. again. Take out your bulletin insert, if you haven’t already.
Number six: Demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the church. What does that mean to you? Why is that a requirement? How is that a “prophetic role”? This is evangelizing without words, I think. I use that little quip a lot – preach always and use words when necessary. But here it is in the word “demonstrate.” Live fully, love wastefully, have the courage to be all you were created to be. In a world that tries to keep us from doing any of those things, this is something “new.” And those around you will “see” your prophesy. Demonstrate a new quality of life because you are Christian.
Number seven: Respond to God’s activity in the world through service to others. Yes … mission work – do this in sandwich making, home building, food collecting, and laundry washing ways. But also do it through in smile giving, hand holding, door opening, merge allowing ways! And we should definitely note that this prophetic role is not telling us to “bring” God’s activity into the world. It’s telling us to “respond to God’s activity in the world.” Jesus said, “The Kin-dom of God is here already.” We’re called to get with the program.
Living responsibly in the personal, family, vocational, political, cultural, and social relationships of life. Number eight. That’s pretty thorough. Can anyone think of any other “relationships in life” than those listed? Hard pressed. How is living responsibly in every sphere of our lives prophetic? Because if we’re truly living responsibly, we’re engaging, enabling, and empowering the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed, as Jesus announced he was, or would be, in our reading. Groups of men and women, young and old, in our own families and far beyond who are being silenced and marginalized for the comfort and convenience of others, perhaps for ourselves, need to be heard and listened to and their plight shared. Our role as a prophet expands. We listen before we speak.
Working in the world for peace, justice, freedom and human fulfillment ... There are few other more critical engagements for the prophet in this world than these. And few other ways that will get you in hotter water as a prophet than these. The one we follow was ostracized by his own faith community, crucified by the Empire and deserted by his best friends for working in the world in this way. But there it is. Go and do likewise. We spend most of our Sunday morning’s together learning more about this role and its place in our lives than any other, I believe. It binds us. It divide us. It challenges us. And it consumes us.
Maybe it’s nice, then, that we end our short list this morning with a this final prophet-role on our list: Caring for God’s creation. That’s easier, isn’t it? What does God create? What does “Love” create? Everything true, everything honorable, all that is just and pure and pleasing. Whatever is commendable and worthy of praise … Be a prophet. Be a priest. Care for it.
It’s a fascinating life we are called to as children of God, disciples of Christ, members of the Church. Everything else in our world calls us to be comfortable and happy with what we’ve created, with what we’ve worked so hard for, with the relationships we’ve established and the people we’ve invested in. I’d be willing to bet that there is nothing and no other place in your whole life, other than your faith and your church, calling you to not be comfortable with the way things are and to not be content with what you’ve established, but to always look to do more for more people and for the world. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be happy and feel good about who we are and what we’ve done and are doing, but our discipleship calls us to keep seeking more, to keep expecting more, to keep realizing the Kin-dom of God on earth until it’s fully on earth, which we know … we know … will not happen in our lifetime. It’s what Jesus did, knowing what he knew – that what he was attempting to do would not be finished in his own life. That’s why he called us. We are his disciples, his followers, his feet and hands and heart in the world today.
Our reading this morning is part of a larger sequence of events. Our reading is preceded by Luke’s brief story of Jesus’ baptism and the longer account of his temptation in the wilderness. In our reading, Luke tells us of the Holy Spirit’s involvement in the life of Jesus as he steps into his own public ministry, his own “discipleship.” And in his second volume, Luke tells us in the early chapter of the book of Acts that the Holy Spirit came upon the first “believers” and launched the church. All three episodes are Holy Spirit stories. Being baptized and saying “no” to false options in the form of temptations is a Spirit moment. Embracing the priestly and prophetic roles that are required of us as disciples of Christ is a Spirit story. Creating and re-creating the Body of Christ, the church, is a Spirit story.
“Filled with the power of the Spirit” Jesus began to teach: Give up, give away, give out, go out, go beyond what is and create what must be: The Kin-dom of God … on earth. Be a priest. Be a prophet. Be both.
“The (energy and drive) of the Spirit is the only thing the early church had going for it (in the beginning). It had no buildings, no budget, no paid staff, (no campus), and very few members.”[1] It had, in other words, very few “priestly duties.” Not so today … In fact the opposite situation may face us: we have buildings, a budget, paid staff, a campus, and more than a few “members.” I spend much of my own time worrying about finances, figuring out property needs, balancing staff concerns and configurations, and teaching the tradition. And all of that is essential for a healthy community. But do I have the prophetic power of the Spirit? Do we have the prophetic power of the Spirit that is equally essential to the survival of this experiment called “the Church”? Do we have the time, the energy, the prophetic faith that calls us to keep seeking more, to keep expecting more, to keep realizing more fully the Kin-dom of God on earth until it’s fully on earth We must. It’s right here (in the list).
This community has done a wonderful, and necessary, job as Priests in Pewee Valley – from business to budgets to buildings. It has done a wonderful job as prophets, calling in newness and imagining “what can be, what is, next.” It must have done – we’re one hundred and fifty six years old and going strong. But the past one hundred and fifty six years, beautiful as they were, are yesterday. “Today,” Jesus says. “Today the scripture must be fulfilled.”
The challenge of our discipleship is to be both Priest and Prophet for the Kin-dom of God. May it continue. May it begin … again … today.
Amen.
Reverend Joel Weible, Pastor
Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church / August 28, 2022
[1] Feasting on the Word, year C, volume 1. 286.