A Task Too Difficult

Ezekiel 2:1-5  

Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan

Let’s go over the history. After conquering the Promised Land, the Hebrew people split into two groups – Israel and Judah. Because the Middle East always seems primed for conflict, eventually Israel is conquered by the Empire of Assyria. Then Babylon and Egypt go to war, and Judah becomes a vassal for Babylon, resulting in the leaders being hauled into exile. Ten years later, in 587 BCE, Jerusalem falls; more exiles are sent off. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar has Jerusalem ravaged; the Temple is plundered and left a smoking rubble. Judah is no longer able to identify as people of the Promise Land protected by LORD Yahweh. Everyone must face that they will never be who they were before. In fact, they could disappear as a people, as the northern realm of Israel had. So, where is Yahweh? Does God even have power to find them in Babylon? If God’s Temple can be razed to the ground, Yahweh doesn’t seem powerful enough to do anything for people dragged into exile. How can the Judeans retain their religious faith?

Then five years into exile LORD Yahweh appears to a common priest, Ezekiel, a nobody, calling him to be a prophet. Speak for God to God’s people. Imagine the shock. Five years of being pretty sure Yahweh has been hogtied by Babylonian gods. The Hebrew priests have had nothing to do since the Temple has been destroyed; and the Hebrew people end up wondering if Babylonian gods may have something to offer them. Then suddenly, Ezekiel sees heaven rip open to reveal LORD Yahweh! A terrifying vision of creatures, wheels, a throne, and fire! Ezekiel realizes this is the appearance of the Glory of LORD Yahweh. (1:28) The very presence of God! Ezekiel, no surprise, falls to the ground, face in the dirt. From the 2nd chapter of the book of the prophet Ezekiel, listen for the word of God.    

He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

Feeling powerless leads to despair. When things seem bad with no possibility of fixing them, despair takes over the best of us. So, Judah’s feeling of hopelessness makes perfect sense. Their little tribe is all that is left of the 12 tribes of Israel. All leaders and power people of Judah as well as the intelligentsia have been in exile in Babylon for 5 years with no glimmer of hope for release. Years earlier, Judah listened to reports of Israel’s capture and eradication as a nation. There is no more Northern Kingdom of Israel. The only part of the whole Hebrew people remaining is the little area of Judah, but even they are conquered and in exile, threatened with extinction themselves. Exiles know everything familiar back home has been flattened. Priests trapped in Babylon have nowhere to serve LORD Yahweh. In fact, for 5 years there has been no indication that LORD Yahweh even knows where these exiled people are. Who wouldn’t be absolutely demoralized?

People today, 2700 years later, are worried about their future, too. Some may feel exiled; others just feel like they have no control over anything. They complain the Supreme Court, the President, and Congress, as well as local government officials pay no attention to the will of the majority of people in the US. The widespread practice of abandoning civility, the tendency to speak horribly about people, and then to make up whatever lies seem most damaging to one’s opponents are common all over society now. Anger and frustration are running rampant. The majority of people seem demoralized when thinking about the future; they have no idea how to make things better. For many, life feels completely out of control. No matter what century a person lives in, if they feel powerless, they are heading toward despair.

Nevertheless, we believe God is still speaking. Especially in the midst of terrible circumstances, God puts a holy word within prophets. Certainly God is speaking all the time, trying to get our attention, always offering guidance and hope. But somehow when things are terrible, God seems to speak louder. Perhaps God doesn’t actually speak louder in a crisis; perhaps we just are more open to listening. Or maybe God’s prophets speak with more urgency during a crisis. President Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”[1]

We are most likely to listen when all seems completely lost. As long as there is any hope, many are less likely to listen to God. As things get rougher, we may hear a little better. But when all hell is threatening, then we get seriously interested in what God has to say. With our backs against the wall, we are often most open to hearing what God was saying all along. Which may be why people are suddenly listening now, hoping God puts someone among us with a holy word.

So, I think God has called Bishop William Barber to be a prophet among us. In preparation for last week’s Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, God called Rev. Barber to tell people that half of America’s children are living in poverty. God called him to tell us that 800 people a day are dying from poverty, not because they are lazy but because a person cannot live a healthful life on our current minimum wage. But God’s prophet also brings a word of hope. He promises poor and low wage workers have power. If 20% of poor people who didn’t vote in the last election, vote in the next one, they can swing their state. When we look around our society and realize we do not want the future we see on the horizon, then it’s time to listen, because God is still calling prophets to speak.

So, we must speak. Regardless of whether people will listen, we must speak. We are not just called to listen to prophets; we are called to be prophets. God expects the church to be prophetic, because in case we didn’t notice, the world is in trouble. We need holy truth. In these 5 little verses, God is reported to have said twice to dumbfounded Ezekiel, “I myself am sending you.” The One who brought them out of Egyptian enslavement; the One who provided sustenance in the wilderness; the One who brought them safely into the Promise Land; God’s own self is sending Ezekiel. God acknowledges that Israel has a history of not listening to divine words, so Ezekiel should know God’s words are true, whether or not the people listen. His success is not assured, but Ezekiel is assured that prophets speak for God, so the message is true. And the Holy Spirit fills the prophet.

Vernon Johns was a prophetic preacher (radical may be a better term). Back in the early 1950’s he pastored the upscale, Black church, Dexter Avenue, in Montgomery, Alabama. Those proper church folk were shocked when Rev. Johns, wearing overalls, grew a parsonage vegetable garden, then peddled produce around town. In addition, he bluntly criticized the pride and faithlessness of the congregation. He spoke prophetic words, trying to shake people out of their complacency; wanting them to stand up against segregation laws, and get serious about following Jesus. No surprise, he was fired in 1952. But his message was still true. There had been a prophet among the people, but they didn’t recognize him. So when Vernon Johns left Dexter Avenue, the people were ready to call a more refined young minister, from a preacher family, with a Northern Ph.D. – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps Rev. Johns’ most important prophetic task was to clear a path for Dr. King, to help Dr. King seem more acceptable, and to assure Dr. King’s prophetic words contain ideas the people had heard before.

So, we rightly ask ourselves, what prophetic message is God putting in our mouth? St. Andrew is being given a prophetic message, if we are listening. When God speaks to us, don’t we know some of the message already? Like, we know that God believes every person is precious. So how can St. Andrew share that message? Well, at least we should each live witnessing to the belief that each person matters. Our sign on Beneva Road will continue to testify to the value of every person; our website and Facebook pages will celebrate equality; our monthly missions will focus on assisting those Jesus called “the least;” and we will continue to be present at Pride events, at anti-racism gatherings, and anyplace else where a witness for justice is being made.

But individually, we are called to be prophetic, which we can do in regular conversation. We don’t have to advertise St. Andrew; just be prepared to speak: “I find that joke offensive.” “I believe women have a right to make their own decisions about their own bodies.” “A $15 minimum wage is just.” “Children in our county shouldn’t be hungry just because school is out.” Can’t you just hear God saying to you, “Whether they hear or refuse to hear, they shall know there has been a prophet among them.”? Is this too difficult? I bet not.

[1] Abraham Lincoln, quoted in Chalice Hymnal, 563.