About Those Prophets... (January 27, 2021)

Our winter sermon series is calling us to hear from three very important prophets who are part of our Hebrew scriptures – Amos, Hosea and Jeremiah. Prophets often get a bad rap. They can be easily written off as either being grumpy and angry, ranting about everything under the sun or they can be seen as fortune tellers predicting the future. Neither of those images does the prophets justice. The prophets were called by God in a particular place at a particular time to prod, poke, pull, call and in some cases yell– all for the purpose of turning God’s children away from powers, possessions, principalities and behaviors which are evil and return to a right relationship with God and others. It has been true throughout history that people can treat other people and peoples horribly – God doesn’t like that and the prophets were his messengers to say so.

The prophet Amos called his people, as he calls us today, Amos 5:24:

“Let justice roll down like waters, and
righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

And as he prompted us in our time, it’s up to us to work out the irrigation system.

God wants justice among people – people who live in communities and cities, people who live in a nation, and people who live on the globe. God also wants righteousness – right relationships among people in their daily living in all places in our society and world. Do we have these things? Of course not. But we are called to work for them. That’s what the prophets and Jesus call us to do.

Michael and I have the opportunity to preach, teach and encourage these truths – our primary ministry is theological activity. Our task is to hold before our Neighborhood Church community of faith the story that determines its existence and makes it possible, not for us as pastors to be prophetic, but for the community to fulfill its calling from God. And that calling clearly includes the message of the Old Testament prophets.

I love what Ernie Campbell, past Senior Minister of Riverside Church in NYC,

“Some people have the idea that if you
raise hell, you’re prophetic.  I have the
idea that if you lower heaven, you’re prophetic.”

I hope you’ll join us for worship this coming weekend as we hear from the prophet Hosea.

Until then…let the waters flow…

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister