In a real sense John was the last Hebrew Scriptural Prophet. His proclamation was a classic call for repentance. We remember him today for several reasons: his willingness to stand in the prophetic tradition and cry justice to power; his affirmation of Hebrew Scriptural laws in his confrontation with Herod; his martyr's death but most especially his understanding that the Spirit of God sends the winds of change.
John did not demand a standing committee investigation of the coming kingdom, he did not decide that the disciple's needed to sign a covenant. He faced the fact that the coming of Jesus was destined to diminish the old way and bring in a new one. "Now he must increase and I must decrease" was his response when he received Jesus's message and the report that Jesus was in fact changing lives.
If only we see the changing world the Spirit is bringing on the winds of change in our day without fear as John did. John faced the coming of messiah and the coming of the new way to God without fear. He could never be a bishop in ACNA.
Where all are welcome in Jesus's name, and none are told to sit apart, where each is encouraged to face her own sins and vanquish them, where no person sits in judgement over other's sins, there is the kingdom. Where the only limits on people are abilities, where each gift is valued, there the Spirit smiles.
FWIW
jimB
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4 comments:
What happens once the poor get in power? Who speaks truth to them?
Or will the dictatorship of the downtrodden never need this "prophetic ministry"?
Nixon,
If all we do is replace the unjust with a new class of unjust then justice is not achieved and the church should go on working for it. The answer is new constructs that permit individuals justice not new players.
FWIW
jimB
"New constructs"?
That sounds as if you'd just be replacing people who know how to work this system with people who knew how to work any "new construct".
What gives people who have no proof of their religion the authority to tell the rest of us what to do?
If they're not relying on their religion but claim to have rational and logical reasons for what they want to do, why bother with religious language?
Nixon, you either miss or ignore my point. If injustice is systemic, it is on the record, then we require systemic change. Merely changing the players is equivalent to re-arraigning the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Will a new unjust system emerge? Perhaps. I never suggested the church should stop confronting injustice, far from it.
FWIW
jimB
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