My friends, we shouldn’t be surprised that once again this week we hear the theme of being a “prophet,” as it is really part and parcel of being a follower of our brother Jesus.  Coupled with this theme to prophesy, is the most comforting, additional theme of a God who loves us mightily. 

   I will begin with this second theme of a “loving God” who wants only good for us as this knowledge of such a God gives us the strength to be prophets, when we might otherwise walk away from such a task.

   This desire of our God that we would strive to be our best is laid out beautifully by Paul in today’s 2^nd reading from Ephesians. He says, “God [wants] us to be holy and blameless—full of love.” It must be said that striving after such qualities in our lives will no doubt help us to become our best. 

   Paul continues, saying that [as] “adopted children…we were willed an inheritance.”  As we consider this fact of being “adopted,” it is good to reflect that as of July 1^st  of this year, in Minnesota, and many other states, birth records have become fully available to adopted children.  Even though many adopted children are interested in those records mainly to know their “origins” for medical purposes and perhaps, curiosity, many will say that even after coming to know their original stories and coming to understanding about why they may have been “given up,”  they continue to call their “adoptive parents” their “true” parents as they were the ones who raised, and loved them into adulthood. 

   Thus, it is from this most positive view of adoption, that I invite us to ponder our God’s gift of love to us, and an inheritance of eternal life one day.  Additionally, let us consider that, contrary to ages-old Church teaching that this Loving God sent our brother Jesus to make reparation for the sins of us all, our Loving God did rather, send Jesus to show us the “best ways” to live our lives, to make sure that our human experiences here led us back to God—as such was God’s love for each of us. 

   One of those “best ways” then, was that each of us, as Jesus’ followers, would shoulder the mission/the call to be a prophet in the times and places of our lives, just as he did in his.  Amos, like many other prophets doesn’t claim to be a prophet, thinking wrongly that this task belongs to others—he is only “a shepherd” after all. 

   We can perhaps say the same; I am only a teacher, a farmer, a mother/father, an ordinary laborer, and so on—who am I to prophesy?  And our God through Amos seems to be saying, “Who are you not to!”

   This then causes us to look at just what prophets are being asked to do.  The fact that a simple shepherd is being asked to speak, “God’s truth” says that the “call” comes to the lowliest among us, and on up the ladder, in their own way —where each lives and works.

   We have already established through Amos’ call that “being a prophet” is not something that folks generally seek out.  Our brother Jesus understands, most likely from his own human journey, that there is “fear and apprehension” in this call to sometimes “stand alone” in speaking the truth given by God. Perhaps this is why many choose not to speak their God-given truth.  But Jesus sends his faithful followers out in twos that they might support one another. 

    I was called upon this past week to accompany a friend, driving her to an appointment for a procedure in Lacrosse, and bringing her back again.  She mentioned several times, before and after her procedure, “I am so glad that you were with me!” 

   Mark tells us today in the gospel story of the apostles being “sent out in twos”—“they cast out demons and anointed many people with oil, and healed them.”  “Anointing people with oil,” speaks to a “priestly function,” which we might feel would disqualify some of us, but as we know from Jesus’ teachings, we must always go deeper in these readings, finding that there are many ways “to anoint and heal,” –through touch and kind, supportive words, through simply “being with another in their pain,” and so on. 

   In today’s gospel, Jesus wisely shares with his followers then, and now, that indeed, “this being a prophet” won’t always be easy! He tells us that we may have to “shake off the dust,” we encounter along the way, which would seem to align with what we heard last week, that we aren’t ultimately responsible that our words cause others to change, but we are responsible for at least speaking the words given us by God. 

   Another of the fine-tuning pieces that we need to see in today’s gospel is that Jesus is telling the apostles to preach “repentance of sin” as they went from town to town.  We have often heard in years past the emphasis of Jesus’ “forgiving our sins,” as opposed to “repentance” on our parts.  The two often, for Jesus, went hand in hand, “Your sins are forgiven—go now, and sin no more—or in other words, “be better –try not to do this again, which really speaks to our God’s desire that we try to be our best. If we stop at “God’s forgiveness” instead of our, “repentance” too, it is all on God, without any effort on our parts. Jesus was wise enough to know that we, and others in our world would be better if we “repented” our wrong-doing, vowing to be better. 

   We can probably sum up these thoughts today by thinking of how we operate in our own lives when we need help from others in accomplishing tasks in our lives.  Most, if not all of us turn to others that we know and trust, perhaps even love, to help us do what needs to be done. Our God does the same in asking us to be “prophets” in our own times and places.  No matter where we live, work, or share life with others, we are the best people, there, to speak God’s truth! Amen? Amen!

My friends, it would seem that even on a surface level this week, “being a prophet” is  the issue we are called to ponder.  I like the word, “ponder” as it suggests we are looking at any issue in more than a surface way. 

   As always, let’s look to today’s Scriptures to see what this means in our everyday lives.  The prophet Ezekiel in the 1^st reading today doesn’t seem to have a very pleasing task given him by God’s Spirit.  We learn in this short reading from chapter 2 that the people have been, “rebellious, defiant, and stubborn”—not encouraging words as a “potential prophet” enters in.  And additionally, we learn another interesting thing about being a prophet—it is not as important that the people change their ways as it is that the “prophet speaks.” 

   Thus, the onus is not completely on the prophet to get people to in effect, “be better,”  but on the people themselves.  At the very least Scripture says, “they will know that a prophet has come among them.” 

   I believe it is good as we reflect on this passage, as well as on the 2^nd reading from Corinthians with Paul, and the Gospel from Mark with Jesus, to try and put ourselves in their places to understand, and appreciate what it truly means, “to be a prophet,” because as followers of our brother Jesus, we each are called to the same.  By spending time with each of these three prophets, Ezekiel, Paul, and Jesus, we realize that we are in “good company” first off, and we are able to find “our way” perhaps in acting likewise.

   We can only imagine that for each, a certain bit of “fear: was present, and perhaps some “reluctance,” to be “the one,” to speak out—there would be some who would believe, and others who would not.  Having others “believe and be accepting of” what we say that is perhaps new, even challenging can be a “heady thing,” and one has to always work toward a balance in “speaking the truth,” and letting that “ability” go to our heads. 

   There was the possible danger of that happening to Paul as he was given a [so-called] “thorn in his side” to keep that tendency in check.  Paul asked God to remove the “thorn” on several occasions, only to be told, “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” And it would seem that as Paul persevered in his call, “to be a prophet,” he learned a powerful lesson, saying, “when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.” 

   I know personally, as I reflect on the privilege of pastoring this parish, that I am subject too, in my humanity, to letting it all “go to my head.”  Over the years, I have said to Robert, “If you ever see me becoming proud, pompous, and arrogant, please stop me!”

   This week we probably get our best advice, and counsel on the “gift of prophecy” from our brother Jesus. We see him “going home,” and finding more rejection than acceptance, saying to his apostles and disciples, then and now, “prophets [have] honor, except in their hometown and among their own relatives…”  Such was the case with me and my ordination—more who didn’t really know me were supportive, than those who did; some family members, and close friends were, as for Jesus, “stumbling blocks,” as I was, probably, in ways for them—“you are upsetting the applecart,” as we say in a more colloquial fashion—I was doing something, “out of the ordinary,” the status quo, something the Church fathers hadn’t sanctioned, and at that point, family and friendly connections for some didn’t matter—the law did.

   So my friends, as we ponder these Scriptures that really encourage us to be “prophets” in our world; a world that so needs those who will call a lie, a lie when they hear it, will challenge injustice when it is so blatant in minority groups of people, and who will simply strive every day, “to be their best,” even when there are few to model that behavior for them.

   I mentioned a few Sundays ago that I am reading a new book about Jimmy Carter, entitled, His Very Best.  Author Jonathan Alter no doubt named his work after a personal work by Carter, in his long life, entitled, in question form, Why Not the Best?

   This question for Carter came originally in his Navy days with a superior officer who asked him if, “he had done his best?” on a particular project, to which Carter answered, “No.”  His superior asked, “Why Not?”  Carter, it seems, has worked on his answer for the rest of his long life after, and I would guess will continue working on this challenge, “to be his best,” with whatever time he has remaining. 

   I have in the past addressed the Church’s Season of Ordinary Time, saying that it should perhaps be called, “Extra-Ordinary Time” because of all the challenge the Scriptures hold for us during these many weeks. And what I have come to these last years is that the “ordinary” things that each of us is called to “every” day of our Christian lives is the same challenge that Ezekiel, Paul and Jesus had in their lives; “to stand up, stand out, to be top-of-the-line—a real cutting edge!”

   As we look at our world, both in Church and State, we unfortunately don’t see much that is “cutting edge,” but more that I would humbly suggest are being, “stumbling blocks.”  Thus, we can’t wait for the “powers-that-be” in either Church or State, but must humbly speak our truth when called to do so, and this will be different for each of us.

   And if we aren’t always sure where to start, we can turn to Jesus’ words with the counsel, “check the fruits”—if you see peace, justice, and well-being happening—join in! If not, and the world picture looks full of distrust, chaos, self-centeredness, and injustice, speak from your hearts the truth that you hold there.  It has been said, “the heart is wiser than the head.”  And finally, when all is said and done, realize that like Ezekiel, you are not responsible for the ultimate change in people—but you are responsible for speaking the truth you know—perhaps your “speaking out” will plant a seed that will grow later—but again, you are responsible to do this much at least! Amen?  Amen!