Isaiah 49:1-7 & John 1:29-42 --- On this Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday we celebrate the gift of the prophets and our struggle to understand their message.
Biblical prophecy was not about telling the future. Rather, it was about seeing the past and present with a fuller clarity--unveiled. From this clear perception of reality, our prophets could understand where we were headed. When Israel's kings were not obeying the leading of God, the prophets could see it and boldly spoke truth about where such disobedience would lead both the king and his people. The prophet Isaiah understood God's plan for Israel with such clarity that he proclaimed the hope and truth for a people who had been decimated by war and exile.
Jesus came and proclaimed to a war-bent Israel about the certain destruction awaiting them if they did not turn around and live by God's Reign (kingdom).
But...sadly...people often resist prophets. When others see something we do not, we struggle to open our eyes--especially if "our" way of seeing things benefits us.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed a bold truth about the reality of the 20th century and race relations. Many people would not hear it. Many more were left "undecided" or "moderate" in their stance.
Let us remember the message of the prophets so that we might understand that a life of faith is about the Holy Spirit entering into our heart of hearts to begin the RECALIBRATION of our lives. We've all gotten off track. We're human--that's just the struggle we face. We MUST allow God to RECALIBRATE our hearts to how they were meant to function and exist.
Will you fully open up your heart to God in such a way?
