December 2022 magazine letter
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness…”
In December the church traditionally remembers prophets, their words come to us in all those services of Nine Lessons and Carols (6pm Otterbourne 18th Dec). We remember prophets and their words because they are the special mouthpiece of God, his means of communication with the world. Or at least that is how they were understood.
The role of prophet is not going to be comfortable, by definition a prophet must herald change, he or she comes specifically to demonstrate the need for change, the imperative for change. Prophets have the ability to imagine a different future, a future often far from the imagination of the current holders of power. Prophets are dangerous to those in power, they have the habit of revealing their failings and limitations. They often do not feel constrained by conventions, or sanctions.
Of course there are prophets in our own day – Martin Luther King, Desmond Tuttu, Oscar Romero. Perhaps people like David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, and Malala Yousafzai will be added to their number in years to come, as well as those in Russia prepared to speak out against the current regime.
Prophets were significant to the history of the Hebrew people, in their heyday they were a constant reminder that the King was not beyond the demands of justice, and that the last word always lay with God. But by New Testament times it was believed that the day of prophets was over – and then along came John the Baptist. John comes from the wilderness with a message from God, a simple message, a message carried by all prophets before and since, ‘ Repent’.
To repent means to change, because repentance doesn’t mean going back to where you were, it means going on to where you should be. Repentance means coming to yourself, your whole self, not being satisfied with less. For John it was true of his people, they had become less, much less, than they could be. Is it true for us as a community, could we and should we be more? Are we being challenged to grow in faith and love – will the next couple of years drive us further into ourselves, or cause us to examine how we can be more and do more. How we can enrich the communities we are a part of, and how we might serve those communities better, with time, effort and commitment.
For John (according to St Luke) repentance had a very practical side to it; ‘And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”’ Which basically means, ‘Share’. What is it that we might have to share?
William
NB Don’t forget our Second Saturday Christmas Lunch in the Reeves Scout Hall, Martin’s field, Compton – 12.30pm. Call 01962 714551 for details.