Prophets and Losses

Who are the prophets among us?

My entire life I have been intrigued by the prophetic role. As a high schooler I remember listening to a homily during mass, reflecting on these words of Jeremiah:

But if I say, "I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,"
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot. [Jer 20:9]

It was like my ticket was drawn from a raffle - these words called me out of a crowd. The words knew this truth that I had yet to understand: God's word was in my heart like a fire, and I was growing weary, tired of holding it in. What was I supposed to do with that?

We'll return to that thought.

There are several different offices, or roles, in the Kingdom of God, including the following:

A pastor takes care of God's people.
Poets artistically translate revelation.
Philosophers think through the challenging truths of God.
Priests go on behalf of the people to God.
And prophets go on behalf of God to the people.*
These roles often intertwine. (See Moses, David, Bonhoeffer.)

I've found myself identifying mostly with the pastor, poet and prophet. But if I had a heart-paradigm, or a way I find myself to be wired more than the others, it's that of prophet.

Here's the catch: As far as I know, there isn't a school for prophets. No "prophetic seminary." Seminaries are geared toward bringing up pastors. So, what do the prophets do?

Oh, you're wondering what a prophet does? There are two main roles:

1) They call people and situations out on behalf of God.
2) They re-imagine the future, from what it is to the what could be.**

On the surface, that sounds pretty sweet. But the life of the prophets is always ridiculously hard, and sometimes just weird. Moses had it pretty bad, considering everyone pretty much hated him and he didn't get to enter the promised land. Hosea had to marry a prostitute, and Jeremiah wasn't allowed to marry at all. Ezekiel had to lay on his side in the town square every day for over a year. Jonah went in the exact opposite direction God called him to go, and ended up there anyway. Nathan had to call out King David, and that's scary stuff. We can go on and on, the point is that the prophetic life is a special calling, and a difficult one at that.

On my two-mile run today (still going strong!), I thought about Jesus' words, that whoever follows him will have to hate his mother, father, sister, brothers, and everyone else. I never understood that. But when I put the life of the prophet together with Jesus's words, it makes sense. No one supports prophets. They're extremists, they "hear from God," they're overly-spiritual, dreamers, out-of-the-box, and in the moment, their claims can't be verified. A mother says proudly, "My son's studying to be a pastor!" How would she feel saying, "My son's calling is to be a prophet"?

Those who challenge the current power arrangements, positions of status and privilege, and the status quo of the community will go without honor in their hometown. (Mt. 13:57) And it may be so extreme that they have to make a choice: Do I follow my parents' wishes for my life and keep the relationship, or do I do what I am called to do, even if it means walking away? These certainly aren't easy questions. But they need to be considered.

As if it weren't obvious, I am navigating what it means to be a prophet. (Though I will mention that I have a wonderful relationship with my parents!) I haven't yet found a prophetic mentor, but I will be praying for one. As much as school is raising me up to be a "pastor," the definition most people have in mind is far too narrow. In some ways, I will be a pastor.

But I must be a prophet.

What resonates with you? Any and all thoughts are both welcomed and sought after.

*Priests, prophets, poets and philosophers was an amazing series done by Status in 2007. I tried to find it, but it appears to be off the site. Sad day. :\
** One of the new classics in this are a is The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggeman.