"It is the prophetic task, in a time of unraveling hopes, to declare the unimaginable, to assert the rationality of the unthinkable, to call the people to new hope, grounded not on the past but on sheer faith that God is about to do the impossible." - Walter Wink
ON THAT DAY...
The words of the prophet Zephaniah sound a lot like the words of any other prophet of the Hebrew Bible. After criticism of the status quo, the wailing of the Israelites due to their unpleasant situation (or for others the pending doom due to their faithlessness) Zephaniah brings hope to the hopeless.
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem...
Zephaniah goes on to tell the story of the restoration of Jerusalem and her people. In the time of the exile this story is unimaginable. The people have been spread out to repopulate other areas of conquest for the Babylonians (or was it the Assyrians). Others have been brought in to populate their land as slaves. No one has an ethnic identity under this regime, they are but pieces in the economic system. And yet, Zephaniah sets forth a vision for the impossible. The vision becomes the operating mindset for Israel, it is accepted despite its apparent impossibility.
That is the prophetic task - to point people to a reality that by human means is utterly unimaginable. To point them there over and over and over and over again so that eventually, the people relent, the people believe, and the vision becomes the reality.
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An update from yesterday's post - Mom had an MRI and Spinal Tap yesterday. The MRI looks "good" according to the Neurologist. The ST results will take a day or two. In the meantime they may do some sort of test on the blood vessels in her brain, but they are unsure this is necessary as of yet. She remains at LGH and will be there for at least a couple of days. Thank you for your continued prayers.
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4 comments:
It is good news that the MRI came back "good". I will keep praying even thought my writing has dropped off. (again)
Steve, Are you preparing a sermon on this text? If so, would you be willing to share it with me for posting on my blog? ---Stephen Cook
Dr. Cook,
I haven't nailed down where I'm headed on this sermon, but if I'm called to this text, I'll certainly share it with you.
I'm happy I was led to your blog. Thanks for the opportunity to share and reflect together!
I'm planning to link the Zeph text with the gospel ... John calls those who came to him a "Brood of vipers" ... and we could be called the same today ... and yet Zeph calls us like the Israelites to rejoice and exult ... why rejoice when we're referred to as Vipers ... because God will bring about our redemption ... our salvation ... God will free us ... restore us ... and that is worthy of our hope ... our trust ... and our joy ... and in the end, we're not the only ones who will experience joy ... that too will bring joy into God heart as we are transformed through the gift of grace ... God's grace for us his children!
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