There was a prophet in the first century C.E. who spoke at times in fiery tone. Luke quotes this prophet as follows in the 12^th chapter of his gospel:

I've come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I've come to change everything, turn everything right-side up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—

Three against two,

and two against three;

Father against son,

and son against father;

Mother against daughter,

and daughter against mother;

Mother-in-law against bride,

and bride against mother-in-law."

Jesus stood in a long prophetic tradition and history. He reminded us that when we follow the wisdom of our hearts rather than the conventional wisdom of our time, there is bound to be conflict and chaos.  There will be tension in familial and social relationships. If we love our enemies, someone else will choose not to.

The United Church of Christ has provided a prophetic presence in this country by being at the forefront of the civil rights movement, and the current day battle for the civil rights of the LBGT community. Confronting social injustice is not a pleasant activity. We look back and thank God for the likes of Dr. King and others who have, like him, put themselves on the line for the sake of calling a nation to repent and change. This is what prophets have always done. We need prophets, whether we like it or not (and we usually do not).

It would be wonderful if everyone could get into the flow of a deeply spiritual transformation, get into the Kingdom of God by letting their consciousnesses grow in the direction of light, and hope, and peace, and freedom. It would be terrific if this could be a tensionless process, a merely peaceful and uneventful procedure. But we know that people, like plants and other living thing, do not always grow at the same rate.

While prophecy is called for in a time of war and economic injustice, patience is also a necessary virtue. We need both. Do not be afraid to speak in fiery tone about the darkness that surrounds us, the darkness that emanates from the choices of humankind. At the same time love your neighbor, and love yourself when the going gets rough. There is a reason why Jesus also spoke of a gracious, loving God earlier in that same chapter, a God who provides for all that we need. There is enough in the world even for 7 billion. All we need to do is live justly, patiently, graciously and peacefully, recognizing every one of those 7 billion as God’s precious children.

                                                                                  VLT