Elijah:: Holding Up Mirrors

Prophets and prophecy freak me out. I immediately get an image of an older man with a bushy beard grabbing my arm while I walk down the street, looking at me with blank eyes and telling me exactly how I'll die next month. 

We're starting a new series of messages this week looking at the life of one of the most famous prophets from the Bible, Elijah. We are going through the life of a prophet so we can investigate any misconceptions we may have. My hope is that we will learn the value of community living that is both grace-filled and honest. 

One misconception that we may have is that a prophet is functionally a sooth-sayer or a fortune teller. If you go and see a prophet they will deliver news about your future plans and destiny. 

While prophets certainly deal in the realm of the future it is actually a much more grounded look at where our paths are heading based on current trajectories. It looks a lot like a person who is an active part of a community holding up a mirror for everyone to see their reflection. 

That's where it gets scary. The community response to a prophet is rarely humility and a reversal of course after seeing an unflattering image in the mirror. More often than not the prophet is rejected so that the status quo can be maintained. 

So, how do we welcome in our prophets and prophetic voice? How do we face our fears of change and challenge our past assumptions about ourselves?