LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Spirit |
by Tom Bohache |
Called by the Spirit
Persons known as "prophets" have been around for thousands of yearsdefinitely since recorded history, but most likely even before that. Theologians and philosophers of religion have tried to articulate what makes a prophet. Whether one approaches the definition from a western or eastern perspective, one thing seems clear: There have been special, select individuals, set apart because of their holiness or connection to the Spirit or the Ultimate Reality, who have had an inside track when it comes to expressing the mind of the animating force of the cosmos. Nowadays, even the most wacko cult leader considers him or herself a prophet, so the term has lost its grandeur. But if we dismiss recent aberrations and look into the history of religions, we can see that the Source of All has inspired many throughout the ages and throughout the world to deliver messages of promise, hope, threat, and warning to humanity. Let's examine a few. Moses was tending his flock of sheep, minding his own business, when a Voice spoke to him out of a burning bush. That Voice identified Itself as the God of his ancestors, the God who had a special relationship with the Hebrew people. God called Moses, along with his siblings, Miriam and Aaron, to deliver the message that the Hebrews, enslaved to the Egyptians, would be liberated by the power of God. Confucius, at the age of fifty, heard a call from the spirit world to travel around China proclaiming a message of common humanity to an anarchic world torn apart by class struggle. A series of maxims has come down to us that originated in the teaching of Confucius as he strove to facilitate social cohesion: "What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others." "When you know a thing, to recognize that you know it; and when you do not, to know that you do not knowthat is knowledge." "To go too far is as bad as to fall short." Muhammed, generations later, heard a similar call to unite the warring tribes or Arabia. Through a series of visions and auditions, Allah ("The God") established Muhammed as the quintessential prophetone who hears the word of God and does it. As a result, the Arab world was transformed and new spiritual teachings canonized in the Qur'an. And what about modern-day prophets? Spirit has continued to speak an extraordinary message to ordinary people in our own time: Rosa Parks has stated that she didn't know why she wouldn't get up out of her seat that particular day in 1955, but she would not, and the rest is history. Abraham Joshua Heschel was inspired to tell Jews that they must reconnect with their heritage so that they could become involved with liberation movements in the here and now, specifically the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam movements of the 1960s. Mother Teresa, in caring for those ravaged by illness and poverty, showed in a tangible way that in God's realm there are no castaways. Unnamed Heroes and Sheroes at the Stonewall Inn rioted against police harassment and birthed a liberation movement that still continues to amaze. Steve Elkins and Murray Archibald had a vision of a community here at the beach where all people could live together peaceably and work toward common projects across lines of difference that might have just as easily divided them. Some may be surprised at those I have named as prophets, but I do so because to me that is how the Divine works in our worldcalling simple people to complex tasks, urging folks to fight for what they know is right. Another prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, is reported to have said that prophets are not honored in their own town or by their own people. Oftentimes this is true; but what if we were to begin looking around and honoring as prophets those who struggle with injustice and are sometimes overwhelmed with a message beyond all comprehension? What if we were to see human struggles for justice as a tool the Source of All uses to create right relationship in our universe? What if each one of us realized that we ourselves can be mouthpieces of Spirit here and now? The Rev. Tom Bohache, Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Rehoboth, is a speaker, teacher, and writer on the intersection of sexuality and spirituality. E-mail him at tombohache@att.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 14, No. 5 May 21, 2004 |