Are We Living in Prophetic Times?
Overwhelmed.
That’s the feeling I (Steph) had as I was reading and preparing for our newest program, Prophet Roots.
The question overwhelming me was this:
What are 10 passages from the prophets that provide a good overview of the themes and perspectives present in the prophetic books of the Bible—that also feel applicable to our lives?
After hours of work and reading, I was finally able to narrow it down... to 27 passages.
The biblical prophets spoke at a time when people were lost and confused. The land had split into two kingdoms hundreds of years earlier, paving the way for a growing gap between haves and have-nots. People were forsaking the Torah in favor of political alliances, And the general climate was a chaotic mix of conflict and oppression.
In other words, as unprecedented as these days are, history also repeats itself.
In the book of Isaiah alone, the prophet wonders:
What do religious sacrifices mean if there is no justice or care for the vulnerable? (Isaiah 1)
How do we find hope in the face of loss and change? (Isaiah 40)
Why have we settled for the instant gratification of the food in front of us instead of the true goodness that will actually satisfy? (Isaiah 55)
How might feeding the hungry and letting the oppressed go free bring forth the healing we are looking for? (Isaiah 58)
How’s that for relevance?!?
What I couldn’t escape in my studies, and what is virtually impossible to miss when a Scripture Circle digs into and wrestles through a passage from the prophets, is how timely it all feels.
Lament. Justice. Love. Protest. Indictment. Repentance. Loss. Grief. Hope… It’s all there. (As is plenty of weird and difficult stuff, let’s be honest.)
I wonder what would happen if more of us spent time in these books. Would it help us find our way? Would we see where we need to turn? Could we wrestle through the weird and hard parts together? Would we feel less alone?
The more I read the prophets, the more I feel held by a Story much bigger than myself and my own generation. It’s hard to put into words how much that helps me see.
Coming soon: Prophet Roots
We are testing a “soft launch” of our new Prophet Roots program right now and the communal voice of the group that’s gathered for this is helping to narrow down from 27 passages to 10. We’ll be ready for our official launch in the fall. If you are interested in one of our three Roots programs, email Lisa let her know.
Open Circles on Justice
Roots isn’t the only place we are connecting to the Prophets in 40 Orchards right now. As racial justice conversations have come to the forefront in response to George Floyd’s murder, 40 Orchards launched a summer series on Justice. We chose three passages that we saw people posting on social media that we’d love to wrestle through and dig a little deeper into together:
On June 23, we talked about Micah 6:8 – Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
On July 30, we will be talking about Amos 5:24 – But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Want to join? Register here.)
On August 25, we will be talking about Galatians 6:2 – Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (There’s still room. Register here.)
The Micah 6:8 study was so rich. When we read the context that sets up this familiar passage, starting in 6:1, someone pointed out that when God brought the indictment against the people, God asked the mountains to bear witness. We wondered, “How has creation seen the injustice of humans across the generations?”
We can’t wait to bring together the wisdom of the prophet Amos and your communal voice as we examine Amos 5:24 next week. It’s not to late to join.
Ready to dig in?
We would love for you to join us for any of our upcoming Scripture Circles. See what’s on the horizon here.
With you,
Steph & Lisa
P.S. We are working on the next Cohort, Roots, and a "yet to be named" new offering. We hope to release the details and dates in August!
Photo by Tanner Mardis on Unsplash