During the summer I like to preach about a prophet. This past summer I picked Ezekiel. When I did my preliminary research, Ezekiel’s visions of the glory of God struck me as a challenging but interesting topic to explore.
I found the book of Ezekiel overwhelming. The visions, especially the ones related to the glory of God, are hard to wrap my mind around. At one point, I asked myself the question, why would God send a prophet?
Prophets are hard to understand. If I had been in Babylon to hear Ezekiel share his prophecies, I might have questioned his sanity. You were by the canal, and you saw what? Were you hydrated? Have you been around moldy rye bread? Are those mushrooms?
One thing I wrestle with as a pastor is what can my parishioners hear? If my words are too divisive, too challenging, too controversial to the point people tune me out or stop coming to worship services, is it worth saying those words? I question the utility of words that people cannot receive.
Prophets in the Bible do not share this concern. They share the word of the LORD, whether the audience can hear the words or not. Sometimes, like with Jonah, it works; often they upset and alienate the rulers and power brokers. People dislike being told they are doing something wrong or are on the wrong side of God.
Why does God send prophets who have visions that are hard to put into words and say things that are hard to hear? If the leaders and the people are going in the wrong direction, why not send leadership experts? People who have MBAs or PhDs in leadership from prestigious academic institutions. Why not raise up leadership gurus with mass followings and hit podcasts to give deep insights into the art of leadership?
Both leadership experts and prophets are interested in change. God did not commission prophets because everything was hunky-dory and each day leaders and the people were getting closer to who God was calling them to be. Why not raise up the first leadership experts to tackle the problem? Why send prophets who seem a little crazy and say things that are hard to hear?
Because what needed changing (and still needs changing) was the hearts of the leaders and the people. Leadership experts might be good at changing minds, sharing information, giving strategies. But they really cannot change hearts.
Prophets who faithfully deliver the word of God offer the possibility of a changed heart. God’s word has the power to change hearts. In Ezekiel, God promises new hearts to replace hearts of stone. Genuine change comes from a changed heart.
When I entered full-time ministry in 2007, studying leadership was all the rage. Leaders in the denomination pushed programs, books, and conferences. With just a little more head knowledge, perhaps we could make changes, and change the long-term trajectory of the vitality of the United Methodist Church. Institutional anxiety was high; leadership was the release valve.
It has not worked. The demographic disaster/death tsunami continues to wreak havoc. Disaffiliation made things even worse. Church leaders continue to push new programs and contend that God is doing something new, but the long-term trajectory is not going in a new direction.
Prophets sharing the word of God did not always lead to changes right away. Hearts are hard to change. Their words, though, had staying power. Over time, people would recall their words, share their words, understand their words in new ways.
We live in a world that values head knowledge. Studies and statistics. Immediate results. Return on investment. God values changed hearts. Perhaps instead of embracing the world of secular leadership, people who desire change in the church need to seek changed hearts. Embracing anew the word of the LORD.
