Raising Up Prophets

Planning Worship

Focus texts: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Mark 1:21-28 

What is a prophet? I remember being filled with awe at the stories of the prophets I learned about in Sunday school—chariots sweeping them up into heaven, fire brought down from the sky, bottles of oil that never ran dry, fantastical visions of God at work in the world. What incredible and holy lives they must have lived! And then, I grew up and learned there is more to their stories than the miracles and spectacles. Prophets experience hunger, exhaustion, depression, doubt, and anxiety. Sometimes they run away from God. Sometimes answering God’s call means no one else wants to be around them. Prophets aren’t exempt from the things that make human life hard. Rather, they’re often called to speak the truth in the midst of some of the hardest situations imaginable.

Let’s face it, being a prophet is not an easy gig. Few of us would willingly sign up for such a life. Yet I wonder, “Does God call individuals to be prophets, or does God call whole communities?” What if we, all of us, are the prophets God promises to raise up? And if that’s the case, how does corporate worship form us and prepare us to live as truth tellers?

When we face difficult situations and decisions, it can be difficult to find words. In a complex world with no easy answers, what can we say? Even when we recognize injustices and misinformation right in front of us, how do we respond? Worship offers us an opportunity to practice—to pray and sing the words we may need; to experience the truth of God’s love deep in our bones; to identify and hold on to the anchors we need when the storms of life are raging.

So, this week, what words do your people need? What messages of encouragement will help your community live into their prophetic call? You might consider using the litany that accompanies the United Methodist Social Creed in the Book of Discipline during the Prayers of the People. Sing hymns that call us to be people of justice and peace, such as “Let There Be Peace on Earth” (United Methodist Hymnal 431) and “We Shall Overcome” (United Methodist Hymnal 533). At the same time, use the liturgies and the sermon as opportunities to ground your congregation in who God is and who God calls us to be. Living prophetically requires courage, and courage needs tending and care to stay alive in our hearts. So, help your congregants remember that God does not call us to be prophets alone—God is with us, and through God, we are in this together.

Author bio: Dr. Lisa Hancock, Director of Worship Arts Ministries, holds a Master of Sacred Music and Master of Theological Studies from Perkins School of Theology and a PhD in Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University, where she researched and wrote on the doctrine of Christ, disability, and atonement. Lisa is also the co-lead of Growing in Grace: Accessible Worship for All God’s Children.