Yesterday we reflected on cycles of violence, and the urgent need to break them. There is the need for the upheld hand, but this must accompanied by the outstretched hand of love. Today we look again at the Advent prophets who did both.
Here at Proost we are interested in the idea of prophecy – not so much in the sense of foretelling the future but rather as a way of understanding the converging of spirituality and justice. The prophet, in this understanding, is one of those brave souls who is prepared to speak love to power. From this love flows the search for truth and the movement towards justice and peace. It is difficult and dangerous work sometimes because this kind of love tends to be resisted, suppressed and even criminalised.
It is easy to identify modern prophets whilst looking back at those great liberation movements of the last century- Martin Luther King, for example. Despite his death, we forget the hatred he faced from many in power. Prophets always divide. They are stumbling blocks to marching feet. The great warriors of love have always known this and often been prepared to suffer for their words and actions.
The closer we get to our current times, the harder it seems to agree on the wisdom or validity of prophetic voices. Stonewall and their fight for gay rights perhaps? How about those who climbed trees to try to save them long before most of us were awakened to the full realities of ecosystem destruction? How about Just Stop Oil? Or how about the Filton 24? (Starting to feel a little more uncomfortable?)
We know how the efforts to raise Palestinian justice divide us- even within the Proost community. Some fear that any protests against the genocide in Gaza endanger Jews accross the world and make terrible attacks like that on Bondi beach more likely. We do not beleive that this fear can prevent us still calling for peace and justice because we remember these words from Isaiah, later voiced by Jesus as the his own mission (in Luke’s gospel.)
Today we wanted to end with this poem/prayer from Clare Hinchcliffe, mother of Zoe Rogers, currently on remand facing charges related to direct action against Elbit Systems, manufacturer of so many of the weapons that have been ‘battle tested’ in Gaza. You can read her story here. Clare posted these powerful and deeply moving words a couple of days ago when her daughter was appearing in court, after being held in remand for over a year.
And yes, there are many differences between protest and prophecy… but there is also a relationship that might be closer than we care to think.
So let the prophets speak.
