The first thing to say is that we're going to cover quite a lot of ground in the next ten or fifteen minutes.
Our two readings to day are both pieces of prophecy.
In the Bible we can read lots of different types of literature: there are (e.g.) stories, poems, song lyrics, legal documents, history, myth and letters. As well as there's also a genre or style called “apocalyptic” writing, which is where the writer has had a vision or a dream and writes what he saw. Often, the apocalyptic parts of the Bible are quite odd – weird, unsettling and yet beautiful. They may be about things in heaven, or deep spiritual mysteries, or strange visions of the future, and the bible does contain parts and passages that predict or describe the future.
It is tempting to describe passages that predict or describe the future as “prophetic”, but showing the future is only one of the things that a prophet does. Perhaps the biggest and most important thing a prophet does is not to tell the future but to accurately describe the present, after all, the future is the product of the present, so if things are bad or wrong now, then you don't have to be a mystic to predict that the future is bleak. A prophet brings God's perspective on the present but not just on he surface of things but deeps down, and that's important: prophets don't bring their own judgement or perspective or opinions, but they listen to God and bring his word.
Prophets often came at times when things seemed good. That made their message all the more unbelieveable. But prophets don't look at the surface, at the peace and prosperity and social stability, they are not deceived by the ways things appear. No, they look at the deepest and darkest parts of the people's hearts and at the sins their society was committing in secret.
God gives prophets the gift and the ability to see the deep dark secrets both of individuals and of a whole societies, countries and cultures. As well as giving them the diagnosis God also gives them the prognosis, and that where the prophets do their famous thing of telling the future. There's a big question of whether the future is a foregone conclusion or not. Sometimes in the Bible it seems to be the case that if the people listen to the prophet and turn back to God then they will change the course of the future, and the bad things the prophet predicted will not come to pass.
The prophet is sent as a warning, and if heeded then disaster will be averted. Other times prophets are shown by God how things will be. And there's no escape: whether we are good or bad, whether we love God or not, this, says the prophet, is the shape. of things top come, the way the world is going.
In those cases the prophet is not shown the future as a warning to encourage us to change our ways but as a pure prediction, so that we will know that God is in charge and in control even when it might seems to us that he's not.
God shows the future through a prophet so that when it comes true we will remember that God told us about it and that therefore we can trust in him and should follow his commands.
So: there's a brief introduction to prophets. God shows them how things really are and tells then to tell it like it really is, then God, through his prophets, shows the people where their present course is taking them.
Now I want you to do something. Imagine you're in a tunnel. It's very long and very dark but at the end, a long way off in the distance, is a light. The light at the end of the tunnel, and our job is to look at that light and somehow, slowly but surely, work our way towards it. We've got to get there, and to get there we've got to keep our eyes on the prize.
Now this tunnel is full of pitfalls, obstacles and dangers. Some are naturally occurring dangers – rock falls, mudslides, pot-holes, others are man-made: obstacles made of sharp, rusty junk. There's other people down there with you, all stumbling around bashing into each other and human nature has taken over: there's conflict and argument, there's people taking advantage of the chaos and confusion to make money or get their way, there's abuse and bulling and neglect and all the usual stuff that happens when people get together.
Some of the dangers don't even seem to be dangers: gold nuggets and glittering diamonds – as if the tunnel were more like a mine. These, of course, are the temptations and distractions that take our eyes off the prize and that lead us astray. The tunnel is life, life here on earth. And the light at the end that we are moving towards is God and the hope of our home in heaven, and we've got two things to do: put the light first, keep it ahead of us, and keep moving forward towards it.
Then, secondly, we got to help others to find and see the light and help them in their journey. Where they stumble and fall we must assist them, where they are being abused or neglected we must stand up for them, where they are abusing or neglecting others we must challenge them. We have to get ourselves and others to the light, with minimal distractions, diversions, or disasters en route, but there's a particular trouble and danger that we haven't mentioned. This is it: leading off this main shaft to the left and the right are lots and lots of side tunnels, and each one has a person standing there and the person at each one says exactly the same thing: come with me. If you come with me, they say, I will get you to the light by a much quicker and easier route. In fact, they say, it's just around this corner. You can't see the light because the path twists and turns but trust me this is a whole lot quicker, closers and easier than the path you are currently on.
Think about that for moment. In both of our readings today the prophets – Micah and Jesus – warn about false prophets who want to deceive God's people and lead them astray.
So: who are we listening to? Who is influencing us? Are we tempted by these people and their paths that fork off to the left and the right?
This image of the tunnel with the light at the end of it is also an image of the shape of prophecy itself. Prophets and their prophecies often seem full of doom and gloom but they always end on an upbeat note because their prophecies follow the same shape as the story of the world. A prophecy is like a microcosm of the big picture: trouble now, but what lies ahead is the hope of glory, and our home in heaven. Shakespeare said “All's well that ends well” and Christians believe that all will end well, and that this time of trouble is temporary and compare to eternity very short indeed, but in our tunnel things aren't just bad – they are getting worse.
Between us and the light at the end of the tunnel is an ever-increasing amount of junk and trouble. The Bible makes it clear that as time goes on the world will get worse and worse. It's like a making a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy – the flaws and imperfections increase and the clarity and quality decrease.
The world is coming to an end, but it's not just badness that is on the increase -- goodness is on the march, too.
In our gospel reading today Jesus said the end of the world will not come until the good news about him has been spread outwards to everyone, everywhere. So the stakes are being raised on both sides; there's ever-increasing sin but also more and more people hearing and receiving the good news about Jesus Christ. Both the good and the bad are spreading – but the bad doesn't have the power to bring about the end of the world. It may think it does, it may try to, it may even look like it will. But Jesus said the end will only come when the good news has increased as much as is possible, where's there's no-one and nowhere that hasn't heard the good news of Jesus. Then, and only then, will God call everything to an end and wrap up the whole show by sending Jesus back to earth to make everything new. Sin and wickedness will not bring about the end of the world through global warming or nuclear war. It's God's world and he will end it when he's ready, and that will be when the gift of his son has been offered to everyone, everywhere.
So: there's the image of a tunnel, it's a bad place and it's getting worse.
But in this picture where or who are the prophets?
A: We are.
We are meant to be. This means that we are meant to bring God's perspective, God's message, to the world and to other Christians. Think about that tunnel. There are times when you will be helping others to find the light or to keep fixed on it, times when you will be one getting others untangled from the rusty junk or helping them out of a deep dark hole or caring for the abused and neglected or challenging those who are abusing and neglecting others. At those times you are the prophet, you are God's agent, helping and healing, challenging and comforting his people so that they will keep the light ever before them and be always moving closer to it. But at other times the prophet will be someone else and you will be the one being prophesied to – the one to whom the prophet is speaking. Then you'll be the one who is being helped or healed, challenged or comforted. Others will be bringing God's voice and will to you – they will be the prophets and you will be the one who is being prophesied to. So expect to be both. Sometimes or with some people you may find that you are the one God is using, you are his prophet. At other times or with other people you may find that God is speaking to you or dealing with you through someone else. At those times you are not God's rep or agent – they are. At those times it's our job to listen, to receive, to really take on board what God is saying and doing to us through these other people.
So: we are, at different times and with different people, both the prophets and those who are prophesied to.
Finally, a closing thought. Put yourself back in that tunnel. Imagine the light at the end. Now ask yourself: which is bigger: the darkness, or the light at the end of the tunnel?