In the Name of truth
“Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’” (I Kings 22:14)
For the quarter beginning in March, the Sunday morning adult bible study has focused on lessons featuring prophets from the Old Testament scriptures. Most are well known such as Moses, Elijah, and Isaiah to name a few. There are also those less well known such as Huldah, one of the few female prophets and this last Sunday, Micaiah.
The lesson title was “Micaiah: Speaking Truth to Power.” The scripture text was taken from I Kings 22. The prophet is called on to deliver a word from God regarding a battle that was to take place. Ahab, king of Israel, entered into an alliance with the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat. Before going into battle, Jehoshaphat wanted Ahab to “Inquire first for a word of the Lord.” (I Kings 22:5) Four hundred of the prophets gave a favorable outcome. However, Jehoshaphat asked if there was any other prophet to give a report and Ahab had to admit there was one more. “The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘There is still one other by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies anything favorable about me, but only disaster.’ Jehoshaphat said, ‘Let the king not say such a thing.’” (I Kings 22:8) And so the shade between Ahab and Micaiah began. Although there were four hundred favorable reports and Micaiah had been warned to agree with the others, he eventually gave the report from God that the battle would not turn out well and his words proved to be true.
It is not always easy to speak the truth and especially so when one is the lone voice among competing voices. As we discussed in class what it means to “speak truth to power” we considered several questions: What does it take to speak truth to power? What does it mean and what does it cost? Will we be able to do that? How much are we willing to put on the line to speak truth to power?
In looking for examples, we named Representative Barbara Lee, the lone voice and vote against going into Iraq. Today I am also reminded of Patsy Takamoto Mink, who became the first Japanese American female attorney in Hawaii, and the first Asian American woman elected to the Hawaii house. She was an ardent activist for the rights of all people and was a member of the NAACP. She said, “It is easy enough to vote right and be consistently with the majority . . . but it is more often more important to be ahead of the majority and this means being willing to cut the first furrow in the ground and stand alone for a while if necessary.”
This time of the pandemic has taught us many things about ourselves as individuals and as a faith community and in a greater aspect as a country. For some, it has given us time to do introspection as well as be aware of what is going on around us. May we be diligent to take to heart the lessons learned, appreciation for where we have been, and what we have gone through as we continue to move forward.
~Pastor Carolyn~
Upcoming Events
Vacation Bible Camp – July 12-16
All Church Retreat – August 6-8 (early bird registration deadline ends on May 20)
Weekly Meetings
Tomorrow, Saturday, May 8
10:00 AM – Time for Prayer – We will be reading Psalm 59 and share prayer requests
Sunday, May 9 (Mother’s Day – Blessings to All)
10:00 AM – Worship
11:45 AM – Sermon Talk Back with Min. Sandra Lee
Tuesday, May 11
6:00 PM – No Soup, But Study (Continuing to read through each book of the bible, Ezekiel)
Wednesday, May 12
10:30 AM – Prayer and Bible Study (same as Tuesday)
Thursday, May 13
6:00 PM – Together in Spirit, bible study (gospel of John, chapter 9)