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Call to Worship
Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities!
This is the day our God has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Opening Prayer
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Eternal One, we thank you today for the Good News of God’s love for us. We affirm that your goodness is the image upon which we are made. We acknowledge that the divine spark is placed in each one of us and that our task in life is to nurture that light and feed that fire of goodness until it is a burning flame of passion for justice and compassion within us.
Help us to live in the light of your love and spread that Good News of love to the ends of the earth. Amen.
The Lessons
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From the Wisdom of Christina Engela
“It seems to me that those who claim to be 'true' and 'bible believing' Christians and yet spend all their time and energy spreading unhappiness and hatred for others - and are themselves consumed by [hatred of others] - are by the very definition of the term - false prophets.”
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From the Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 7
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Reflection by Rev. Dr. BK Hipsher
Click here for audio of the reflection "Listen for the Good News"
Our readings today warn us about false prophets. When I think of prophets, I think of particular people in holy scripture who are described as prophets – people like Micah, Ezekial, Isaiah, and Jesus himself. We think of prophets as foretelling the future or at least pointing out the logical consequences of a pattern of behavior. They also answer questions that linger in the collective human consciousness.
Micah for instance in chapter 6 asks and answers the question, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?” He gives examples of what other people are teaching. How about a burnt offering of a year old calf, or a thousand rams, or a river of oil? These were extreme examples of burnt offerings that people were making to God to appease the deity similar to what other religions taught had to be done to please their gods. And then he asks the question that show up the idea of burnt offering sacrifices to God as pagan ritual. He says, “Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” These people already knew that human sacrifice was off the table.
Prophets teach us how to be better people. In our day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Malala Yousef, and Greta Thunberg. All of these modern day prophets call out injustice and point to the logical consequences of following an errant pattern of behavior. At the bottom of all of their prophecies is a call to mercy, a call to love, a reminder that God and God’s creation loves us and is worthy of our love in return.
Now that we know what a prophet is let’s move on to understanding how to discern a prophet from a false prophet. The first thing we have to remember is that within every great lie is a kernel of truth. Every form of propaganda preys on real inner fears of a population. Every point of disinformation begins with something that people fear. In our modern world we are bombarded by false prophets – propaganda and disinformation – every time we glance at a television or pick up our phones.
Let’s take advertising for instance, we know that advertisers are paid to make their products and services appear to be the best. Advertising is propaganda, but we know that (for the most part). But news is supposed to at least have the goal of objectivity, to present facts without attempting to “steer” the consumer of the news in one direction or the other. State owned media is a necessity for autocrats and dictators. One of the first thing that happens when a dictator takes power is that they exterminate objective news agencies and put in place media that carries their version of truth and that only without criticism of their regime.
False prophets in the form of media outlets that spew propaganda and disinformation are on the rise across the world. Even our own Christian tradition has become part of the machine of propaganda and disinformation. But how can we discern which is true prophecy and which is false prophecy? They often look the same, they appear to be “news” or at least some form of objective commentary. So how can we possibly know?
Well actually it’s easier than you might think! Prophecy shows us a path to love, to mercy, to justice. False prophecy stirs fear, anger, and hate within us. Propaganda that promotes a particular point of view from a particular political perspective demonizes the other, paints all of the “other” with the same brush, makes no allowances for personal differences, and stirs contempt if not hatred of anyone who does not follow their view.
Our first reading today sums it up very well I think, “It seems to me that those who claim to be 'true' and 'bible believing' Christians and yet spend all their time and energy spreading unhappiness and hatred for others - and are themselves consumed by [hatred of others] - are by the very definition of the term - false prophets.” Could it be this simple?
Our gospel reading features Jesus teaching, “Watch out for false prophets… By their fruit you will recognize them… every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” If the result of an action called for by a prophecy promotes justice, mercy, healing, and love, then that is a true prophecy. But if a prophecy only points to division, violence, and hate, that is a false prophecy. Be especially aware of any point of view that suggests people resort to violence. Even if that kernel of truth in the lie is appealing, the call to violence is a dead giveaway.
Living in our media driven world is hard. Discerning the will of God is hard work. And part of our duty as people of faith is to sort the so-called prophecy, the “news” and decide what is true and what is false. Understand that well-meaning people will often fall victim to false prophets but their words are still poison. Remember that in every great lie is a kernel of truth. And know deep within your heart the you will know false prophets by the fruit that their words produce.
The teachings of the humble rabbi from Galilee can always be our guide. When Simon Peter, the most dependable disciple of Jesus cut off the ear of one of the soldiers who came to arrest him in the garden where we was praying, Jesus did not yell, “Get ‘em boys!” He picked up the ear and reattached it to the soldier, healing him completely. The message from Jesus was clear, it was merciful, it promoted non-violence.
We are all battered by propaganda and misinformation daily. It is our job, our duty as people of faith to discern the prophets from the false prophets. As Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.”
Let us pray, Holy One give us hearts and minds that seek justice and long to do mercy. Keep us humble by reminding us to interrogate our own motives constantly. Help us understand that unless we hear your message of love for humanity and all creation we cannot regard those words as prophecy. Help us learn to love even the false prophets as we point to their error. In your many names we pray, Amen.
For a list of music suggested to meditate on for this service click the link bel0w: