Session 6 - William Willimon (Workshop breakout)

Notes from this session:

- We are right to see the prophets of Israel as a model for us

- A prophet in the biblical tradition is somebody who has uncommon access to God's will and God's purpose that seem to remain hidden to other people, often during times of national crisis

- Their words are often out of sync with the local community during crisis

- The prophets dared to bring a living God to speech

- The prophets really believe that Israel can change, and they call them to do so

- No area of life is excluded from the purview of the prophet - they talk about justice, poverty, etc

- There is no separation between the sacred and the secular - God owns it all and has an opinion on everything

- The prophets tend to read history morally

- The community asks "does war work? Is it effective?" The prophets ask instead "is it right?"

- Prophetic preaching worries more about listening to and speaking for God than about what the listeners think - we must love God more than our congregations

- We have a God who refuses to recognize our boundaries

- The only reason a prophet speaks is because God speaks

- There is no reason to be preaching unless you are externally authorized to do so

- God is interested in and wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives - Willimon has a Jewish friend who says (referring to the Law) - "any God who doesn't tell you what to do with your pots, your pans, and your genitals is not worth worshipping."

- Everything is brought into the sphere of God's influence - there is no compartmentalization

My takeaways (still processing...)

1. Every time I speak for God (preach), is it because God has given me a word for His people? I pray this is always the case.

2. There is no part of our lives that God has no interest in. Every part, every aspect, every relationship, every word spoken and thought that passes through our mind is of interest to God. No compartmentalization allowed in the life of a disciple of Jesus.

3. Instead of asking "does it work" and "is it effective" alone, I must also look to God's Word and ask "is it right?"

4. Do I love God and speak His word boldly, despite what others think? Are my words His words to His people? Is He pleased with what I say?