Rev. Dr. B. Kevin Smalls

We are thrilled to welcome the writing of Rev. Dr. B. Kevin Smalls for the Preaching Notes for this worship series. Dr. Smalls is senior pastor of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Michigan, and an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church. Click here to read more about Dr. Smalls.

As a pastor, I have sat in between more than a few marital couples that have been at odds. It is a sad thing to witness a marriage that is in trouble. It is embarrassing; it is shameful to the couple; and it is some of the deepest pain imaginable. Conflict, especially the type of conflict that challenges trust and breaks hearts, is a rough patch for all close to the matter.

In fact, handling the subject of marriage homiletically, can be a real trigger for people, depending on their experience and a slippery slope for the preacher to navigate. It is in these experiences that we learn of gut-wrenching, deep sorrow, and grief. When marriages are tried, couples lose a certain level of innocence and fantasy about their relationship. Yet, it is an opportunity for them to grow deeper in faith, love, and commitment.

For this reason, there is no wonder God uses, on more than one occasion, the metaphor of marriage when it comes to describing the bruised relationships between him and the people of Israel. The focus is on how God has no desire to abandon the people, but there are consequences, miserable consequences for such abandonment. God is not in a position to be undervalued, forgotten, or victimized by infidelity. We have clear data on how God is relational, and humanity has a roll to honor the relationship. In this “honoring,” the great vision of humanity is realized. All will be fed; all will be taken care of; there will be no injustice; there will be no classism and racism. There will be neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free. But until then, God has to contend with a “bride” that is walking out of God’s life.

To avoid this disaster, God raises up a leader, a prophet, a spokesperson who has enough spiritual depth to see, hear, and feel the disturbance in God’s voice and the suffering among God’s people.

These prophets with whom we’ve traveled this season have all concluded their ministry. Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Jeremiah have spent time healing, pleading, loving, and weeping for a lost people֫—a people whose personal deterioration led to communal suffering.

God can’t be pleased at where we are in these moments. God can’t be pleased with ill treatment of those seeking refuge. God can’t be pleased with the hatred of people because of their color. God can’t be pleased with people not caring for the sick. God can’t be pleased with increasing poverty and decreasing opportunities for people to change their destiny. God can’t be pleased with a people who have displaced him with other gods, like bureaucracy, Christian nationalism, exclusivity, self-righteousness, greed, and religious abandonment of mission and service. There is still a plumbline hanging from the wall. There is still a summer fruit basket in the narthex of our churches. There is still a vineyard with only wild grapes. There is still a fig tree with good fruit threatened by bad fruit.

The question is, “Is there a prophet around?” What a tragedy it would be to glance at the margins and see no sign of a prophet. Whatever shall we do?