Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” – Ezekiel 4:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 25, 2017) Ezekiel 4

Some years ago I had a pastor friend who loved to be put in positions where he was expected to act pastorally.  He seldom did (but I think he knew how). His point was that so much that was expected from a pastor or a spiritual leader seemed so arbitrary.  Even our whole image of church and God tends to suffer from what might be called a righteous expectation. The church appears to be expected to be a place of high culture – but that was not the image of the followers of God in the Bible.

Biblically, the people of God (especially those we would call spiritual leaders) were a people with a message. They had something to say, and they spoke the words.  Often the message seemed to come out in an original (we might even say entertaining) way. They weren’t always especially respectable or dignified – especially if the leader was a guy named Ezekiel. (Remember, in school Ezekiel would have probably been the guy who liked to stick French Fries up his nose to elicit a reaction).

Once again, God gives Ezekiel a message.  Israel has been defeated – but the worst is still yet to come. The relative peace that the city was experiencing was not going to last. Something was about to happen, and the city was going to be surrounded and cut off.  The people needed to be prepared.  So Ezekiel was instructed to make simple cakes – with limited water – and to cook the meal over human excrement. The simple meaning within the action was that a time was coming when the most respectable among his audience would be willing to do the unthinkable.  The time had arrived to get ready.

So why do we, the Christian Church, have such a strong desire to be respectable. All we are is a people with an unchanging message – charged with using whatever method we have available to us to get the word out. And sometimes respectability just gets in the way. God exists, and he is interested in and loves you.  How can you communicate that message today?

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 5