From the Desk of a Deacon
Speaking Truth to Power
Earlier in June of this year, I was delighted to attend the Canadian National Conference of Deacons, held at the Sorrento Centre. As an Association, we meet together every three years. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to renew old acquaintances and to meet ordained Deacons from all across this vast and beautiful nation of ours.
The conference always introduces us to a keynote speaker and various workshops highlighting Diaconal ministry in its many forms. It brings us together in worship and the sharing of our spiritual and ministerial journeys.
The keynote speaker at this conference spoke eloquently about ministry “in and on the streets.” It was inspiring, encouraging, and a first-hand lesson on speaking truth to power.
Our speaker talked a great deal about speaking and preaching with a prophetic voice and I want to say something about what that might actually mean. This is not a concept most of us know a great deal about and if we do know about it, I am not sure that we are proficient at carrying out our ministries with a prophetic voice.
In general, speaking with a prophetic voice, centers around God’s divine revelation to humanity, which then becomes expressed through people who take up the message of God’s truth and speak truth into new contexts. There are other definitions out there, I am sure. However, I rather like this one because while speaking in this way is not easy, (and that’s an understatement) it feels to me as if it is an attainable goal. My personal belief is that the phrase, “speaking truth to power,” is the essence of the prophetic voice.
Anyone who speaks with a prophetic voice, especially to the issues of our time, is looking to make change happen in their context. Enacting real and lasting change occurs as people dare to promote and defend what is true, good and beautiful in a world that is broken, bleeding and in great pain. I have used the term “speaking truth.” The reality of that phrase can feel a bit beyond our understanding. After all how do we define the word truth. One of the limitations of a formal definition of truth is the inability to handle subjective values, such as goodness, beauty, justice and so forth. However, it is exactly these kinds of values that we mean when we speak about truth in the context of enacting meaningful change in society.
In case you are now alarmed and thinking that you do not have the skills to speak in this way, let me assure you that having a quiet voice, is perfectly acceptable. It is not important to be able to speak with the eloquence of a Martin Luther King Jr. It is only important to speak, when it is necessary, to try and effect change. A form of prophetic witness can often be effective without words. I do believe that the truth is more easily shown than narrated. Having something to say about finding the prophetic voice for our time is, for me at least, based on having endeavored, with God’s grace, to let my life speak.
In my own experience and observations, it seems to me that a prophetic life is one that is full of grace, grit, grief, and growth. I think there are five parts to living this kind of life, and each part needs to be absolutely grounded in God. The first part is seeking and waiting expectantly, being ready to change myself before I speak to others. The second part is discerning God’s call to speak when it is essential to speak, though it might be costly, challenging, or unpopular. The third is being willing to use our gifts and acknowledge them; being willing to live in the fullness of them with gladness, with joy, and also with humility. We need to recognize our own talents, own them and use them for the greater good.
The next stage is really living up to the light. This means actually being a prophet, and telling it like it is to whomever needs to hear what message needs to be shared. One does that by either actually speaking out or by setting an example of a life that can help change our individual corners of the world. So, I am asking all of us, are we ready to speak with a prophetic voice? Are we ready to challenge what is hurting where and how we live? Our Lord, spoke truth to power all the time, are we ready to do the same?
