Ten 20th Century Martyrs remembered over the great west door of Westminster Abbey, London. Photo by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

The thought behind the photo:
Prophets speak God’s truth to power, giving voice to people and situations without a voice. Their sacrificing perseverance makes way for awareness, compassion, justice and peace.

Pictured from left to right:
Maximilian Kolbe
Manche Masemola
Janani Luwum
Elizabeth of Russia
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Oscar Romero
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Esther John
Lucian Tapiedi
Wang Zhiming

These representative ten are drawn from every continent and many Christian denominations. They stand for all who have died and continue to die suffering from and/or working to end oppression and persecution. Unveiled July 9, 1998.

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 23:29-37 NRSV
Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

The December 21, 2013 devotion from http://umrethinkchurch.tumblr.com 
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 11:7-11, The Message
When John’s disciples left to report, Jesus started talking to the crowd about John. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A prophet? That’s right, a prophet! Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear. He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’ Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.”

Earlier in this chapter, we read that John the Baptist, upon hearing what Jesus had been doing [The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,] sent his own disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

Whatever this Jesus had been doing didn’t quite match up in John’s mind to what he had envisioned the messiah would do. Jesus, this man of God and prophet mighty in deed and word left John scratching his head, wondering if Jesus was the real deal.

Jesus, on the other hand, told the crowds that John was “Probably the best prophet you’ll ever hear.”

What would you expect from a prophet?

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Thank you Rethink Church for a great way to make preparing for Christmas more meaningful. Join me and thousands more in setting aside time to reflect, focus, and literally picture the deep themes of Jesus’ birth.

Click here for more information on Advent Photo-A-Day from Rethink Church.

Click here for a master list of links to my submissions. Lisa <><