Issue 38 Hidden Treasures in the Minor ProphetsBlog | In the silence: longing for more
In the silence: longing for more
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 31.03.24
I think I met a minor prophet recently. We were on a panel together in Washington DC discussing the power of prayer in public life, right in the heart of the US capital. His name was Barry Black, the much respected chaplain to the US Senate for more than twenty years.
I t’s hard to pin down his minor prophet status. When the United States was paralysed in 2013 because Congress couldn’t agree on a budget, he famously prayed ‘Strengthen our weakness, replacing cynicism with faith and cowardice with courage.’
Two days later he prayed, ‘Save us from the madness. We acknowledge our transgressions, our shortcomings, our smugness, our selfishness and our pride... Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable.’
Like the best of Old Testament prophets, Black spoke openly about justice and the heart of God. As the first person of colour to be Chaplain to the Senate, he f its the bill of someone most unlikely to speak truth to power. But then again Chaplain Black has been said to have the voice of God. Or rather his rich baritone voice is what people think God would sound like. A minor prophet indeed, and deeply rooted in Scripture.
Other themes from the Minor Prophets were explored during this event called ‘For the Good of the Public’. Any one of the Old Testament luminaries might have felt right at home on the stage. Topics included ‘What the black church offers society today’, ‘Challenging the death penalty’, ‘What a pluralistic nation needs from Christians’, and ‘Christianity and a healthier politics.’
