Anniversary Vigil
People gather for a sunrise prayer vigil for democracy on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 6, 2023, on the second anniversary of the insurrection. (Photo courtesy of the Baptist Joint Committee)
November 3, 2023
Vigil is a prophetic task, a task that calls out sin, calls for repentance, and calls forth hope. [1] The prophets’ vision of God and of shalom enabled them to keep an eye out for evil, naming it and declaring God’s judgement upon it. They do this, calling for change, in the context of hope that God is at work to overcome evil with good, directly through the Spirit and indirectly through the nonviolent resistance of people and movements.
I am studying Micah as a lens for seeing this prophetic task. I have chosen Micah because of Walter Brueggemann’s belief that it is a focal text for connecting God’s work in history with God’s work now. He calls Micah “a script for truth telling,” and truth telling is the first movement in prophetic task. [2] Through the lens of Micah, here are some key ancient truths for modern times.
First, evil is systemic—that is, it is a collusion among economic, political, educational, judicial, and religious leaders to promote pervasive injustice (elitism, inequity, and exclusion) through ways and means that oppress people. Far from being haphazard, it is a carefully designed and executed plan carried out over a long period of time, rventually reaching a tipping point of intolerable attitudes (arrogance) and actions (subjugation). The first three chapters of Micah describe evil in detail.
Second, evil is deceptive. It falsely alleges that its leaders and actions are “of God” (reflective of God’s will and recipients of God’s blessing). In fact, oligarchy can only survive by wrapping itself in religiosity. National greatness (actually, the opposite of it) must be alleged to be godly; otherwise, it does not stand a chance of succeeding. Micah exposes false righteousness in 3:11b.
Third, evil is a minority reality, but one intent on its preservation. The system is never larger than the citizenry. But through collective bullying (“sound and fury signifying nothing”) the few seek to dominate. Theological dominionism and political fascism are the meat and drink of despots, and fattened by such fuel, they work night and day to undermine democracy in government, diversity in education, and the common good. Micah lays this bare in 2:1.
All three forms of evil are in play today. “Corporate-mentality” executives, MAGA politicians, anti-diversity educators, billionaire-made (and bought-off) judges, and Christian (not really) nationalists are destroying this country and seeking to do the same elsewhere in the world. [3] Together they tell “The Big Lie” that their fallen-world way of life is good. Naming this evil for what it is through sustained truth telling is the first task of prophetic vigil. Micah tells us so.
[1] Walter Brueggemann, ‘Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks (Eerdmans, 2014).
[2] Walter Brueggemann, ‘From Judgment to Hope’ WHK, 2019, 73.
[3] David P. Gushee, ‘Defending Christianity From Its Christian Enemies’ (Eerdmans, 2023).