It seems to be a regular principle that prophets are not comfortable people, nor is their message very often comforting. But then again, telling the truth is more often uncomfortable than not, and being on the receiving end of truth is not always what we want to hear.

Recently when discussing ethics with some Yr5 children, I asked them, which would you prefer: lies from a friend or truth from an enemy? It proved to be a hard question to answer, and a lot to consider. Unpleasant truth from a friend may make us feel that they are suddenly our enemies, and it is only with hindsight and bitter experience that we find out they were right.

The usual cliché is “don’t shoot the messenger!” Perhaps rather than focussing on whether we like the message, maybe we could consider whether the messenger has proved trustworthy and honest, and whether they have a good heart. As we are discovering in our ethics classes, context is everything, and few things are as simple as they at first seem.

Why do I say this? Well, John the Baptist probably wasn’t the ideal house or dinner guest, and he would never ever say something nice to make you feel better. But he did speak the truth, and he was not afraid of the consequences of doing so. We think of Jesus as being a lot more comforting – and He was! But Jesus too was unafraid to tell people the truth – both the good and the bad.

What about us? When truth and honesty and integrity clash with culture, social expectations, and being “nice”, which will we choose? For me the answer is to ask where love is, and to follow that path, no matter how hard. The path which, when I look back into the eyes of those dearest to me, allows me to do so without shame.

Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight.

The Way is in our hearts. The Way is shown by Jesus. Let us make a straight path through the thornbushes of our hearts so He may come within and make His dwelling with us.

Revd. Talisker

Photo by Avery Evans on Unsplash