A Prophet for Today

I am reading The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus by Peter J. Gomes. It is a Very Good book. The Newsweek blurb on the front sums it up nicely: “Gnomes is an iconoclast, and his book is an alternately eloquent and folksy attack on everybody who’s sure of the right answer.” Because he is “alternately eloquent and folksy” the book is very easy to read. Because he attacks “everybody who’s sure of the right answer” it is very hard to read. Gnomes is a prophet and speaks with a prophetic voice to the church and culture today.

And . . . Rev. Gnomes died within 48 hours of my ordering his book. It hadn’t even arrived in my mail. Because, to my embarrassment, I had never heard of him before, as I have read, I have felt something I don’t feel about other authors, and I was having a hard time putting a word to it. Now I think I have it. It is an old word. One we don’t use very often any more. I am “bereft”.

Bereft of the opportunity to read his next book ~ although there are plenty of older ones I still have to read. Bereft of the opportunity to find his website or email and send him a note saying Thank You for this book. Bereft of the possibility that we just might end up at the same convention or conference and I would be able to speak to him, walk alongside him, share ideas in person.

It is an interesting feeling adding a certain depth to my reading. I hope I may hold on to it long enough to do justice at least in part to Peter Gomes’ vision for church, culture and possibilities for the Gospel today. ~ with blessings