The Prophet: Tribute to Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.

The late Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel described the Prophet of God like this:
"The prophet is a man who feels fiercely. God has thrust a burden upon his soul, and he is bowed and stunned at man's fierce greed. Frightful is the agony of man; no human voice can convey its full terror. Prophecy is the voice that God has lent to the silent agony, a voice to the plundered poor, to the profaned riches of the world. It is a form of living, a crossing point of God and man. God is raging in the prophet's words."

We are living in a time hand made by God for the prophetic voice of Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. His life, his legacy, his gifts are what America needs to hear at this time in her turbulent history. When lesser prophets have been co-opted by the cooing of a Cash register Christianity or pacified by the allure of being in proximity of the first Black President we have a Man of God who stands with the Steel of the Holy Spirit strengthening his back. We need only tune our ears from Trash to Truth to be empowered by that "Certain Sound of the trumpet."

And then the late Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Proctor has said, "One of the preachers in Norfolk who influenced my life most when I was a boy pastored a neighboring church. He never was heard to say much; he never owned a car and yet was seen all over town with his umbrella, visiting the sick and helping people. He was the one person who gave significant tone to our little section of town. He finished Bucknell in 1917 and never had a chance to attend seminary. His academic preparation for ministry was done largely on his own. The few times I heard him preach, it sounded like the heavens had opened and God had leaned in the church windows, as the old folks used to say. When the idea first struck me that I was to preach, I wanted to be like Rev. Richard H. Bowling. It is still a goal for me. His life, his reputation gave authority to his sermons, and his trumpet always gave a certain sound. I would covet for every preacher the kind of response to preaching that Rev. Bowling enjoyed."

To the Magnetic North Pole of Prophetic Preaching Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., you are that Preacher for us! Thanks be to God for you!