The truth can be that way. It is something Andrew (“Ender”) Wiggin, having dealt with some very harsh truths about his own actions, came to know in the most personal way. And that truth-struggle led to his chosen profession: Speaker for the Dead.
In the novel, “Speaker for the Dead,” Ender is no longer the little boy and military genius who was the central figure of “Ender’s Game.” He is now an adult, and he travels around as a sort of professional eulogizer. He is hired to investigate the life of a deceased person; to try to understand them before speaking about them.
Speaking at a funeral or memorial service can be quite challenging. Preachers and Pastors usually officiate, but it’s often a friend or family member who gives the eulogy; someone who actually knew the deceased. We expect that person to share wonderful, sometimes humorous, stories; to celebrate the life and accomplishments of the deceased.
A Speaker for the Dead, though, is different from what we would be comfortable with. A Speaker for the Dead doesn’t just praise the deceased. They leave out nothing. Using honest —even blunt— terms, the Speaker for the Dead speaks to all parts of a person’s life: the good, the bad, and, yes, the ugly.
Telling the whole truth? Well, parts could be good, but other parts would be uncomfortable. And, yes, some would definitely be painful.
If this is beginning to sound a bit like an Old Testament Prophet to you, give yourself a gold star. Those folks had to speak the truth —often bluntly— about the people of Israel, its community leaders, and its spiritual leaders. Sometimes there was good and sometimes there was bad ... and sometimes there was ugly.
This week’s selection from Isaiah 6 contains some harsh truths that God directed Isaiah to pass on to the people of Israel. The message? God is about to end them as a nation; to send a conqueror that will kill many of them, to exile the few survivors to a foreign land, and to make the very soil barren.
It’s harsh. But in God’s view, the people of Israel have earned this (see Chapter 5) because they mistreated those who were in need; denied justice to the powerless, exploited the lowly.
Isaiah was a Speaker for the almost Dead.
Unlike a modern eulogy, he spoke the whole truth to them; something they needed to hear. But because he spoke of future events —ahead of the nation’s demise— there was still time for people to repent.
Praise God, we no longer live under the strictures of the Law of Moses. But, even though we believers can depend on God’s assurance that “mercy triumphs justice,” don’t think for a minute we can mistreat our poor and powerless without negative result.
Our actions influence what is said about us. Because we know these things, we get some “say” in what words are spoken. Let’s give them something to talk about.
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PHOTO: (How to Give A Jewish Eulogy) https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/eulogy-or-hesped/
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (February 10, 2019)
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu//texts.php?id=111
Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
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Can you be with us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast? We meet at the Waco “Egg and I” restaurant starting at 8:00. It’s an hour of Bible, discussion, breakfast, prayer, and laughter. There’s nothing quite like it.
Blessings,
Steve
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