Isaiah: A Hammer of Love

I don't know many prophets, and the ones I would call "prophetic" I don't like hanging around for too long. They are so intense and focussed. They are almost always way more serious about life than I am. I was recently at a meeting where Dr. Tony Campolo spoke. He's kind of a prophet for our day. Whenever you go into a meeting where he's speaking, you know where he is going to go: to justice issues and the plight of the poor and the ambivalence of the rich. I've heard Tony's talks for 20 years. The wars change, but his call for peacemaking and justice remains constant...and troubling.
Prophets are that way. On Sunday March 5th we will be looking at the life of the prophet Isaiah. I think Isaiah would make Tony look sleepy. Isaiah thundered and boomed. Isaiah spoke directly to the seats of power and authority. Isaiah faced off with the religious leaders of his day. So I'm not sure which image on the altar speaks of Isaiah most clearly: the big hammer or the prickly cactus plant. Either one would get our attention real fast!
God gave prophets as gifts to his people like we have alarm clocks as gifts to our careers; they wake us up so se can go to work. Prophets woke people up for God, so they could go to work for him.