Just about every morning I take a few moments to share in the online devotional, www.d365.org, and this morning’s devotional got me thinking about following.
As a pastor, one of the things that I am expected to do is lead. The congregation looks to me as the spiritual leader, those on the upper levels of the UMC at times invite me to be a part of the leadership. The voice inside me which holds expectations of myself calls me to be a leader.
At home I find myself being drawn to lead. Yes, it’s an egalitarian type of leadership where my wife and I work together to lead our family through life and spiritual matters, but at the same time there are some aspects of family leadership into which we’ve agreed that I’ll take the lead, and there are other aspects through which my wife takes the reins.
When I reflect upon who I am and who I perceive God has shaped me to be, I realize, and have for a long time, that God wants me to be a leader. I am reminded of this every time I get into a “teambuilding/ropes course” type of activity, where despite telling myself that I will refuse to take control and be directive, after 10 minutes of no one being decisive, like having to itch a scratch, I step in and do the very thing I said I wouldn’t do.
Leadership is important. In fact, leadership is necessary, and no matter who we are, we influence others. When I think about leadership I envision a continuum upon which each one of us can be placed. Some are natural born leaders and others avoid leading all together, but each of us influence one way or another. The key is to recognize and name what our influence is to whom we are leading.
This is especially important in the context of living out the faith, for when we live into who God calls us to become, we, either deliberately or inadvertently, affect the lives of those around us. We can lead others to Christ through our words and deeds, or we can turn folks off to the Lord by the same. We reveal or don’t reveal God’s love, depending on how we live, and we lead others down paths, which can be good or bad depending on which path we choose.
In this season of history in the United States, we are bombarded with messages about how one person is a better leader than another, and if this person is elected we’ll be a more powerful or prosperous nation. Depending on what color our political stripes are, we engage the message and are easily sucked into the image of the powerful leader. And yet, Jesus reveals a model of leadership which stands our world expectations on it’s head.
In Mark’s Gospel, but it can be found in all the Gospels, in fact the concept is foundational to the message of God in the Old and New Testaments, Jesus says, “If you want to be my follower, you must be a servant. In the Kingdom, the first will be last, and the last will be first.” This is quite a juxtaposition of leadership expectations, and yet when we reflect upon those leaders that have been most influential on our lives, especially our spiritual lives, Jesus’ model is most likely what we experienced in them.
I have a friend who served in the military, and as his career continued, they saw promise in him and put him on the officer track. As a result he headed out for a week away in intense training. He was a part of a covenant group that met weekly, and upon his return he shared with us that God had been at work in that week away. Specifically he spoke about the whole concept of the first being last and last first as illustrated in his experience.
He shared with us that before he left he decided that he was simply going to participate in the event. He did not want to take a lead in anything, and decided that he would avoid such situations if they were to arise. He went through the week, and as he shared with us, he thought he had done well to keep his promise to himself. He had not been called to present anything to the body, he didn’t take the lead on any aspect, and he simply experienced the event.
On the last day they gave out awards for the trainees who showed the greatest promise and who exhibited the best leadership skills. There were quite a few categories, but as often happens in such things they saved the category of “best leader” until last. His name was called.
It floored and confused him when his name was read, and so he asked the leadership of the event why he had been chosen. They named that it was because he led by serving. He was empowering and encouraging others behind the scenes, while also creating a group dynamic where the body excelled rather than any one person being the focus.
For him, and for the rest of us, we gained a deeper understanding of Christ’s call for the greatest to be the servant, because through servanthood, leadership is revealed and lived into.
As I think about the role of a leader, especially the role of being a leader to a congregation, I
realize that, if I am being a good leader, if we are being the leaders Christ needs us to be, then we will never be in the front, and I don’t take that word “never” lightly. No, if we are to lead, or even if we do not lead, and we are striving to remain faithful to God’s call, there will always be one whom we will follow. That one is the servant of all. The one whom the world placed last, and yet ascended to become the greatest, the One above all, in all, and through all, Jesus Christ.
Are you a leader? Are you following?
As a pastor, one of the things that I am expected to do is lead. The congregation looks to me as the spiritual leader, those on the upper levels of the UMC at times invite me to be a part of the leadership. The voice inside me which holds expectations of myself calls me to be a leader.
At home I find myself being drawn to lead. Yes, it’s an egalitarian type of leadership where my wife and I work together to lead our family through life and spiritual matters, but at the same time there are some aspects of family leadership into which we’ve agreed that I’ll take the lead, and there are other aspects through which my wife takes the reins.
When I reflect upon who I am and who I perceive God has shaped me to be, I realize, and have for a long time, that God wants me to be a leader. I am reminded of this every time I get into a “teambuilding/ropes course” type of activity, where despite telling myself that I will refuse to take control and be directive, after 10 minutes of no one being decisive, like having to itch a scratch, I step in and do the very thing I said I wouldn’t do.
Leadership is important. In fact, leadership is necessary, and no matter who we are, we influence others. When I think about leadership I envision a continuum upon which each one of us can be placed. Some are natural born leaders and others avoid leading all together, but each of us influence one way or another. The key is to recognize and name what our influence is to whom we are leading.This is especially important in the context of living out the faith, for when we live into who God calls us to become, we, either deliberately or inadvertently, affect the lives of those around us. We can lead others to Christ through our words and deeds, or we can turn folks off to the Lord by the same. We reveal or don’t reveal God’s love, depending on how we live, and we lead others down paths, which can be good or bad depending on which path we choose.
In this season of history in the United States, we are bombarded with messages about how one person is a better leader than another, and if this person is elected we’ll be a more powerful or prosperous nation. Depending on what color our political stripes are, we engage the message and are easily sucked into the image of the powerful leader. And yet, Jesus reveals a model of leadership which stands our world expectations on it’s head.
In Mark’s Gospel, but it can be found in all the Gospels, in fact the concept is foundational to the message of God in the Old and New Testaments, Jesus says, “If you want to be my follower, you must be a servant. In the Kingdom, the first will be last, and the last will be first.” This is quite a juxtaposition of leadership expectations, and yet when we reflect upon those leaders that have been most influential on our lives, especially our spiritual lives, Jesus’ model is most likely what we experienced in them.
I have a friend who served in the military, and as his career continued, they saw promise in him and put him on the officer track. As a result he headed out for a week away in intense training. He was a part of a covenant group that met weekly, and upon his return he shared with us that God had been at work in that week away. Specifically he spoke about the whole concept of the first being last and last first as illustrated in his experience.
He shared with us that before he left he decided that he was simply going to participate in the event. He did not want to take a lead in anything, and decided that he would avoid such situations if they were to arise. He went through the week, and as he shared with us, he thought he had done well to keep his promise to himself. He had not been called to present anything to the body, he didn’t take the lead on any aspect, and he simply experienced the event.
On the last day they gave out awards for the trainees who showed the greatest promise and who exhibited the best leadership skills. There were quite a few categories, but as often happens in such things they saved the category of “best leader” until last. His name was called.
It floored and confused him when his name was read, and so he asked the leadership of the event why he had been chosen. They named that it was because he led by serving. He was empowering and encouraging others behind the scenes, while also creating a group dynamic where the body excelled rather than any one person being the focus.
For him, and for the rest of us, we gained a deeper understanding of Christ’s call for the greatest to be the servant, because through servanthood, leadership is revealed and lived into.
As I think about the role of a leader, especially the role of being a leader to a congregation, I
realize that, if I am being a good leader, if we are being the leaders Christ needs us to be, then we will never be in the front, and I don’t take that word “never” lightly. No, if we are to lead, or even if we do not lead, and we are striving to remain faithful to God’s call, there will always be one whom we will follow. That one is the servant of all. The one whom the world placed last, and yet ascended to become the greatest, the One above all, in all, and through all, Jesus Christ. Are you a leader? Are you following?
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