Servant Leaders

Today's readings: Psalms 46 or 47; 149; Isaiah 65:13-16; Revelation 3:7-13; John 6:15-27

What would you do if the public wanted to crown you king or queen? Would you embrace it? Would you run away? Jesus chose the latter. After he fed thousands of people with just a few loaves and fishes, they wanted to make him king – by force if necessary. He escaped to the mountain to be alone.

When God told Isaiah he was to be a prophet, Isaiah resisted. He declared to God all the ways he felt unworthy of being God’s voice. Many (most?) of the prophets chronicled in the Bible resisted God’s call. As far back as Moses, who blamed his speech impediment and tried to push the job off on his brother Aaron – the people God has chosen to lead have shown reluctance.

When God knocks on the door, even to tell us we are fit to lead, we should be a little hesitant, maybe even fearful. The call is rarely easy. In his wisdom, God does not tend to choose leaders who are eager to embrace authority and power. Contrast this to our present-day system of secular leadership, where candidates spend millions of dollars telling you why they are unquestionably qualified for leadership, and their opponents barely deserve to participate in civil society. And religious leaders who seek power? We should always keep a critical eye on them.

Of course there are differences between people who seek power, and people who rise naturally to positions of leadership. For starters, the latter is much less common. The ability to acquire power is nothing like the ability to wield it wisely and justly. In hierarchical organizations, someone has to be at the top. The person who is the most eager, or eloquent, or assertive is not necessarily the best choice. The true sign of faithful leaders is a desire to serve not a term of office but the people who depend on them.

In God’s kingdom the last are first and the first are last. A true leader does not fear other leaders, but encourages them. A true leader does not control subjects, but empowers people. When we are called to leadership -  by God, people, or circumstance  - let us consider it humbly and prayerfully. When God calls us to lead, he calls us to serve.

Evening Psalms 27; 93 or 114

Humble Piety

Today's readings:  Psalms 46 or 47; 148; Isaiah 65:1-9; Revelation 3:1-6; John 6:1-14

The Gospels may be "The Good News," but a lot of Jesus' message is old hat. Centuries before Jesus taught people of his day that true obedience to God means embodying a spirit of mercy and justice - rather than mercilessly following the letter of the law - Old Testament prophets had tried to deliver the same message. Isaiah told the exiled nation of Israel she had lost God's favor because of her "holier than thou" attitude (not even paraphrasing - see Isaiah 65:5). Their burnt offerings, once a pleasing fragrance, became a stench in God's nostrils as they substituted outward piety for love and mercy.

Flash forward 800 years, and no one seems to have learned anything. The occupying force may have changed from Babylon to Rome, but the Jewish people still needed to hear they were like whitewashed tombs - dressed up on the outside, but decaying inside (Matt 23:27). Flash forward another millenium or two and - no surprise - followers of Jesus need to hear we might be a little too focused on displays of piety and not enough on mercy. Who are the prophets of the message this time? Certainly many voices from within the church, but more telling are the voices of outsiders looking in. Surveys consistently reveal that non-Christians perceive Christians as hypocritical and judgmental. When non-believers are filling in for Isaiah and Jesus, it's time to take note.

Misplaced piety seems to be a chronic condition of the faithful. And lest we begin to feel too superior for reigning in our own pious impulses ... that's a form of it also. The good (old) news is that prophets speak because there is always hope we will listen and change our ways. Sowing mercy and justice is challenging work. It's much more comfortable to check off lists and to follow familiar rules than to listen to the voices telling us we need to reevaluate what we think God wants from us - especially when that might mean others will look down on us. When we feel challenged, "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches" (Rev 3:6).

Evening readings: Psalms 27; 93 or 114

Bread: Different Slices

Today's readings: Psalms 97, 146; Deuteronomy 8:1-3; Colossians 1:1-14; John 6:30-33, 48-51

Scripture is multi-layered. For example, when we think of bread in a Biblical context, many interrelated images come to mind. First and foremost is Jesus as the bread of life, as mentioned in today's reading from John (v 32). There's also the story of manna - the "bread from heaven" that God sent to feed the Israelites as they wandered the desert; this is mentioned in John and also in our reading from Deuteronomy. The author of Deuteronomy says manna was sent not just for survival, but to teach God's people "that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (v 3). If we bounce this idea against John's  description of Jesus as the Logos - the Word of God made flesh - we come full circle in understanding that God has always been providing for our physical needs, while teaching us we are more than merely the sum of those needs.

If scripture is multi-layered, human beings are even more so, processing our lives in many ways at the same time. We are constantly aware of our need for physical bread - that is, anything that serves and sustains our physical bodies. But our souls long for another kind of nourishment, a spiritual nourishment that helps us find meaning and make sense of the world. And sometimes these seem to be at odds.

Some of us find meaning and sense in reason, in the chemistry of the bread recipe and the laws of nature that explain why the bread rises. Others find them in faith, in the eternal truths about love, mercy and grace that defy any recipe or calculation. Unfortunately, many people feel they must choose one or the other, and buy into the idea that a gap exists between them. But scripture tells us one does not live by ordinary bread alone: that use of "alone" indicates we need both types of bread in our lives - one to sustain our mortal lives and the other to feed us for eternal life. Both are from God, and both represent  realities we live in as children of God. Too much or not enough of either, and we fail to live fully. A well-balanced diet of faith and reason keeps our intellects and spirits healthy.

Evening readings: Psalms 27, 93h

And Justice For All

Today's readings: Psalms 72; 145; Isaiah 49:1-7; Revelation 21:22-27; Matthew 12:14-21

The Gospels cite many passages from the Old Testament, particularly the prophets. Today’s reading from Matthew cites four verses from Isaiah which describe the humble way in which Jesus undertakes his mission of justice and mercy. The words originally applied to the exiled nation of Israel, similarly called by God to be a light to the world.

This call to justice is interesting, because it can be applied both internally and externally. Internally, Jesus is reminding the Jews that God desires mercy above sacrifice (he has just been condemned by religious leaders for committing the “sin” of performing a healing on the Sabbath). Externally, his message of justice for everyone is a thorn in the side of the Roman empire. No one is blameless, but all are worth redeeming.

It’s good to keep that thought in mind as we navigate through the modern world as well. When we perceive ourselves as the victims or the oppressed, it can be easy to overlook our own shortcomings. For evidence of this we can look to Washington, where each political party, once it takes power, attempts to justify behavior it has recently condemned in the other. Or we can look to the Christian church in America: as Americans become more diverse in belief and unbelief, many Christians mistake someone else’s free speech for an erosion of their own rights, and - ironically - attempt to clamp down on religious liberties. When the oppressed eventually find themselves in the position to oppress, our lesser nature usually asserts itself.

How can we avoid that trap? One way is to always focus on justice for others while we are seeking justice for ourselves. Martin Luther King famously said “"if one of us is not free, then none of us are truly free." Being oppressed by the Romans didn’t make the Jews more merciful to their own widows and orphans, so we should not assume that because we are oppressed we must be in the right, individually or as a group.

When Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies it is not just to adjust their attitude towards us, but equally to soften our hearts toward them.

Evening readings: Psalms 100; 67

Dressing Up For Jesus

Today's readings: Psalms 99; 150; Kings 3:5-14; Colossians 3:12-17; John 6:41-47

“The clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.”

- Mark Twain

As Christians we try not to judge others by appearances, but like it or not appearances matter. Even if we are not judging, we are being judged. Should we care? Not if we are judged for having the wrong handbag or shoes, but we should be concerned if we appear to lack the traits that mark a Christian.

If someone claims to be a professional mountain climber, yet lacks all the basic equipment, that person appears to be delusional or a liar. If we claim to have Jesus in our hearts yet our lives show no outward signs, we will be judged. While there’s nothing wrong with a Jesus fish on your bumper, a scripture quote in your email signature, or a t-shirt declaring you have been saved, these things don’t really show people you are following Christ any more than a subscription to Popular Science tells people you deserve a Nobel prize in physics.

Paul tells us what Christian garments look like: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love (Col 3:12,14). “Dressing for success” in God’s kingdom – unlike the workplace, social club or evening of speed dating – is not about promoting ourselves, but about promoting others. Whether we are wearing designer fashions or ragged hand-me-downs, our spiritual garments shine through. If we are spiritually “naked,” no John 3:16 coffee mug or collection of Sunday bulletins is going to convince someone otherwise.

Our spiritual appearance does affect society. It tells both individuals and the world whether they should expect Christians to be hypocrites or authentic followers of Christ. If we claim a salvation that frees us from guilt but does not otherwise transform us, the world soon sees the emperor has no clothes. The garment that says the most about us is not the one that makes us seem respectable or pious, but the one we give to someone in need.

Evening readings: Psalms 96; 110