Good Morning Friends,
Maybe we are more concerned about appearing Christian than we are with being the Christian God designed us to be. Oh, it is not necessarily a sin to be handsome or beautiful physically. But if we are going to have any successes in ministry, whatever our calling, it has got to be real. There is no substitute for that. The thing is that we I our culture can go to great extents to keep our Christian reputation and hide our cultural sin of pride and prejudice forgetting the gift inside each of us waiting to be unwrapped. You see society is in pursuit of perfect bodies hiding away those who might offend the sensibilities of the privileged. Oh, there are exceptions, and the Para Olympics is an example that we are making progress, but for the most part those who are sick or poor or have disabling conditions and even those who are completely normal do not always promote the cultural obsession of looking better than we are really. And this goes for ministers and lay leaders too. Now the problem here is that there are characteristics of who should lead our churches that conflicts with our cultural bias. The selection process is well established in scripture which I will not reference in detail today. You can look it up, but I do want to give some serious thought to the issue as it relates to the next generation. So, What Is The Perfect Appearance Of A Christian Leader?
Scripture: One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Luke 7:36-50 (NRSV)
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (NRSV)
Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1 Timothy 4:12-16 (NRSV)
Message: Working for years developing programs, supports, and services for and with people with disabilities and in service to the people of Immokalee taught me that human beings often see and judge others by appearances and really miss an opportunity to extend grace. Often people would miss the unique and amazingly valuable creations of God because the human eye too often fails to see the promise and beauty of what is on the inside. It is a gift to be able to see…to be willing to see the whole person as Jesus did with the woman in today’s Gospel reading. Part of the problem is that human nature, wounded by sin, is marked by limitations. There are silent objections and prejudices about those who have a life characterized by serious physical limitations or even race…think of the Samaritan Woman at the well. And this is true for other characteristics as well. In an age when care for one’s body has become an obsession and a big business, anything seemingly imperfect must be hidden away, since it threatens the happiness and serenity of the privileged few and endangers the dominant model. We forget that each of us, sooner or later, will be called to face – at times painfully – frailty and illness, both in our own lives and those of others. There is this thought that people who are sick or disabled cannot be happy, since they cannot live the lifestyle held up by the culture of pleasure and entertainment. But friends, that is not true. That such persons should best be kept apart so that they do not hold back the pace of a false well-being in others misses the mark. I figure that what God is looking for in us and in Christian leaders is what I began to discover in the hearts of individuals with disabilities and the people of Immokalee. The language changed some over the years to recognize that we all should be looking for the heart of each other with greater inclusion. Our default is of course to look to the outside. But all that is about perspective, for beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, today as I am thinking about this topic and the next chapter in our lives, I am remembering the love of God that allows people to be warmed by it and to be changed by it with no discrimination. People that we allow to become part of our lives. So today I remember a young malnourished black girl found in a chicken coop in Alabama and think about her not willing to give up. I think about man who spent most of his life in an institution having never committed a crime and even though he mopped the floors every day without pay, he had no animosity in his heart. I think about one of the kindest men I ever knew and grieve that too few discovered it because he was always rocking back and forth touching his fingertips in rhythm to the rocking. So today I would hope we could learn that beauty is really reflecting the love of Christ. And that this is especially true for our leaders hoping to change the next generation for social change.
And So, you can find authentic spiritual leadership in unexpected places, but you must look below the surface and have faith. So,
if you have a calling to minister, and hopefully we all do, be of sober mind about it. This is serious business using the gifts we have been given in a way that makes a difference. Know that most people are looking for leadership in the wrong ways and instead need to be looking for Jesus in the gifts of people. There is always some bias. The better way to be properly judged though, by both God and people, is to ensure both our hearts and our actions align properly with God’s perfect will. Maybe not always so easy. But friends, there is a healing in the dignity of love. When we love. The perfect appearance of a Christian leader therefore is one who has Jesus as a substitute not only before the Father and judgement but in all actions to God’s glory. They are willing to see people and love them. Their mark is not the number of their followers, but how they attract and intentionally develop the next generation of leaders. So, the church today needs to understand what makes a great leader in God’s eyes. Since leadership works, to get great results we need to define, develop, and deploy great leaders. The reality is that good leadership produces good results and bad leadership produces bad results. We have been given the example of this in Jesus Christ, who was unalterably committed to achieving His mission for a good result in each of us. Friends, great leadership requires an understanding of our mission and an unyielding commitment of faithfulness to it. Great leadership takes care of others with great love.
Pray during these changing times that
we look beyond outward appearances to a person’s heart and character. Pray we see the perfect imperfections of how God uses people for a holy purpose. Pray we do not rush to judge. Pray we thank God for His grace and mercy and the blessings we receive and can share. Pray we prepare ourselves to dress up our insides… to look with a sensitivity into the hearts of others. Pray we listen to the amazing stories of others. Pray we take a stand for the truth. Pray we do not grow weary of doing good. Pray we realize that the Church has a responsibility to minister to its members. Pray we look to God trusting that our Lord has our best interests at heart. Pray our hearts are ready to love. Pray our hearts are pure. Pray we exercise our spiritual muscle for those who have lost the control of their physical muscles. Pray that we learn to love the vulnerable. Pray we realize we need each other’s gifts matured so that we might collectively appear more like the body of believers Christ intended. Pray we are surrounded by great leaders who intentionally reproduce themselves for a positive outcome in the lives of the next generation.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 