What is the single greatest challenge facing the
Church in the Twenty-first Century?
Many
Christian thinkers believe that the biggest challenge is competent, visionary,
passionate leadership—by both laity and clergy.
Since strong leadership is so essential for the Church’s future vitality
and growth, I am going to offer a six-part sermon series exploring “Christian
Leadership.” The first three
messages will occur in September, with the second three coming later in the
fall. The first three leadership topics
explore the following areas:
1. September
13 “Who does God call to
leadership”
2. September
20 “The Essence of Christian
Leadership”
3. September
27 “The Roles of Power and
Vulnerability
in Christian Leadership”
It seems reasonable to ground our exploration of this question with one of the “call stories” in the Bible. These are accounts of how God called various persons to special leadership and ministry in the Bible. These call stories include:
Ø
Moses is called by God to lead the people of
Israel out of their slavery in Egypt.
See Exodus 3.
Ø
God calls David to become the next King of
Israel. See 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.
Ø
Isaiah is called to become a prophet, speaking
for God. See Isaiah 6.
Ø
Mary of Nazareth is called to be the mother of
Jesus. See Luke 1: 27-55.
Ø
Jesus calls the disciples to join him. See
Matthew 4: 18-22; Mark 1: 16-20; Luke 5: 1-11; and John 1: 35-51.
However, to explore the question of whom God calls
into leadership this weekend, I
will focus on 1 Samuel 3: 1-11.The story of Samuel’s call to leadership is set in the early years of Israel, just before the reign of Saul, who was the young nation’s very first king. During that period of history, Israel was led by the religious authorities, or priests. The scripture passage begins by noting that it was a period of spiritual bankruptcy: “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” (v. 2b) This suggests that there was a distance, perhaps a chasm, separating the people of Israel from God. In other words, the people did not experience the presence of the Divine in their lives; there was a form of spiritual bankruptcy which pervaded the society, casting a dark pall across the land. (As an aside, we might ask if the word of God is rare in our days?)
The Book of 1 Samuel begins with the account of how a woman named Hannah was unable to conceive and have a child for a very long period of time, even though she desperately wanted to have children. So Hannah prayed to God, asking for a son and promising that she and Elkanah, her husband, would dedicate him to God. Hannah and Elkanah eventually had a son, whom they named Samuel. True to their word, the couple dedicated their young son to God, placing him under the care of Eli, who was the chief priest and religious leader of Israel at the time.
Samuel spent his childhood, living and serving as an assistant to Eli. One night, when Samuel was about 12 years old, God called him to become the religious leader of Israel. The story in 1 Samuel 3: 2-9 takes place in Shiloh as Samuel is sleeping near the Ark of the Covenant in the “temple,” or tent sanctuary. Samuel’s mentor, the chief priest, Eli, is also sleeping nearby.
During the night, God
calls to Samuel. Thinking that it was
Eli who was calling for him, Samuel went to Eli and answered, “Here I am, for
you called me.” Eli, who was probably
wakened from a sound sleep by Samuel, reassured Samuel that he was fine and had
not called for him. So, thinking that he
had perhaps dreamed that he was being called, Samuel went back to his place by
the Ark of the Covenant and tried to get back to sleep.
Again, God called Samuel,
with the same result. And, a third time,
God called Samuel. On the third time, Eli
the priest realizes that Samuel is not just imagining things. Instead, Eli suspects that God is calling to
Samuel. So, if Samuel is again awakened by someone calling to him, then Eli instructs Samuel to
respond with the words, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
Sure enough, God calls to
Samuel a fourth time, and Samuel responds as Eli has suggested, saying: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” God then explains to Samuel that God has new,
exciting plans, saying: “See, I am about
to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it
tingle.” God has chosen Samuel to become
the next religious leader, after the priest Eli passes away.
Just as with all of the “call stories” in
the Bible, so also in this story. God has
a role for Samuel to play as a leader of God’s people. God bestows upon each of us a unique
constellation of gifts, talents, and expertise to serve in various ministries
within the church and beyond the church.
These constellations of gifts and talents means that God calls each of
us to positions of leadership in life, while at other times God calls
someone else to leadership and asks us to follow the leadership of that person.
In this first sermon on
Christian Leadership, I want to broaden our understanding of leadership beyond the
conventional assumptions. So, for me, Christian
Leadership would apply to a wide variety of contexts and circumstances both
within the church and beyond the church walls.
Christian Leadership would include the role of parents; the role of
schoolchildren on the playground; the way we conduct ourselves at our jobs, as
neighbors, as members of society. At
various times, all of us are thrust in positions, where we can become Christian
Leaders.
Come, join us this Sunday (September 13th),
as we begin this fascinating exploration of Christian leadership. Our church, Christ United Methodist Church,
is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and
11:00 on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted
because God loves us all.
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