union avenue christian church |
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New Things Declared Matthew 3:13 – 17; Isaiah 42:1 – 9 Years ago, I was privileged to attend a workshop in which Henri Nouwen was the leader. Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest from the Netherlands, was a prolific writer until his untimely death in 1996. Academic institutions around the world vied for his presence and teaching availability — all of which he gave up to work as an aide in a hospice care facility in Toronto. The day I heard him, he was speaking in a large auditorium filled with clergy. People from all over southern Michigan had gathered to hear this renowned priest. His presentation was outstanding. Then all the clergy-types moved to the dining rooms for lunch, and as I remember what seemed to be great ego flaunting…as probably happens in any large gathering of professionals. Sitting at a table of all men, I was minding my business – eating my lunch. Suddenly there appeared a small man – who took the seat next to mine, and began a wonderful conversation, in which I was able to hear about his recent return from Peru – where he had been on a mission that had changed his life. It was living with and serving the poorest of the poor that had caused him to make the decision to leave the world of academia and find another form of service and ministry. It seemed like an immense amount of time (and all of it sacred) before anyone else at the table recognized that Henri Nouwen was sitting at our table…and then just as suddenly as he arrived, he seemed to vanish. I was awed by being in the presence of such a servant-leader. In his book The Wounded Healer (1979. New York: Doubleday. P, 71) Nouwen describes the three principles of Christian leadership:
All of these principles, he claimed, are based on the conviction that since God has become human flesh in Jesus Christ, it is humans who have the power to lead others to freedom. And so we – as Christians – are called into servant-hood/servant leadership. Today’s passage from Isaiah is often used to describe or project onto Jesus …as the longed-for Messiah within Judaism…the mantle of servant-hood. However, scholars also believe this passage was written about an entire people – not just a description of one person. This passage clarifies and defines that mantle of servant leadership. We do not decide to be servants. God has chosen us for this task…and God (according to this scripture) delights in that choosing. Rather than considering our service as a burden, it truly is a privilege…to know that God has chosen us and is delighted in us. Therefore, we, too, should be delighted, excited and joy-filled because of that choice God has made. According to Isaiah, here is the scope of our work as servant: Bring forth justice to the nations…simple enough?! He also identifies some of our characteristics, behaviors and attitudes: we are not going to be loud-mouthed, raising our voices bringing attention to ourselves; we will not hurt anyone who is already hurting, or blow out any dimly lit hope. Rather, we are going to bring great light, open blinded eyes, release people from their own prisons. And throughout the process we will not grow faint or weary, or have to worry about being defeated or crushed. All because God has chosen us – found pleasure in that – and has put God’s own spirit within us. With the overwhelming job description of ‘bringing justice to the nations.’ It is comforting to know that God is filling us with God’s spirit in order that we might be able to accomplish our job. But, truly now…how many of us put on our 2005 resolutions – ‘bringing justice to the world’? But, IF we believe this is God’s desire, and IF we believe the prophet writing that indeed, God will fill us with the spirit to accomplish it…what is holding us back in either our dreaming or our achieving? I dare say our first concern might be in understanding the concept of justice. We hear folks use ‘justice’ to mean, “getting what people deserve.” Criminals are ‘brought to justice’ when they are incarcerated …or unfortunately when they are subjected to the death penalty. ‘Justice reigns’ when terrorists are caught or destroyed. Is that the justice that “the servant – whom God has chosen and in whom God delights” was to bring to the nations, to the world? No wonder people had a hard time connecting Jesus to the one they had longed for…for the centuries. And no wonder, we – as Christians …servant leaders – are fuzzy about our responsibility. Here’s the catch and the hope: God’s justice is much, much more than penance for wrongdoing. God’s justice, as lived out through the ministry of Jesus Christ, is always about giving people:
God’s justice is based on all people of this creation having life and having it abundantly. When that definition becomes our working definition of justice, how, then, are we able to fulfill the job description placed upon us as servants? Returning to Nouwen’s three-fold principles of Christian leadership — personal concern, faith in the value of life, hope which always looks for tomorrow — we might have a more manageable concept of our call to servant hood. Several people each day cross our paths who are in need of hearing about God’s justice…who need to know the love we have experienced (a love that has fanned the flame of our faith). Discrimination (based on skin color, gender, sexual orientation) keeps the need alive. Loneliness, grief, sorrow, pain, suffering and mere eking out existence keep people in the need of the message. • SW |
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