SUNDAY, APRIL 17
READ MARK 10:42-45
MARK 10:42 But Yeshua called them to him and said to them, “You know that among the Goyim, those who are supposed to rule them become tyrants, and their superiors become dictators. 43 But among you, it must not be like that! On the contrary, whoever among you wants to be a leader must be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must become everyone’s slave! 45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve — and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Muse a while on the seeming oxymoron of “servant leadership.” We have lost the shock value of Jesus’ words and actions that specify that true leadership involves serving others, not ruling them. Yet, in many ways we have reversed Jesus’ reversal by accepting the term servant leader but reinvesting it with the trappings of power and privilege. We are all familiar with the title of the supreme pontiff of Rome, “servant of the servants of God.” While we rightly praise humble pontiffs, in actual fact the position is vested with authority and power not much different from the authority and power of any political leader.
Protestants can easily become self-righteous, noting with disapproval the pomp, power, and privilege accorded the “servant of the servants of God.” But haven’t we done the same? We have avoided the term “servant of the servants of God,” but don’t we give greater authority and veneration to supervisory leaders than to pastors? In United Methodist circles, bishops are no longer called by name but by title. And don’t we value serving affluent churches more than poor churches? Why are our most effective pastors sent to big churches as reward for doing well, rather than to our poorest churches where they might help the church grow? If we truly valued servant leadership, wouldn’t pastors vie for appointments to rural or inner city or poor churches where leadership would indeed be sacrificial? In Mark 10 Jesus explicitly reverses the social position of leader from a place of power to a place of sacrificial service, even to a place he calls slavery. His crucifixion sealed this reversal where the Highest suffered with the most lowly for the sake of saving the lowly. We are followers of Christ.
How do we guard against the dangers of pride of place when we choose where we want to serve?[Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki]
Our mailing address is:
Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
READ MARK 10:42-45
MARK 10:42 But Yeshua called them to him and said to them, “You know that among the Goyim, those who are supposed to rule them become tyrants, and their superiors become dictators. 43 But among you, it must not be like that! On the contrary, whoever among you wants to be a leader must be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must become everyone’s slave! 45 For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve — and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Muse a while on the seeming oxymoron of “servant leadership.” We have lost the shock value of Jesus’ words and actions that specify that true leadership involves serving others, not ruling them. Yet, in many ways we have reversed Jesus’ reversal by accepting the term servant leader but reinvesting it with the trappings of power and privilege. We are all familiar with the title of the supreme pontiff of Rome, “servant of the servants of God.” While we rightly praise humble pontiffs, in actual fact the position is vested with authority and power not much different from the authority and power of any political leader.
Protestants can easily become self-righteous, noting with disapproval the pomp, power, and privilege accorded the “servant of the servants of God.” But haven’t we done the same? We have avoided the term “servant of the servants of God,” but don’t we give greater authority and veneration to supervisory leaders than to pastors? In United Methodist circles, bishops are no longer called by name but by title. And don’t we value serving affluent churches more than poor churches? Why are our most effective pastors sent to big churches as reward for doing well, rather than to our poorest churches where they might help the church grow? If we truly valued servant leadership, wouldn’t pastors vie for appointments to rural or inner city or poor churches where leadership would indeed be sacrificial? In Mark 10 Jesus explicitly reverses the social position of leader from a place of power to a place of sacrificial service, even to a place he calls slavery. His crucifixion sealed this reversal where the Highest suffered with the most lowly for the sake of saving the lowly. We are followers of Christ.
How do we guard against the dangers of pride of place when we choose where we want to serve?[Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki]
Our mailing address is:
Upper Room Strategic Initiatives
PO Box 340007
Nashville, Tennessee 37203, United States
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