Peace Lutheran – Called to be a Leader

9 July 2023

As most of you likely know, today is the last Sunday that Mary and I will be
worshiping with you for a while, as we head off to be full-time Arizona residents. We
have been truly blessed to be a part of Peace Lutheran for the past 15 years and have
been blown away by how welcoming you have been to us when from the very beginning
we have only worshiped with you about half of each year and as such haven’t been able
to take on responsibilities within our church that we would have loved to assume. I’ve
been blessed to have the opportunity to share thoughts with you from this pulpit a
couple of times, and it is especially meaningful to share with you one more time before
we head south.
I am not a theologian, but I’ve spent much of my life pondering what it means in
real life situations, in our daily life, to live as a follower of Christ. So rather than
speaking on the texts assigned for today, I am going to share with you some of the
aspects of living a Christ-like life I believe that over time God has placed on my heart.
From the sermon title you can logically assume that I’m passionate about leadership. I
wouldn’t be surprised if you are thinking that a talk on, “Called to be a Leader” would
be more appropriately delivered at a business conference somewhere rather than from
a pulpit. I believe, however, God IS calling each and every one of us to be a leader, so
please hear me out.
First of all, I need to establish my credibility on the subject. You wouldn’t waste
your time listening to someone who knew nothing about his topic, so let me assure you
that I am someone who knows about leadership. After all, with more than 30 years of
experience in school administration, I’ve had plenty of experience as a school leader.
I’ve read a lot about leadership. At one point I had more than 20 different books on
leadership in my personal library. I’ve taken graduate level university courses on
leadership. Shoot, I’ve got a doctorate, a PhD in Educational Leadership. So, when I talk

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about leadership, I know what I’m talking about. So, what is a leader? When I think of a
leader, I envision someone who can inspire large numbers of people to follow him. My
dictionary defines a leader as one in charge or in command of others or one who has
power or influence. This power may be the result of holding an elected position or
because of the extraordinary skills, knowledge, or abilities one possesses, or because of
one's charismatic personality. Whatever the source of this power, when we think of
leadership, we think of the power to control the actions of others. In fact, we often
speak of great leaders as powerful leaders - the movers and shakers, the shapers of the
world of the future – people who stand up, take charge and get things done.
Not bad so far, huh. See, I do know something about leadership. But all I’ve said
so far makes it even more confusing as to why someone would give a sermon on
leadership. You see, when I started looking a leadership from a Christian perspective, I
realized that the books I had read on leadership really didn’t apply. All of those degrees
behind my name were meaningless. All of my years of experience as a leader taught me
absolutely nothing. This morning I’m speaking about a different kind of leadership -
Christ-like leadership, something I KNOW each of us is called to take on.
I believe that Christ has called each and every person in this room to be a
leader. Scary, isn't it? Especially given our understanding of leadership - getting up in
front of people, telling them what to do. I’ll bet that if I asked for a show of hands as to
which of you defines yourself as the kind of leader I’ve described – powerful, taking
control, determining what others should be doing – very few of you would have your
hand in the air. Thank goodness that's not what God has in mind when he calls us to be
his leaders. Being a Christian leader probably isn't any easier than being a leader as
defined by Webster, but it certainly is different. You see, Christ equates leadership with
servanthood, not power.
When I shared with you from this pulpit last fall, I highlighted the fact that we
who consider ourselves Christians are called to be God's voice, God's compassion,

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God's hands and God's feet. In other words, we are called to serve others on behalf of
our savior. A Christ-like leader is one who accepts God's call by reaching out to others
in love - to care for others, to minister to others, to influence others to live as
Christians, and in the process, to change the world. By this definition a leader is a
servant, and conversely, a servant is a leader. That's exactly what Christ said in Luke
22:26, "Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who
serves." We're called to use whatever talents God has given us to reach out in love to
others becoming servant leaders by ministering to one another's needs.
So, what are the qualities of a Christ-like leader? I'd like to suggest several. The
first is self-denial. Probably in no other aspect is the difference between a secular leader
and a Christ-like leader more apparent. As a secular leader it would be natural for me
to take center stage. I choreograph the action to bring about my desired results. The
focus of attention is on what I accomplish. But as a Christ-like leader "I" must be
unimportant. My perception of my needs takes a back seat to service in the name of my
Lord. I must deny my worldly desires, take my cross and follow Him
Secondly, a Christ-like leader is able to love his neighbors. In John 15:17 Jesus
said, "This is my command: love each other." Did you pick up on the word,
"command"? It wasn't, "if you get a chance and it feels comfortable." And, it didn't say
to pick out some really nice people and love them. His COMMAND was all inclusive,
and I'm probably not alone in that I could name some people I'd put on a short list for
exclusion if Jesus ever amended this command somewhat. Christ loves me despite my
many, many shortcomings. As Christ-like leaders we are commanded to share His love
with others in exactly the same way as he evidences his love for us, unconditionally.
Thirdly, a Christ-like leader is generous, giving willingly and joyfully of himself -
his time, talents, money, and service. All too often we aren't completely honest about
what we have to give. We all know the section from Romans 12 which talks about the
fact that each of us was given unique talents and how important it is that we use these

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talents in God's service. I fear that all too often we underestimate the talents we have.
We sell God short if we don't give him credit for having enabled us to contribute to his
kingdom. God doesn't ask how many talents we have or how extraordinary they are.
He asks for faithfulness. If we are faithful in using the talents he has given us, he will be
faithful to bring our efforts to fruition.
A Christ-like leader is also humble. Humility is a really strange quality in that
once you are satisfied that you have the quality, you've lost it. You may be aware of the
country song that includes the lines, “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re
perfect in every way.” If you're like me you've probably used false humility to get out of
doing something you really didn't want to do anyway. "Oh, I couldn't possibly have what
it takes to do that." Some people believe that to be humble you must denigrate
yourself. True humility is not looking down on yourself, but looking up to Christ,
recognizing that it is not what I do, but what Christ does through me.
A Christ-like leader has faith in a living, personal God. Faith is an amazing thing.
It's not like gasoline which runs out when you use it, but like a muscle which gets
stronger when you exercise it. Faith is not believing that God can, it's knowing that he
will. While I like to believe that I have this kind of faith, I know that I disappoint my
God greatly when my faith is put to a test, and testing one's faith is the only way to
show that it exists. I'm reminded of the old story of a tourist who lost his footing at the
edge of the Grand Canyon and slipped over, but fortunately grabbing hold of a scrubby
bush on the way down. Filled with terror, he called out toward heaven, Is there anyone
up there?" A calm, powerful voice came out of the sky, "Yes, there is." The tourist
pleaded, "Can you help me?" The calm voice replied, "Yes, I can. What is your
problem?" "I fell over the cliff and am dangling in space holding onto a bush that is about
to let go. Please help me." The voice from above said, "OK. Do you believe?" "Yes,
yes, I believe!" "Do you have faith?" "Yes, yes. I have a strong faith." The calm voice
said, "Well, in that case, simply let loose of the bush and everything will turn out fine."

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There was a tense pause, then the tourist yelled, "Is there anyone else up there?" To
me the meaning of the much used saying, "Let go and let God," never had a more direct
application.
Finally, a Christ-like leader has hope for the future. Even though we may not
know what the future holds, we do know that God alone holds the future. Confidence
in that fact gives us hope for our future and for the success of our efforts to share that
hope with others. Everyone has hopes. Being from Yakima, I always hoped that the
Seattle Mariners would win a world series, but given their record in recent years that
hope is without confidence. With God we have reason to hope and confidence to act
on that hope. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
How could our hope be more solidly founded?
If these are the qualities of a Christ-like leader, what are the implications to the
way we live our lives? Clearly, we are to live our lives so that others see Christ in us.
We are exhorted in Titus 2:7 to "Show yourself in all respects a model of good deeds."
In Matthew 5:14-16 we read, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot
be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives
light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Pretty frightening, isn't it? We
are to live our lives as examples to others! I know that I fail often in this regard, and
that all too often what others see in me is not Christ. But Christ reminds us in 2
Corinthians 12:9 that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." He can use even my incredible weaknesses, and I know he can use yours.
I'm always amazed as I look at many of the characters in the Bible at the
seemingly ill-prepared misfits God chose to be his leaders. There was Moses, who went
kicking and fighting against God's call for him to accept the leadership role within the
people of Israel, speaking before the all-powerful Pharoh. Here he was, just a lowly
shepherd. David was another shepherd, just a kid, who hardly seemed to embody the

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qualities one would normally expect to find in a leader. How many of Christ's disciples
are characterized as the kind of leaders with whom a presidential candidate would
surround himself? Fortunately, God doesn't see us as we see ourselves. In 1 Samuel
16:7 the lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his
stature; for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but
the lord looks on the heart."
Let's take a look at Moses, the man who told God that he wasn't an orator and
didn't have what it took to be a leader. What does a Moses look like? I think he looks
a lot like you or me, somewhat insecure, with limitations, but when empowered by
God, able to accomplish great things. I believe that each one of us has the possibilities
of a Moses within us. No matter how pathetically inadequate we may believe our
abilities to be, we must recognize that each one of us is called to use those abilities as a
Christ-like leader. We are leaders when we reach out to others so that they might in
turn respond to the Holy Spirit. Our calling is clear in Matthew 28 where we are told
to "go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you." But the verse doesn't end there. It says, "Lo, I am with you always."
We are not alone. I implore each of us to step out in confidence to accept our calling
as leaders for Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Our kind and gracious Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the blessing that is ours as people called to be your children. I pray that
each of us will heed your call to be servant leaders – Christ-like leaders. May we live
our lives so that all with whom we interact will truly see Christ in us. Grant us the
courage, confidence and strength to accept your call to be servant leaders. I pray that in
the years to come through the actions of the caring members of Peace Lutheran
Church, this congregation will continue to honor and serve you by lovingly serving each
other and the broader community. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen