“Discerning God’s Will Together”           2012

Exodus 18:14-23                   Matthew 20:20-21, 24-28

 

Exodus 18:14-23

14When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?” 15Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.” 17Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; 20teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. 21You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace.”

 

Matthew 20:20-21, 24-28

20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. 21And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 24When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

 

I was at a finance and management seminar at Ohio State one time,

            and during the breaks, I kept up with my business by phone.

                                    Speaking with a store manager at the end of the day,

                                                I reminded her,

                                                            to be sure and turn off the coffee maker.

                 As it happened one of the professors teaching the seminar

                        was using the next phone and overheard my conversation.

 

            When we returned to the classroom after the break,

                        the professor announced that the next topic

                             would be about leadership and delegating authority.

 

    Then he asked me how much

      the inventory, fixtures and equipment in my store were worth.

                        After I answered, he said,

                                    “you are willing to trust the manager of that store

                                                with 500,000 – 600,000 dollars …

                          … and yet you don’t think she’ll remember

                                    to turn off  a $19 coffee pot   without your help……

     … no wonder you’re stressed and your managers are burning out.”                      

 

In the Exodus text, Moses and the people are in the Sinai desert.

                  Every issue, question and decision that comes up,

                        they take it to Moses to judicate and decide …

                                                … and so the people are  standing around all day

                                                        waiting for their turn to speak with Moses;

 

                        àwho was spending his days, all day – every day,

                                    handling and deciding every detail himself;

            and the better he did

                        with fixing and resolving everybody’s problems,

                                    the more they learned   to depend on him,

                                                the busier he got,  the more important he felt…

                                    … and the more  he fell further and further behind.

 

To his credit, Moses listened when his father-in-law observed,

            that neither Moses

                    nor the people could survive such an arrangement  vs. 14-18

            When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

            Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.”

            Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.

 

No single person, no matter how skillful, wise or energetic

            can attend to every detail and be totally responsible

                        for the success and mission of a whole group …

                                      … leadership and authority must be shared.

 

The task of a leader,

            is not to burn-out   by trying to do everything on our own,

                              but  to build a team and community   committed and à

                                    capable  of using the best each one  has to offer,à

                 toward accomplishing our mission and purpose

                        and responding appropriately to changes along the way.

 

It may seem

            quicker and more efficient to handle things on your own,

                        but a style of over-functioning and obsessive control

                                    will always be less effective in the long-run;à

            because   it fails to appropriate and use

                        one of the greatest human resources God has given us ---

                                    -- people of commitment and faith cooperating,

                                                discussing,  and making decisions together.

 

Research has shown repeatedly that

            when faithful people  discuss and make decisions together,

                        they make better decisions and more effective decisions

                                    than even the most gifted individual on their own;

            àbecause that relational interaction and cooperation

                        draws from the best and uniqueness that each has to offer

                                    which leads to new insights and fresh ideas that à

                                                no  one   had imagined or considered previously.

 

In addition,

            wrong solutions are recognized and rejected  more quickly

                        because with more people involved they are able

                                    to know and remember more pertinent facts,

                                                and draw on more knowledge & life-experiences -

            - which means that more resources are made available

                        toward making a better decision   together …

                                    … rather than being limited to just

                                           one person’s opinions, experiences and ideas.

 

When someone’s ego and need for prominence

            causes them to insist on everything their way alone

                        through authoritarian control and micro-management,

                                                it comes at the cost of team-relationships,

                                                            and the benefit of other people’s à

                                                                        gifts, insights, wisdom and support…

 

            … and the church’s mission is far more glorious and wonderful

                        than just the abilities, resources, and efforts,

                                    or the vision and ideas   of any one individual.

In God’s kingdom, each of us is but one servant among many,

            all under the Lordship of Jesus Christ

                to serve usefully according to the purpose of Jesus Christ.

           

In the Matthew passage,

            when the mother of Zebedee’s sons wants them to be in charge,

                        Jesus explains, vs. 25~28

“…  “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.  It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…

 

As Martin Luther King explained in a sermon one time,

            "… there is deep down within all of us an instinct.  It’s a kind of drum major instinct – a desire to be out front, a desire to lead a parade, a desire to be first …   We all have the drum major instinct.  We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade…  this quest for recognition, this desire for attention, this desire for distinction is the basic impulse, the basic drive of human life, this drum major instinct."

 

It’s just the way that people in this world behave sometimes,

            so they can feel a little bit better about themselves…  

… as throughout our culture we see

            people playing silly self-esteem, ego and power-games,

                        that foolishly try to create just the right impression,

à all of it just to make themselves look better than someone else.

 

Many of our secretive motivations, and much of what we say and do,

            really comes down to feeding our ego, image and sense of self;

                        and most of us have a great deal of trouble,

                            seeing beyond the horizon of  our own self and desires;

                                                    which of course is

                                                            that drum major instinct   in action.

       And that's what we see in play  in the Matthew passage we read.

 

Jesus has for the third time described what lies ahead for him,

        the suffering and terrible death he will endure in Jerusalem.

    He is doing this to prepare and to instruct his disciples about

        selflessness & the sacrifice of true Christian discipleship.

 

Then immediately afterward, he gets pulled aside by a mother,

            who would like to manipulate  and arrange things

                        for a special,  bigger and better deal for her sons.

 

And the other disciples are offended and angry about the request

       for what is more upsetting and disturbing than when

                someone else's self-serving manipulations,

                    are successful and puts their interests ahead of our own?

 

So then, as a teaching moment, Jesus describes

            a different sort of   life in community   for his disciples;

                            where that drum major instinct Dr. King described,

                                    is not focused primarily on ourselves,

                                                nor on our desires, goals or perceived needs,

                                                     or striving for the glory of being in charge.

 

The model that Jesus is describing is built around servant-hood—

            where last is to be first, and great is to be servant of all.

The particular Greek word that is used here,

            refers specifically to a table-waiter or house-servant,

                        one of many skilled workers who take care of the home

                                    all for the sake and benefit of the Master.

 

The inference is that each servant brings, combines and balances

            their particular insights, gifts, abilities and resources,

                             as through earnest and open conversation

                                       within caring and authentic relationships

                                                 we seek to discern God’s will together.

 

A metaphor that I find helpful

            for describing Christian leadership in a faith community,

                   is to think of a group of musicians playing jazz together.

   First, they agree on a vision,    the melody, tempo and key,

                        then, while listening to the other musicians,

                                    each plays in a way the fits with the others …

        … and their music combines

                to become something far greater than the sum of the parts.

 

Similarly,  we will be ordaining and installing men and women

            whom we believe God has called to serve as deacons and elders…

                                    … to help lead this church to grow in our mission…

 

                        … and we trust and hope that it’s because

                                    they love God, and want to serve, and follow Jesus…

… who demonstrated what leadership means in the Upper Room,

            with a towel, a basin of water and washing a dozen dirty feet.

           

One time Mother Theresa

            was showing a reporter around her mission and ministry…

                        … who was shocked

                                    by so much filth, disease, suffering and poverty.

 

            The reporter commented,

                        “ I wouldn’t do this,   not even for a million dollars”,

                                    and Mother Theresa agreed saying,

                                                “I wouldn’t either,   but I will gratefullyà

                                                            and eagerly do it for Jesus Christ.”

          

Church leadership is not about rank, prestige, or privilege,

            but it’s responsibility and loving service that asks,

                        'what needs to be done --- what is best for the Church?

                                    shared cooperation rather than,  'what do I want?

                                                or what will make me look good or impress ?

 

Being a church leader is about modeling Christian life,

            about faithfulness and integrity, a Christ-like character,

                        that listens,

                          and cooperates as a team building up the body of Christ.

 

It’s humble service --- often without recognition or praise

            - remembering that we serve as temporary stewards.

                                   We're servants,  

                                        not the owners  nor little popes of the church.

 

We’re called to care more about   building-up the kingdom of God,

            about doing God's will  and reflecting love for God's people

                than   going forward with our own agenda, program or ideas.

 

And, if we are faithfully serving and walking with God,

            our shared leadership can help create an environment

                        where more and more people are welcomed and encouraged

                              to discover and develop their own gifts for ministry

             àwhere all are affirmed and appreciated

                  and no one's work is  more important  than any other's.

 

Or as the apostle Paul describes it in    Philippians 2:3-5

            Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.   Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.