“I Have Called You and Will Sustain You” 2013

Isaiah 43:1-7 1 Peter 5:1-7

Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

1 Peter 5:1-7

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

When the gourmet popcorn icon & tycoon, Orville Redenbacher died,

an investment columnist in the Wall Street Journal

questioned whether the company could continue to prosper

without Orville’s marketing persona

and his uniquely inspiring leadership style.

Who could possibly take over, or lead as effectively in his place?

The question, "So who will lead us now ?",

has always been a most critical issue for the people of God.

The Bible has many stories about God calling & equipping leaders,

and how their faithfulness or lack of faithfulness

was a critical factor in the well-being of the people.

Few things matter more than the faithful and humble obedience

of those who serve as leaders, as shepherds of the people of God.

Today marks

a wonderful and important event in the life of this church.

Elders and deacons who have served faithfully,

and have honorably completed their terms of office,

will step aside, à à

and pass on the mantle of church leadership

to our next leaders – to the elders and deacons

being ordained and installed later this morning.

But what does it mean, to be a church leader?

How do we understand that role, of elder or deacon?,

that calling,

that authority to lead to serve under God

and help us express God’s grace in practical ways?

I happened to be at a Presbyterian church in Ghana one time,

on the same day they were installing their new moderator.

As I recall, that worship service went on for about six hours …

… don't you hope I'll move things along a bit quicker today.

But the one thing that struck me even more than

the extraordinary length of that worship service…

… that when the in-coming moderator took his vows of office:

he responded by saying,

"I will with the help of God. With the help of God, I will."

The new moderator understood

that to lead, to serve faithfully, effectively and well,

it would be absolutely necessary,

to listen and walk in faithful obedience with God.

Deacons and elders, just as it is for me,

even our very best and most skillful, even giving our all,

our own strength and abilities will never be sufficient…

… and if we do try to do it all on our own,

then we will surely burnout and fail, and bitterly fall.

Believe me when I say,

I do appreciate the skills and talents you'll bring to the job.

I am grateful for all the life experiences and lessons,

for everything that you or I can bring to this ministry -

- but even all that just isn't going to be nearly enough.

I have observed far too many times,

that when a church officer has failed or becomes cynical,

almost invariably, their spiritual life had become stale,

disconnected & unplugged from God, our true source of power.

That is true for any Christian,

but especially for church officers,

responsible for the care & oversight of the church.

If we are to serve well in the office to which we've been called

then God must continually re-equip & empower us for the task,

* with the wisdom of Solomon,

* with the patience of Job

* and with the love of Jesus Christ …

… for none of us can serve God or the church well or for very long

if we neglect, or are complacent with our spiritual health.

And as a church servant myself, I can assure each of you,

that during your term of leadership in the Church,

there will be times,

when you will stare into a scary darkness,

and wonder if Jesus really is in there with you.

But as the prophet Isaiah said with great confidence, vs. 2~4

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

That is our assurance that we don’t have to do it all on our own.

It’s not that God removes us from the flood waters or fire,

but that God is with us holding our hand, helping us,

and if we listen, leading us to the right place.

It’s a promise - I have called you, and I will sustain you.

That is our hope as Church leaders, for it’s not an easy job

and it’s not a light task or an easy responsibility…

… and the good news, we don’t have to do the work on our own…

… 1 Peter 5:1

Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed …

The word used here, ‘elder’ refers to any leader of God’s people,

and notice that Peter addresses them as a 'fellow elder'…

… because church leadership is always a shared ministry…

… always listening to God through the council of others,

together, always seeking to hear and obey God’s voice.

God has always blessed this church

with good and faithful leaders,

who have been wise and committed,

hard workers and lovers of God;

but good leadership doesn’t happen in isolation.

As Presbyterians, we believe that a group in open dialogue,

committed to God, to seeking God's will for God's people,

when mutually searching and listening together,

will always reach a far better and wiser decision

than can any single person striving on their own.

In Presbyterian churches;

ruling authority does not rest solely with me, the pastor,

but is shared with all the elders serving on session;

all having equal vote and authority,

as we discuss and make decisions together;

and deacons to lead us in our ministry of compassion.

Church authority is also not majority rule by the congregation;

but the members elect elders and deacons to lead the church,

who prayerfully seek to discern God's will,

and try to make appropriate decisions

for the good of the whole congregation.

As a pastor, as a session and the board of deacons,

under our rules, our understanding of God’s call to leadership

means each one of us being accountable to one another,

and willing to listen and submit to each other's ideas;

à as we seek to discover and follow God's will in cooperation

even if in the end my idea or opinion is not the one we adopt.

Godly Christian leadership

is being willing to trust and rely on our fellow leaders,

combined wisdom, rather than insisting on one’s own way.

Our shared work and ministry as this church's deacons and elders

becomes way larger, more significant and far reaching

than the ideas, projects or efforts of any one person alone.

By listening and discussing we combine our understanding,

to work out the best ideas to help build up God’s church.

Peter describes our work, and our ministry in this way: vs. 2

I exhort you, to tend the flock of God that is in your charge,

exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly

The shepherd's critical task is the care and welfare of the flock

motivated by love; love for God and love for God's people

never, driven by compulsion, pressure or duress.

vs. 3

willingly, as God would have you do it--not for sordid gain but eagerly.

Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.

Leadership isn’t about status or seeking to impress other people.

It does not derive from asserting our rights and privileges,

but from humble submission and faithful obedience to God…

… it is accepting responsibility to love and serve, and asks,

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

There was a school established to train missionaries,

and they very deliberately kept things rustic,

requiring students to do dirty and menial jobs,

including dumping barrels of the primitive latrine.

By experience they learned that the students

who became the most effective missionaries in the field,

weren’t always the best ones in the academic classes,

but generally the ones who most willingly served,

and didn’t shirk the nasty and unpleasant tasks

such as emptying and cleaning the latrine barrels.

The temptation is ego, to seek power and try to impress others,

but those are easy substitutes for the harder task of love…

… for it’s easier to play God than to love God,

easier to control people than to love people…

… or claim the false notion that everything depends on me.

True Christian leadership is when all our gifts are combined,

and used to strengthen & build up the church & our ministry.

However talented any single soloist may be,

they cannot produce harmony, and our God prefers a full choir.

As the beloved people of God, the Church of Jesus Christ,

we're supposed to be more like an orchestra or a symphony,

with all our particular gifts and offerings combined

like musicians playing their instruments together.

Sure, a single gifted musician can sound lovely and carry a tune,

but how much better and how much more inspiring and pleasing

when they play together, and listening to each other

they can blend their sound into a rich harmony…

… like the joyful laughter of happy children playing together,

or the people of God, the Church of Jesus Christ,

worshipping & serving together for the glory of God.

Our leadership task is to help create a culture and environment

where everyone is welcomed and encouraged to grow deeper

to discover and develop their own gifts for ministry ---

- where all God’s servants are affirmed & appreciated.

Today we are about to install a group of new elders and deacons;

new shepherds called to serve, to help nurture our faith,

to help us to live out and reflect God's love and glory

by our mission and service to our world and community.

In John 21, Jesus calls Peter to serve, and to lead the church.

Three times Jesus asks, "Simon Peter, do you love me?",

and each time Peter says, Yes Lord. And Jesus tells Peter,

'then feed my lambs, tend my sheep, and feed my sheep'

And when Jesus evaluates

our life and our ministry as leaders, as church officers,

I don't think that it will be based upon

our successes, our accomplishments or programs.

But far more likely, Jesus will ask, "Did you love me?";

for if we can get that part right,

then surely the rest will fall right into place.

Elders, deacons; officers of this church, do you love Jesus?

Then as God

has called you to lead, to nurture and care for His people,

by faithfully serving within this body of believers…

… be passionate for the people God has entrusted to your care,

serve faithfully, and be shepherds to all of God's people.

And trusting in God’s grace as my friend in Ghana said,

"I will with the help of God. With the help of God, I will."

"I will… and with the help of God, I think I can."