CELEBRATING:
SERMONS
"Moses Appoints Leaders"
Sept 8th, 2002
Prayer:
Holy One, open our minds to your knowledge and truth;
give us willing spirits to move us to deeper faithfulness;
gentle our hearts so that we may bless with your compassion.
We pray in Christ. AMEN
Leadership is a big issue in our time. Politically in
Canada, we have the Liberals, Conservatives and the
NDP all looking for new leaders and new directions.
In the world of economics, We are discouraged with the
limited moral integrity of some corporate leaders. Our
discouragement is all too clearly reflected in the decline
of investments markets.
In the religious communities, we
are all looking for people who can really pull the complexities
of 21st century life together into some coherent whole.
But if there are such leaders, their voices are very
muted in our time - drowned out by fads and ads and
mad communicating.
In congregational life, we know
that finding leaders for the youth program and the various
teams and task groups is an ongoing challenge.
Some who were leaders are tired out, others don't feel
confident about their gifts, and yet others are into
so many other things already that giving leadership
in the congregation seems just another burden.
So leadership is a big issue - but
not just in our era.
For about 4000 years, Moses has been considered one
of the great religious leaders of all time.
Interestingly, he didn't think so. When he experienced
God's call to him, he kept telling God:
What are you asking me for?
I don't have the gifts; I can't speak; I'm not comfortable
doing that kind of stuff! But Moses led!
The scripture we heard read, certainly
suggests that Moses had lots to learn. The great escape
from the clutches of Pharaoh had taken place.
Through the dangerous waters they staggered together
to the oasis of Sinai beyond Pharaoh's reach.
Now they were camped. If you take literally Biblical
reports of the situation then you've got Moses leading
about 2 or 3 million people; needing 1500 tons of food
and 4000 tons of wood for campfires and 11 million gallons
of water per day.
But we know that the Bible is not about detailed data,
but about God's wonderful deeds with Israel. The Bible
is not about hard facts. It's about signs revealing
God's liberating action with people.
In any case, whether there were
2 million or 2000 followers, Moses was the leader of
this rag tag band of escaping slaves.
He had experienced God's call. He had pushed the people
to follow God's guidance. He had prayed for the people
before God. He had inspired, encouraged, and brow-beat
the unruly and grumbling lot.
Now in the Sinai, he was busy sorting
out fights and judging disputes. Day after day from
morning till night, Moses is busy dealing with big issues
and petty conflicts - it ranged from "their goat
trampled our food" to "how will we survive
in this wilderness?"
Like a potentate and dictator Moses is far too immersed
in everything.
Jethro is a Midianite priest and
Moses' father-in-law. Zipporah, Moses wife and their
two children Gershom and Eliezer had been staying in
Jethro's home remote from the wandering Israelites.
But Jethro decides it's time to
end that separation.
Moses and his family should be together. But when Jethro
sees that Moses is totally consumed by his leading,
he takes Moses aside for some friendly advice.
Moses, my daughter's husband, God
has been amazing in liberating your people. But Moses,
you are not God and you are not their saviour.
You are going to kill yourself trying to do everything,
and beside you have family responsibilities.
Today we would say Moses was big
into co-dependent behaviour.
He had skills and the people were only too ready to
let him exercise those talents totally for their benefit.
And when problems arose, it was dump on Moses time!
Moses we are thirsty - find us some water.
Moses, food here is worse than in Egypt - get us something
to eat. Moses our enemies are out to get us - protect
us. Moses do this. Moses do that.
Moses served as a handy total-time leader and a wonderful
scapegoat when blaming was in season.
The people hadn't learned yet that
trust in God didn't mean just loading it on Moses. God
had endowed them with gifts to manage the common life
and to solve their problems. Trusting God involves using
those gifts gratefully for their own good and for the
common good. That's their responsibility.
Jethro readily understood the problem
and realized that this unhealthy behaviour would kill
Moses - in both spirit and body.
Moses, you just cannot do it alone. Stop hogging it
all. It's not all up to you and when you think everything
is on your shoulders, you're preventing others from
sharing their God-given gifts.
Moses, you have to institute reform.
Start with yourself. Free yourself from the captivity
of thinking it all depends on you.
You have the vision and the commitment.
There are others who share that with you.
So share with them the responsibility for everything.
Leadership, Moses, requires a shared
vision that is clear to all, and then you delegate and
distribute responsibilities to gifted others who share
the faith.
Find people of vision ready to share their leadership
gifts.
Make sure they are people who can recognize the leadership
gifts of others and can work with them. And designate
them as leaders for groups of a thousand, hundred, fifty
and ten.
Your role Moses is to lift this
people up before God and to teach God's way to them
- a full-time job, but not one that should kill you
in the details.
If you delegate, Moses, you will endure and the people
with grow because they are using their own God-given
resources to gain peace.
Well Moses was smart enough to know
that Jethro's advice was God's life-saving truth. So
he implemented a re-organizational plan and did the
teaching and training and suddenly Moses rediscovered
joy in life.
It's a simple story for then and for us.
Our covenanting with Council leaders
and leaders for the music and children's & youth
programs continues this long tradition of sharing leadership.
As Christians we believe in the "priesthood of
all believers." Everyone of us has gifts of the
Spirit that can serve the well-being of our band of
pilgrims.
We here at SHUC are blessed with
many who give their time and talent to promote the well-being
of the congregation and to carry out its mission in
the world. Some of the leadership is visible - like
chairing a gathering or teaching a class.
Some of it is behind the scenes - painting a dreary
space or encouraging someone who is down in the dumps,
or taking food to First United Church Mission. Some
of you lead by praying for the congregation and others
by encouraging friends to be part of this people of
God.
Some of your leadership is by example - in your financial
giving or by you ongoing learning activities
Children lead by their joy-filled pleasure in being
here and youth, by their energy and commitment to justice.
All of us have leadership gifts.
We may, like Moses, be inclined to be too modest or
lacking in confidence - but God calls us each and all
to acknowledge those personal gifts and to share those
gifts in faith so that God's blessing can be freed for
others.
If leadership is an issue for our
time, God calls each of us to begin to address it. God
has been so generous and we need to exercise those gifts
and talents faithfully. Then when we do, God's reign
will come closer and Christ's love will be made more
real for all the world to share.
God calls you and me - everyone
of us and all of us together. How will you lead?
Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Back
to Top
Shaughnessy Heights United Church
congregation is a Christian faith community — people
at various stages in the faith journey.
1550
West 33rd Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V6M 1A7
Canada SEE
MAP
Tel:
604-261-6377
Email: admin@shuc.ca
|
