Good servants don’t get to do what they want.

In the ancient world, slaves and servants did not enjoy the freedom to pursue personal ambition, vision, or plans. They served their master’s pleasure. The very notion that they might have their own agenda or function autonomously never crossed their minds, except in rebellious moments. Serving their master did not leave room to choose their own career, build their own little kingdoms, or seek power and fame. They lived, humbly, for a single purpose—to do the master’s bidding.

When the apostle Paul described himself as a bondslave of Christ, this model of servitude surely dominated his thinking. He understood very well that the primary task of slavery to Christ is not busyness of our own making or dreams of our own devising but diligent attentiveness to the Master, willingness to do as He requests, and obedient responsiveness.

If Jesus or Paul had spoken of themselves (and us) as team captains, chief strategists, Kingdom CEOs, we might rightly surmise that our job is to take charge. But the words steward, servant, and slave dominate their language.

The servant metaphor underscores a profound spiritual truth. We are not our own. We have been bought with a price. Christ redeemed us (bought as back—a slavery term) by dying on the Cross.

In a church as enamored with power, allusions of grandeur, and visions of personal success as the world, those of us who wear the mantle of leader would do well to replace it in our minds with the biblical image of slavery. When ambition, power, pride, and control intoxicate us and leave us spiritually numbed and stumbling, it might help to revisit some of the oldest Christian ground of all.

“Though Jesus was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

Of course, the call to servanthood extends well beyond those in Christian leadership. It includes all of us who name Christ as Lord.

Whose bidding are we doing this week? Are we attentive and responsive to Him above all else? Or do we remain distracted and devising our own plans? May we increasingly discover true freedom in serving Him.

In HOPE –

David

The “leadership” buzzword of the past 25-30 years has completely distracted us. We’ve blamed the demise of congregations on poor leadership. We’ve cried out for stronger leadership. We’ve attended leadership conferences and devoured leadership books.

In church circles, leadership sells well. People buy it — and buy into it — by the bucketload. We nurture it and honor it and cheer each other on to be more visionary, authoritative, democratic, decisive, ends-focused, goal-driven, and success-oriented.

It’s the age-old quest for greatness, shrouded loosely in the ecclesiastical garb of respectability.

But we’ve not only been distracted. We’ve been duped; deluded by the business models of our culture and the corruption of our own hearts.

Jesus did not call His disciples to be leaders. He called them to be followers and to be servants. He never used the term “ruler” or “leader” to motivate or define any of the apostles. He viewed them as learners (disciples) not leaders.

Some folk may shake their heads and suggest that good leaders are servants, as though they have tidily reconciled the two concepts. The phrase “servant-leader” seems to do that nicely. But would we be willing to drop the term “leader” altogether? Would we rush to attend a conference on “Serving Selflessly”? Would we read a book titled, “Aim Lower: You’re Nothing But a Servant”?

In the first century, the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Corinthians 4:5) “… and ourselves as your bondservants.” What a bold statement. We may fear saying the same thing lest people think less of us or, worse, take advantage of us.

But that’s how it works in the Kingdom at its best. Everything is backwards and upside down. Then one day we realize that it’s our lives that have been backwards and upside down and in a moment of shining clarity we discover that down is up and low is high; not that it matters any longer to us.

On this Easter Thursday, may we pursue the path of servanthood to honor the One who washes our feet and calls us to do the same.

In HOPE –

David