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The beginning of a new year. The end of a very difficult and painful year for many. I watched the new year celebrations on TV and I thought I was living in some sort of dystopian novel. The presenter was talking about how wonderful 2022 had been, and I was wondering what he’d been smoking. Or drinking. 2022 was hard. No question. So much suffering for so many. And more on the horizon. Yet here we are, looking forward at the start of a new year. So, let’s consider what we find in the Bible when it comes to beginnings. In the beginning God . . . Gen. 1.1a In the beginning was the Word . . . John 1.1a The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God Mark 1.1a In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach . . . Acts 1.1a The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isa. 1.1a I’m sure you can see a theme here. It’s not hard to spot. In the Scriptures, it is God who initiates, who acts. He is the one who leaps forward, who creates, speaks and stoops to do business with his creation. He is the supreme initiative-taker. We are the recipient of his creative acts, his redemptive work, his ongoing mission to restore the world, to save it, to make it new again. He calls out his people, leads them, dies for them, sends his Spirit to live and work all things to his glory. SEEK GOD WHERE HE IS ALREADY WORKING At the beginning of the year, it is very tempting for leaders to think of new initiatives. To look “leaderly,” some leaders believe they have to be seen to be doing new things. New projects. New groups. New, new, new. This is because they believe—falsely—that good leaders should be out front being seen to initiate. First, let me recognise that there is nothing wrong with initiating new activities, new ways of doing things. I don’t wish to quench the Holy Spirit’s leading if, as a leader, you believe God is calling you to start up something new. However . . . I remember some wise advice from a godly leader, delivered to me many years ago. The best thing a leader can do is seek out where God is already at work and go and join in. Thunk. That one has sat on my soul for a long time. Think about it for a moment. Where God is already at work. Instead of feeling the pressure to lead by initiating, a good leader seeks out where God is already at work. That’s because . . . well, I just quoted some examples above . . . God is the one who initiates, who acts, who speaks, who leads his people. Christ is the head of the church (Colossians) and by his Spirit, he works within the church to lead it and helps its members grow. What does that mean for leaders? LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE A lot of churches have formal ways for people to serve and grow. Coffee serving, kids’ groups, home groups, food banks, prayer nights etc. These are all well and good. They are important. However, if a leader only thinks of God’s action taking place in these formal spaces, then that is a mistake. God is at work in many ways that are outside the formal set-up found in many churches. God groups people together to reach his world and teach his people that don’t fall into the formally recognised structures presented by the church. Therefore, a good leader needs to become a good listener. Listen to your people and seek out where God is working both inside and outside your formal structures. Some leaders are threatened by God’s work taking place outside formal structures. This is both a misunderstanding of godly leadership and a sign of immaturity and insecurity. Other leaders, upon hearing of activity outside formal structures, are tempted to co-opt this activity and set it within recognised, formal structures. The men’s bike group, the women’s hang-gliding club (!), the food bank volunteers who decide to go off and pray for the homeless—once these people are identified, they are then told to name their group and submit a paragraph for the website. Following that, they are invited onto the stage at a Sunday service and interviewed. Wow, just look at us, our leader is starting up such amazing outreach activities! This is all done in the name of “support.” May I encourage a different approach? First, when you identify something exciting taking place outside formal structures, simply stand back and worship your initiating God. He is the one who has sent those three families down their street with cookies at Christmas for the neighbours. You didn’t do that. He did. So please don’t be tempted to formalise the activity by creating a “Neighbourhood Christmas Cookie” group. Just leave them alone to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit without taking this activity and publishing it on your website. Second, “and go and join in.” How can a leader join in? Didn’t you just say keep away? Actually, no. I think a leader can join in by exercising some humility and asking a simple question, “What can I do to support you?” Don’t force people to publicise what they’re doing, but do offer whatever support they believe they might need to follow their calling. To make more cookies, we could do with some extra hands in the kitchen. Great. I won’t give yet another notice on Sunday, I’ll ask the Lord to lead me to people who might help. After all, the Lord is leading his people, he’s not asking you to take over and lead. He’s already working! He’s already raising up his people to serve, heal, teach, love his world. And he doesn’t need publicity on Sunday or a spot on the website. He’s quite capable of achieving his goals without your help. So, as we start this new year, may I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open for God’s initiatives in your church community. He’s already at work. He never stops leading his people. Leaders must remember that the Lord’s activity is beyond the control of their programmes, their announcements, their websites. Invisibly, within his followers, the Lord leads his people by his Spirit. So, don’t quench the Spirit. Instead, be encouraged when you hear of wonderful things happening that the Lord is doing. After all, the Church’s purpose is to give glory to God, not the leader. But I’m sure you knew that. Be encouraged as you begin this new year. The Lord is already at work! Give him glory.

It’s Christmas! Treasure and ponder it. How did Christmas come upon us so quickly? It’s a question we often find ourselves asking in this busy season. You don’t need me to tell you—you’ll probably say it to your churches—we are at risk of missing the true significance of Christmas amidst all the activity. So, this is a simple call to learn from Mary, the mother of Jesus. In a recent Living Leadership staff meeting, my colleague Claire Reynolds asked us to consider Mary as she is portrayed in Luke 1. She shared how she felt when she first found out she was pregnant, (something I could never do, for obvious reasons!) Then she challenged us to think about the uniqueness of Mary’s experience. A teenage girl listening to an angel tell her that her son would be the Son of God. Claire cautioned us not to hurry through these verses. We should let the wonder and the majesty of these great truths sink in. That made me think about those famous words in Luke 2.19; they come after the shepherds have visited to worship her newborn son. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. I love that verse. Two verbs. 1. Treasured. Literally, “keep with” or “guard closely”. The things Mary saw and heard, she took deeply into her heart. But she isn’t just focused on breastfeeding or nappy changing—the routines of caring for a newborn—she’s got a lot more to treasure. Imagine all these thoughts tumbling through her head. The angel’s announcement. Conceiving a child while still a virgin. The journey to Bethlehem, a place of royal and prophetic significance. The visit of the shepherds and their reports of angelic visitations in the fields. All these things she kept with her, guarding them closely. As Mary responds to these wonders, she becomes a model for us. Of obedience and trust. Over Christmas, we will hear many words. Some will be meaningless jingles we hear in the shops; others will be significant as we share memories with family and friends. Still others will be weighty with eternal meaning as we sing carols and read Scriptures. Will any of these words find a place in our heart? Will we treasure them—counting them as precious—ensuring we preserve them so they do not flow over and out of us like wisps of cloud? And will we let them sink deep into our hearts? Will we take time to work out their implications, savouring them with our imaginations? This Christmas, make sure you treasure the wonder of the Incarnation. Like Mary, allow it to lead you to worship the Christ-child. 2. Pondered. Literally, “throw together” or “meet with”. Mary did not simply file away what she saw and heard. She sought to bring these things together in a meaningful way. She drew up her memories often, reflecting on them. Her inner dialogue had a theme and his name was Jesus. Again, we might expect this of a new parent, but Mary’s experience was unique. She was not merely considering if her son would be healthy or an introvert/extrovert, she was wondering about the many prophecies he would fulfil. She was probably mulling over his future as the Son of God, conceived by a virgin. So many extraordinary unknowns, as she lived within this remarkable story. Again, Mary is our model. The words we read and sing over Christmas are familiar to us. We could easily let them roll off our tongues without thinking. We might also get a warm feeling from their familiarity. We may even be impressed by their truths. But even if we treasure these truths, we may not ponder them. The work of faith is never simply to embrace a principle. It is to hold it before our minds, and consider its meaning in our own lives. If God became human, how does that change the way I live my life? If God put on a human body, what should I be doing with mine? If the incarnate Word came in weakness to the marginalised, what should my priorities be? If an angelic army declared peace, how can I live as a messenger of the gospel of peace? These are not theological principles to be valued and protected. They are life-transforming truths that must inform every aspect of our lives. The gospel isn’t remote and separate from life. It is at its very heart, changing the way we live, and giving us purpose and joy as we share it with those we meet. This festive season, make sure you “treasure up in your heart” the truth of the incarnation. But don’t just treasure it—ponder it, so that Jesus becomes the centre of your world as he was for Mary on that first Christmas Day.

Editor’s Note: This post contains plot spoilers for the movie, Kingdom of Heaven. I love the movie Kingdom of Heaven. I’ve watched it many times, and at times, I’ve wondered why I like it so much. I’ve come up with a few ideas, and I think they might be helpful to you as leaders in your communities. THE STORY Kingdom of Heaven, set in 1184, follows the story of Balian, a blacksmith who travels to the Holy Land during the Crusades. He is an intelligent warrior, who defends Jerusalem against the Muslim invaders. I won’t give away the ending. A battle is involved, as I’m sure you expected. It is not historical, it is fiction. It may be set during an historical period and contain historical characters, but it is a fictionalised version of events. As a result, the controversy over its depiction of the crusaders is, at least for me, a lot of hot air. I am much more interested in the characters and their relationships than in historical accuracy. For example, I enjoy The Crown. I rest my case. So what intrigues me, or moves me, in this story? CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONSHIPS The depiction of Christian-Muslim relationships may well be historically inaccurate, but a key relationship in the story is true simply because it contains a gospel truth. It is about mercy, and I find mercy (and its cousin, grace) to be one of the most powerful themes in any movie. It’s a concept that should move us and inspire us. In Kingdom of Heaven, Balian encounters two Muslims on horseback. They want his horse. One fights him, loses (and is killed), after which the other one is forced to surrender. We expect Balian to kill them both, but he is merciful towards the final defeated man. The man says this, Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them. It turns out that the speaker is Imad, Saladin’s[1] right-hand man. His cryptic response bears fruit later when Balian is defeated in battle, and surrenders. Imad appears and is merciful to him, allowing him to leave the battlefield. The one shown mercy is now merciful. Mercy. Grace. Kindness. Love. All of these can be found in Kingdom of Heaven. The importance of mercy is addressed by Jesus in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. A man who has received mercy refuses to show mercy. And is punished. In Kingdom of Heaven, we see that a person’s character counts for much. His instinct to show mercy results in him being shown mercy. Do we not long for such a world? And do we not long for a world in which Christian and Muslim could forge a solid bond over the idea of mercy? We do. So when Muslims, Hindus, Atheists and Jews enter our buildings and join our groups, we offer hospitality. We lay our lives down to show them the great love and mercy of our God. We invite them to see Jesus, who out of mercy, forgives the repentant heart. And portraying mercy as compassion, we serve food to the hungry and offer kindness to the needy. The church is full of mercy, which is as it should be. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHOICES YOU MAKE Often script-writers will write a piece of dialogue to express their ideas about the story they’re telling. You can almost hear the director saying, “Right here, this is the core message of the movie. This is what the story is about.” In Kingdom of Heaven, King Baldwin speaks to Balian, knowing that he himself is on the verge of death. A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. King Baldwin, Kingdom of Heaven Why is this so important? Moral responsibility requires courage. Later in the story, Balian refuses to act immorally to gain power.[1] He just won’t do it. He has internalized King Baldwin’s injunction. Declaring “virtue was not convenient at the time” is no defence before God. Balian is a leader. You are a leader. Balian is brave and noble.[2] Do you aspire to such things as courage and nobility? Will you lead your people or follow them? Will you display courage, walking an unpopular path because it’s the right thing to do? Christian leadership is for those who are prepared to take up their crosses. It is not an easy life, but it is one worth pursuing when all is laid before God’s throne. For a crown awaits those who live wholeheartedly for their Saviour. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN So why is the movie called Kingdom of Heaven? Because the crusaders believed that by occupying Jerusalem, they were building God’s kingdom on earth. The director, Ridley Scott, himself a sceptic in religious matters, gives his response to this in the mouth of Balian. It is a kingdom of conscience or nothing. Balian, Kingdom of Heaven Balian certainly seems to follow his conscience. Some have noticed that he opts for moral absolutism, eschewing the utilitarianism presented to him. He will not act “for the greater good” by killing his adversary, instead believing that a person’s morality is absolute. It’s noticeable also that this statement about a kingdom of conscience places the kingdom within the person. For me, it’s a clear echo of Christ’s words. Nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17.21 God’s kingdom is indeed within us, and I would happily explain to Ridley Scott that this conscience of which he speaks is the voice of God, who gives each person an inbuilt (though often badly damaged) sense of right and wrong. For Christian leaders, the message is clear. God’s kingdom cannot be assessed by how many turn up to our Christmas services, or how many attend our groups. Nor can it be seen in the fame of the leader or the supposed influence we have within society. It is within, where the Holy Spirit lives, giving us life and strengthening our spirits to live holy lives. It cannot be seen and measured as earthly kingdoms can. There is solace in this truth, but there is also danger. If God’s kingdom is unseen and Christ is its king, what need for a leader to do anything but humbly refer everything to the one in charge? A passing of the buck shrouded with false humility. Enter Balian. INSPIRE YOUR PEOPLE TO ACT BRAVELY I’m sure you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz. You may remember the scene where the wizard, recently revealed to be a charlatan, addresses the scarecrow, tin man and lion. He gives the scarecrow a diploma, the tin man a heart and the lion a medal. He does this to inspire them. Do these artefacts give them courage or intelligence or feeling? Of course not, so why are they changed? Because of how they feel about themselves and what they believe about themselves. Exactly the same thing happens in Kingdom of Heaven. Balian is challenged by a corrupt priest, who says, “But you have no knights!” Balian immediately asks every able-bodied man and boy to kneel. He gives a stirring speech and knights them all. They rise as knights. No training, no new weapons, but suddenly they experience a huge burst of courage and self-belief. That’s because Balian is a leader. His words matter to them. He himself gives them the courage which was lacking. The enemy is the same, their weapons are the same, but they are not. They have been changed by how they see themselves, what they believe about themselves. Balian is asked if this charade (of knighting everyone suddenly) will change them. His answer: Yes. A great leader must not only be brave, and show it, a leader must also be able to inspire his people. Really inspire them. This is why vision casting is so important. (See my post on casting vision). It is true that Christ is the head of the church, but he uses leaders to communicate his vision. He fills his leaders with his Spirit so that people can see what a servant-heart actually looks like, and hear again and again the wonders of his gospel. Leaders create the culture of their churches, because people look to them to understand what it means to live out the Christian faith. Hear Baldwin’s words once again. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. Allow me to adjust this slightly for leaders. Here is my version. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I thought I should just play it safe.” Or that, "Some members didn’t like change, so the plans prayed over and agreed by the leadership team, well, they weren't convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. It is certainly true that leaders can throw their weight around, pushing through change propelled by their own hubris. But by contrast, others are too fearful to lead at all. It is this second group I have in mind. To this group I would say this: Declaring that since Christ is the head of the church, we as leaders have no responsibility for the health and growth of the church, that too won’t suffice. Christ is indeed head of the Church, so we must serve him fearlessly, bravely and with undying commitment. Imagine the courage of the one, who leaving behind his heavenly father, was born into a humble home. Aspire to be like him. Bold and brave. Model him, share him, and lead. Lead your community—and all the visitors they bring to your Christmas services—to the glorious truth that God was with us in Bethlehem, he walked by the Sea of Galilee, and he is still with us today. He is here right now. For all who have ears to hear, let them hear! 1. Saladin (Salah Ad-din, Salahu’d-Din, Ṣalāḥ ud-Dīn) is the great Muslim general who commands a vast army. He is an historical figure, of course. 2. Balian is not without fault. His sexual ethics—he sleeps with another man’s wife—are certainly questionable.

I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure! I’m sure you’ve heard that one. Doubt seems to be part and parcel of the human condition. And that’s why we need to talk about Thomas. He was one of Jesus’ closest friends, and yet, fairly or not, we know him best as Doubting Thomas. Capital D for Doubting. A bit harsh? WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THOMAS Sometimes doubts arise from our temperament; we’re more Eeyore than Tigger. Each time Thomas appears in John’s story, he sounds like an Eeyore. First, there’s this verse. Let us also go, that we may die with him. It’s from John 11.16. Not the kind of comment to boost team morale! Then there’s this one from John 14.5. Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Hardly an expression of confidence. But we plumb the depth of Thomas’ doubt in John 20, post-Resurrection. If temperament contributes to Thomas’ doubt, so does a heart-breaking sense of disappointment. He really did think Jesus was the Messiah. He’d spent the best three years of his life with him. He’d seen it all. Heard it all. Believed it all. Or, at least, he thought he had. But that’s his problem. In Thomas’ mind, Messiahs win, they don’t get nailed to a cross. Thomas’ doubts are almost certainly intensified by loneliness. When Jesus shows up on Easter Sunday evening, Thomas isn’t there. How often doubts drive us into the wilderness of isolation. And now his friends are trying to persuade him that Jesus is alive. Really? Thomas just doesn’t have a category to deal with this. In his day, he probably scoffed at people who thought the prophet Elijah was walking around town. He was far too down-to-earth to fall for anything like that. I don’t know about you, but my sympathies are firmly with Thomas. I struggle with doubts too. And one of the hardest things is facing up to them. There are times when I doubt pretty much everything—my marriage . . . my friends . . . my sanity . . . and definitely my cooking! Is it so very strange that I sometimes doubt my God? The Psalmists certainly do. Listen to this tirade from Asaph in Psalm 77. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Psalm 77.7-9 And there’s plenty more where that came from. How do we feel about questions like these? Aren’t they treacherous expressions of unbelief? Not at all. They’re the anguished cries of a man who’s taking God seriously. Seriously enough to ask some tough questions when the gap between his expectations and his experience becomes unbearably wide. There’s a world of difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is questioning what you already believe. Unbelief is a determined refusal to believe what’s staring you in the face. Doubt is the unsettling struggle faced by the believer. Unbelief is the settled condition of the sceptic. Thomas is suffering from doubt, not unbelief. It’s not that he couldn’t care less. Far from it. He loves the Lord Jesus and longs to believe that his Lord has risen. We know this because the next time Jesus shows up, Thomas is there. So, how does Jesus handle Thomas’ doubts? Notice his first words. Peace be with you! Don’t you just love that?! Don’t run away, Tom! I haven’t come to condemn you. I’ve come to lead you out of the dark into the light. I want you to be at peace in your heart. This is what Jesus is saying. I’m pretty sure Thomas never gets around to touching Jesus’ wounds, but he does stop believing his doubts and he does start believing what’s in front of him. This is what he truly believes and he embraces it. And just as Mary threw her arms around Jesus in the garden, so Thomas falls at Jesus’ feet in that upper room. My Lord and my God! One of the greatest lines in the Bible, this is a light-bulb moment in every way. Now, in view of the resurrection, everything Jesus has said and claimed about himself starts to make sense. My Lord and my God! John starts his Gospel by affirming that Jesus is Lord and now he ends it with Thomas’ confession that Jesus is Lord. But there’s a subtle difference. At the start, Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth in a cosmic kind of way. Now, at the end, in the experience of this doubting man, we see something personal and transformative. He’s become the Lord of Thomas’ heart. And what is it that changes his mind? A personal encounter with Jesus, risen from the dead. And so it is, or can be, for each of us. But what about John 20.29? Thomas, you’ve believed because you’ve seen the evidence; there is a deeper better kind of faith . . . a faith that doesn’t require evidence. Is that what the verse states? No, not at all, though it has been read that way. Let’s look at the actual words. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20.29 There is no comparison here between those who have seen and those who haven’t. There is no “better” here. But second, Jesus doesn’t downplay evidence at all. Quite the contrary. Why ask Thomas to place his hand in his side if he thinks that faith without evidence is “better?” Faith isn’t leaping into the dark, it’s weighing the evidence and stepping into the light. John makes this clear in the way he completes the chapter. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20.30-31 None of us will have the privilege of seeing what Thomas saw. But don’t worry, says John, I’ve given you all the evidence you need to reach the same conclusion—including Thomas’ confession. Read it . . . weigh it . . . respond to it. We believe in Jesus because we’ve been persuaded. Stop and reflect on this whole episode with me. Jesus knows everything about Thomas. He knows where Thomas has been and what Thomas has said. He knows all about Thomas’ doubts and fears. And yet, he still wants him to be his disciple. He’s not ashamed to call Thomas his brother. And, I’m thrilled to say, he’s not ashamed of Doubting Me. In times of doubt, it’s not more faith I need. It’s more of Jesus. And as he reveals more of himself to me, as he did to Thomas—maybe through my listening to his word or through prayer or through words of life from a friend—then, maybe even in spite of myself, my faith will be revived. Maybe, as I focus on him, my doubts will be relieved . . . reframed . . . even redeemed. And it may just be that the path of doubt turns out to be the Lord Jesus’ way of bringing me—like Thomas—to a deeper, richer experience of himself.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. - Luke 2 verses 8-20 Jesus was born at night. That’s not surprising. Studies show that spontaneous births most commonly occur between midnight and 6 am. But the timing of Jesus’ birth in the hours of darkness has a symbolic significance beyond the statistics. His birth shone God’s light into the darkness of human sin. This three-part early Advent series began with Isaiah’s prophecy of a great light shining in the darkness and the challenge to step out of the darkness of sin and into the light of Christ. The second post reflected on the image in John 1 of the light of life shining through Christ’s deeds and words of grace and truth and the challenge for Christians, as children of light, to be the light of the world, through good deeds and gospel words. Having thought of the light of Christ shining on us and in us, this final post will think further about the light of Christ shining from us. The glory of God is often described in terms of light. Luke 2 describes it shining around the shepherds. It was an absolutely terrifying experience. When the light of God’s glory shines, the natural response is awe and even fear. We find our internal narratives of our own goodness or greatness exposed as the figments they are. The sin we had hoped to excuse and ignore is revealed. Caught in the spotlight of God’s majesty, we are bedazzled. The situation only seemed to worsen for the shepherds when they discerned within this light of glory the shape of an angel. Angelic appearances were not, it seems, commonplace among first-century shepherds. To understand their terror, we need to peel back the memories of school nativity plays with cute little girls in ballet dresses and tinsel. An angel is a warrior of heaven, so impressive that those who saw them in biblical accounts were often tempted to worship them. For a shepherd – not known as the most upright members of society – this seemed like bad news indeed. How wonderful then, that the angel declared not bad news, but good. The angelic army (for ‘army’ is the proper meaning of ‘host’) that appeared with the first angel had come not to wage war but to declare peace. A delegation from heaven announcing favour to people on earth. And not to respectable people in palaces or synagogues, but to marginalised shepherds in the fields. The subversive nature of the gospel is clear. God’s glory would shine not merely in the salvation of those who were regarded as righteous but supremely in the rescue of the ungodly. This is the wonder of the incarnation. Have we forgotten it in our familiarity? The shepherds’ response was swift. They hurried to see the sign of the baby lying in a manger. Having seen him, they went on the first New Testament mission trip, telling everyone who would listen what they had seen and heard. Through these unlikely evangelists, the amazement spread, although we do not know if anyone else visited the manger in response. What we do know is that this experience was transformative for the shepherds. They went back to their work with a renewed attitude – “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Ministers of the gospel are supposed to be like these shepherds. We are people who sat in darkness until the light of God’s glory shone upon us in Christ. When we heard the gospel, we came to gaze on Jesus, not lying in a manger, but hanging on a cross and emerging from a tomb. That experience changed us so that we glorify and praise God, and go to tell others. At least, this is how it should be. I suspect it is how it was when you first trusted Christ and when you started out in gospel ministry. What motivated you was the wonder of the gospel and the joy of God’s undeserved favour. If it is not that way now, it can be again, but only by gazing on Jesus. Jesus was born at night. It was also night when he was betrayed. John 13 verse 30 tells of Judas going out to betray Jesus and adds, “And it was night”. It was night time both literally and metaphorically. Luke’s Gospel records how Jesus called the moment of his arrest the hour “when darkness reigns”. He was crucified in the daytime, but the sun refused to shine for three hours as he bore the wrath of God for our sins. Then his body was laid in darkness in a tomb of rock sealed by a stone. On the Saturday that followed, the gloom enveloping his followers was heavy. It seemed that the light of the world had been extinguished. But in the light of Sunday’s dawning, they saw an empty tomb. He was risen! The light of life could not be overcome by the darkness of death. If the shepherds of Bethlehem could not help sharing the wonder of what they heard and saw, can we refrain from doing the same when we have seen so much more? Gospel ministry is telling others about the glory of God in Christ. We preach Jesus Christ as Lord, presenting God’s truth plainly, knowing that the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness in creation shines his light in the hearts of people to bring new creation. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4, when Jesus is proclaimed people see the “light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”. Our motivation to preach the gospel is our joyous discovery, like the shepherds, that all we were told when it was preached to us is true. We find Jesus to be all that he was claimed to be and more. Captivated by his majesty, we tell others about him. Those of us who preach regularly from Scripture must remember this is our task. We must show people Jesus and lead them in glorying in God through him. Our preaching is primarily an act of worship. It has more in common with the man who extols the virtues of his wife to his friends than the lecturer who explains the intricacies of his subject to his students. If this is not your experience as you preach, there is no remedy other than returning to gaze on Jesus. Discouragements and unrealistic expectations from others, perfectionism and people-pleasing, personal sin and unfulfilled ambitions, frustration with the shallowness and hypocrisy of much that passes as Christian, a feeling of embattlement from the world (and perhaps even within our denominations). All of these can rob us of joy in Christ, but all pale into insignificance when we consider Jesus. I hope that as Christmas approaches, you can find time to glory in him so that when you come to preach about his birth you can do so with the eagerness of the shepherds.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. […] The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1-5, 9-14 Light and darkness cannot coexist. It is a basic principle of physics (even if the nature of light is poorly understood), and a familiar reality in our experience. As soon as you flick on a light switch, the darkness disappears. Indeed, we could define darkness as the absence of light. Darkness is not a thing in itself. It is a negative state. No light. John’s prologue links light closely with two concepts: life and truth. God’s light is truth revealed. Jesus is the Word who existed eternally with God and who is God. In Jesus, God’s truth became incarnate. In him, God’s glory was seen, not visibly (except at the Transfiguration) but in his character, his teaching and his actions. John saw his glory in the grace and truth that filled Jesus and flowed out in every word and each deed. Jesus shone light because he revealed God’s truth in grace. God’s light is also life. Just as the light of the sun is the basis for all life on earth, so the light of God is the source of all life. Jesus is the life. He is not like us – living recipients of the gift of life – he possesses life in himself and he is the giver of life to everything else that lives. When Jesus encountered people, he offered them the light of life. His miracles of healing and words of forgiveness halted death and reversed decay. Jesus shone light because he restored life to those who trust in Him. The first post in this series explored the need for us to step out of darkness into light, turning from hidden sins to walk by God’s truth. The light of God shines on us through Christ. He is the light of the world who gives the light of life to all who follow him (John 8:12). But the biblical image of light does not end with the light of Christ shining upon us. Scripture also speaks of this light transforming those who step into it. While Jesus was in the world, he was its light (John 9:5). But he was also forming a new community of people who will walk in his light and so would become the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). According to John 1, the life that was in Jesus is “the light of all mankind” (verse 4). It could not be overcome by the world’s darkness. Many among the Jews to whom he came rejected his light, branding it as darkness and slinking into the shadows of self-righteousness. They even tried to extinguish his light by handing him over to be crucified. Yet, those who received Jesus received his light. The light of life shone upon them and the opposition and condemnation of those who rejected him could not stop that. In Jesus’ resurrection, a new dawn came. John 1 describes the transformation the light of life brings as a new birth. Those who believe in Jesus’ name are “born of God” (John 1:13). This new birth from above and by the Spirit, as Jesus described it to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3, makes us children of God. Amazingly, John describes the gift of new birth as a right bestowed upon us by God (John 1:12). Our culture speaks much of human rights. Tragically, it does so in a muddled way. In one breath, people can talk about the ‘right to life’ and the ‘right’ to end the lives of unborn children in the womb. When the ‘rights’ of two people seem to clash, we end up with confusion and conflict. Scripture does not say much explicitly about human rights. It is true that the very concept of human rights is derived from biblical truths. The right to life is rooted in our creation in God’s image and other rights flow from this God-endowed dignity. Having abandoned these gospel foundations for the sanctity of human life and cast off the equally important gospel concept of responsibility to God, it seems inevitable that we descend into conflict over competing supposed ‘rights’. Into this darkness shines the light of Christ. Penetrating our confusion about our value and significance is this intense beam – God’s promise that those who believe in Jesus have full authority to be his children. This biblical human right is the ultimate source of human dignity. It is greater even than the truth that we were created in God’s image, for it promises restoration from all that has gone wrong since we rejected God’s good rule. It promises more than personal fulfilment in ourselves as we know them now. If that were possible at all, the incarnation would have been unnecessary. God’s promise is of a whole new life in loving relationship with him. The echoes of Genesis 1 in John 1 are not merely about creation. They are signposting new creation. New birth through Jesus, who is the light shining in the darkness. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus uses another phrase to describe what it means to be God’s children. He said that those who believe in his light “become children of light” (John 12:36). The apostle Paul picks up this phrase twice in his letters. To the Thessalonians he writes, “You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Paul has told them that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), but he now reminds them that they are not of the darkness. As children of light, they must be alert. It is not time to sleep, but to “be awake and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). They must put on God’s armour and stand firm in their faith. To the Ephesians, Paul writes, “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). They must not try to mix darkness with light, as if that were possible. Their calling is not to participate in “the fruitless deeds of darkness” but to “expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). In doing so, they shine the light of Christ, which may wake the sleepers. The call is to a radically counter-cultural lifestyle that is provocative in the best possible sense. Christian living stands out and shines the light of Christ on others. This is not only an individual calling, of course, it is a community project, as Paul makes clear in the verses that follow (see Ephesians 5:18-20). The people you lead are children of light. The light of Christ has shone on them and they have been born of God. The light of Christ is now within them and they are now the light of the world. The New Testament pattern for Christian ethics is always the same. Be what you are. Live out the reality of your salvation. Continue in Christ just as you believed in him. You are light, so let the light shine. As the light of the world, the light we shine is our good deeds (Matthew 5:16). There is, however, an important caveat. The aim in letting our good deeds be seen is that people may glorify our Father in heaven. Children of light do not want praise for themselves, but for him. When Jesus warns against hiding our light, like putting a bowl over a lamp instead of setting it on a stand, he is saying both that God’s work in us should become visible through the way we live and also that we should make it clear that we live this way because of God’s work in us. To be kingdom people (the overarching theme of the Sermon on the Mount within which these words of Jesus are embedded) means to live the way the king commands for the king’s glory. In short, our works of care and compassion must be integrated with words of comfort and challenge. Social action and evangelism belong together. Jesus shone not only with grace, but with truth. When his light shines in us, we too will be known as people of grace and truth. In our culture of deepening darkness, it is vital that we keep these truths together. We need to be doers of good and declarers of the gospel. Perhaps the most profound thing about our witness in this age will be that we are known as people who do good but who act not in defense of our own rights, or even primarily for the ‘rights’ of others, but for the glory of God in the name of Jesus. It is only as Jesus, the light of life, shines on people that they know truth and can receive the gift of life. So, we must reflect him in our words and deeds. As I close this post, let me ask you, child of the light, are you shining with the light of Christ? What about the community you lead within? Do people see you – singular and plural – and recognise the glory of God because you are full of grace and truth? If not, what must change? Perhaps this Christmas as you rejoice in God’s light shining in the darkness you might discover again the immense joy of the right to become and to be known as children of God.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. […] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. - Isaiah 9 verses 2, 6-7 Don’t panic! You haven’t mixed up your dates. Advent doesn’t start until the end of November. You still have time to get prepared. Ministers generally begin to think about the true meaning of Christmas at least as early as decorations start festooning shops. They need to plan Christmas activities and prepare talks. Getting started is easier than normal service planning sermon prep – the dates are fixed and the texts are obvious. Bringing plans to completion can be harder. The planning phase comes at a busy time in church life, when programmes are in full swing and few others are thinking about Christmas, and an emotionally tough time for all of us, when days are shortening and temperatures are falling. The passages and carols can seem overly familiar and it is not easy to scrape away the cultural accretions of materialism and niceness to get to the reality of the incarnation. So, as ministers prepare and plan to lead others in their appreciation of Christmas, we in Living Leadership want to help them enjoy its wonder and apply its significance to leadership. John’s Gospel describes the incarnation as, “The true light that gives light to everyone […] coming into the world” (John 1:9). This three-part series will consider what it means to lead in the light. Isaiah prophesied about a great light that would dawn on people who lived in a land of deep darkness. In our age of electric lighting and (still, so far) reliable energy supplies, pitch darkness is a rare experience. Still, I suppose most of us have experienced a power cut at some time. For sighted twenty-first-century people, being plunged unexpectedly into darkness is unnerving. Assuming we do not have our mobile phone or a torch to hand, we can either sit in the dark waiting for the light to return or fumble towards where we hope to find a switch. In Isaiah’s day, people knew how deep darkness could be. Night-time was a fearful place in days without streetlights, and when hostile nations and predatory beasts were on hand. It was also a place of hiddenness. Darkness meant both the threat of unforeseen attack from enemies and the temptation to think sin could be concealed from God. The metaphor of darkness would, therefore, have resonated profoundly with Isaiah’s first readers. It was a powerful way to describe the spiritual decline of the nation. Some of the people of Judah in Isaiah’s time, facing uncertainty on the global stage, sought understanding from mediums and spiritists, who promised insight into hidden things. Isaiah says these people have “no light of dawn” (8:20) and describes the consequences for those who consult them “they will look towards the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness” (8:22). Seeking light in the shadows, they stumbled into deepest gloom. This was no accidental stumbling away from God. It was a wilful rejection of his light for falsehood. God had warned clearly in his law that defilement would come through turning to mediums and spiritists (Leviticus 19:31). It has always been so with sinful people. We prefer to hide in the darkness rather than bringing our deeds unto God’s light: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:20). Where the people should have turned was to their God, to consult his “instruction and the testimony of warning” (8:20). There is no light without God. He is light (1 John 1:5): pure truthfulness and holiness without shadow or hidden recess. His Word spoken to his people shines the light of truth on them, to guide their paths (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23). The word of God through prophets like Isaiah was an inconvenient truth for those in Judah who preferred to believe a lie. They wanted a God of endless comfort. A guarantor of peace without pain. The light Isaiah foresaw was more than just prophetic words. It was embodied in a person – a coming child and son who would be called Wonderful Counsellor. Whoever this prophecy refers to in the immediate horizon of Isaiah’s time, we know its ultimate fulfilment is in Jesus. In the historic homelands of Zebulun and Naphtali – Galilee of the nations – he preached God’s kingdom now arriving and called people to repentance (Matthew 4:13-17). The great light had dawned for Jew and Gentile alike. What does this mean for Christian leaders? One of the most profoundly challenging books I have read about leadership is In the Name of Jesus by Dutch Roman Catholic priest Henri Nouwen (Darton, Longman & Todd, 1989). He writes (p.10): After twenty-five years of priesthood, I found myself praying poorly, living somewhat isolated from other people, and very much preoccupied with burning issues. Everyone was saying that I was doing really well, but something inside me was telling me that my success was putting my own soul in danger. I began to ask myself whether my lack of contemplative prayer, my loneliness, and my constantly changing involvement in what seemed most urgent were signs that the Spirit was gradually being suppressed. It was very hard for me to see clearly ... I was living in a very dark place. Perhaps you can identify with this experience too? Especially in this busy season, we easily become slaves to what seems urgent and neglectful of what is most important. People may even tell us we are doing well, but we know we are in the dark. When we sense the gloom, we can stumble for any light to brighten our path. False lights promise hope and healing. We may not consult spiritists and mediums, but we look to self-help gurus and pop psychology. We follow the message of our culture that tells us to protect ourselves, love ourselves and develop ourselves. We turn our half-open ears to other voices. We indulge ourselves with stolen pleasures or console ourselves with the success that imperils our souls. It is often in the night-time, when alone and weary, that these temptations clamour and we sin. Struggling with the gloom, we plunge into deeper darkness still. The Spirit is suppressed, even grieved. If you are leading from a dark place, it is time to step into the light. When we live by the truth, we come into the light and others see that our works have been done in God’s sight (John 3:21). Christian leaders are accountable to God. We are people of the light and we must lead in the light. We must resist the draw of lesser lights that are no lights at all. We need nothing less than the light of Christ to rise in our hearts. This is the way of contemplative prayer and meditative reading. We need deep and unhurried time spent gazing on Christ, crying for mercy, and returning thanks for his grace. We must take enough time savouring the words of Scripture to let our hearts’ eyes adjust to its penetrating light – soaking in each promise, heeding every warning, noting each command. Only in the light of Christ can we lead others to glory in him. The Wonderful Counsellor works his words into our inner being through the Spirit he promised as we turn to his light. Coming into the light means naming the darkness for what it is. Confessing the false lights that have dragged us into deeper darkness. Hidden sins like binge eating and watching pornography. Respectable sins of self-aggrandisement and boasting in ministry prowess. Too-readily-excused sins of irritability with our families and neglect of Sabbath, giving our dependents and our Lord crumbs of our time. Coming into the light of God, especially if our spiritual eyes have grown accustomed to the shadows, can be painful. But it is a purifying pain. Only in this light can we see what matters most, distinguishing the apparently urgent from the absolutely essential. In this light, we see things differently. People we had dismissed as insignificant, we now see as indispensable. Blessings we had taken for granted are revealed to be treasures of great worth. Sins that seemed so comforting are exposed as the poisonous snares they truly are. And ourselves, who we had come to love or to despise, we see as deeply flawed yet loved more deeply still. So, brothers and sisters. As you prepare to celebrate the light that dawned over Israel’s darkness 2000 years ago, let the light of the Wonderful Counsellor shine in your heart today.

Editors note: Apologies, this post was initially wrongly attributed to Jess Coles. This post is actually by Richard Collins, about his recent trip to Israel. So much beauty. So much history. So much religion. These were my thoughts as I returned recently from a Mediterranean cruise—a gift from my wife’s parents. Here are some reflections. EPHESUS AND PATMOS Wonderful guides. Knowledgeable and very patient. Ancient Ephesus, you may remember, was a strategic port city in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). No longer. Hundreds of years of silt movement has now moved it inland—a half hour drive from the coast. Nevertheless, it is remarkably well preserved. Its long marble avenue from two thousand years ago is still there. The impressive façade on the library stands out. My wife, Bettina, turned to me and said, “Just think, all those years ago, someone in one of those houses opened a letter from Paul . . . and we’re still reading it.” A humbling thought. Patmos. Name of the driver: John. Name of the man at the church: John. As our guide said, “Guess the name of our host at the restaurant. Yup. John.” Every other man and his dog, it seemed, was named John. The Apostle’s legacy towers over the island. We visited the cave where he is believed to have received the Revelation. There is an indent in the rock face where he placed his hand. Was he there? How can we know? As our guide said, “One thing is certain, he was somewhere on this island, because he wrote, ‘I . . . was on the island of Patmos.’” ISRAEL Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples, they must have been fit. This place is hilly! Up and down we went, followed by my in-laws who are in their 80s. It was a challenge. Garden of Gethsemane. A sad sight. It is now the size of a postage stamp. The trees are very old—around eight hundred years—but there are hardly more than ten left. The reason? They’ve built churches and religious buildings all over the place. The Basilica of the Agony is a huge structure right next to the garden. And then there’s the Tomb of the Virgin on the other side. Much has changed in the past two thousand years. I had imagined a large, tree-filled space in which we could wander. Instead, in the church, you can kneel next to the rock where Jesus is believed to have wept his tears of agony. I’m sure you can donate to the church also. SO MUCH RELIGION This is a good moment, then, to stop and reflect on what has happened during the past two thousand years. The urge to identify a site associated with an event in the Bible has drawn out our deepest religious impulses. The cynic will say it’s all about money. And maybe that’s part of the answer. But religion isn’t just to do with money. It’s also to do with our attempt to meet with God and satisfy him. And it’s about control and ownership. The Orthodox and Catholic groups have jostled for position for centuries. In some places, one building lies right on top of another of a different denomination. As a leader, there is a message here. Religion is lurking even in our most ardent evangelical churches. It raises its head when a community requires certain cultural behaviours from its members in order to be accepted. It raises its head when law reigns and grace is shunted aside. Religion values church attendance and outward signs of religiosity. It is the antithesis of grace, failing to reach out and embrace our weaker members, who face daily challenges just to survive. Beware of religion. It will gradually corrode your community. It will harden your hearts. It will destroy a community of love and grace. In Israel, it is everywhere. So as I walked and marvelled at what I saw, my primary thought was, “He is not here. He is risen!” Christ is not in the chanting or religious books or churches or the art. He is risen, alive and living in those who believe and seek to share his love with the world. He is in the church, his beloved. SO MUCH BEAUTY In Nazareth, we visited the Church of the Annunciation, believed by Roman Catholics to be the place where Mary grew up. It has multiple churches from previous centuries on the site, but the new one, built in the 1950s, is a wonder to behold. The art in the courtyard is truly stunning. The art inside the building is equally impressive. The ceilings and designs from across the centuries which decorate so many of these churches is of the highest quality. It is, at times, breath-taking. That’s what good art does—it takes the breath away. Whatever you may think of icons in the Greek Orthodox church or the beautiful murals in Roman Catholic churches, it happens to be true that the appreciation of beauty often leads to worship. We just need to be careful that we don’t worship the art, but instead are reminded of the beauty of our creator. I marvelled at every beautiful piece of art . . . and I worshiped our loving creator. For God has made us beautiful, and he has made us creative. For we are made in his image. BAPTISM . . . AGAIN We visited the Jordan River. Some Christians were getting baptised . . . again. I was unsure how to respond to this. Baptism is wonderful; it’s a powerful symbol. As such, I’m not sure it should be done so we can stick up a picture saying, “Look, I did it again in the Jordan!” The site was a spot where they said Jesus was baptised. How can we know? And, of course, why does it matter? THE WESTERN WALL Reading, chanting, keening, kneeling, reaching, bowing, praying, crying—it was all on display at the Western Wall, a remaining section of the Second temple built by Herod the Great. This is the most sacred location in Jerusalem for the Jews. It is considered the holiest place where Jews are allowed to pray, as close as you can get to the holy of holies. The Temple Mount itself has severe entry restrictions; it is now home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Two world religions sitting right on top of each other. No wonder it’s considered a powder keg. A couple of thoughts. First, it’s hard not to take sides in a place like this. To see the Jews restricted from visiting their most holy site by another religion is hard to watch. In truth, however, neither side emerges without blemish. The daily suffering of Arab Israelis in the West Bank cannot be ignored. So I turned to the people, our two taxi drivers. The first was Jewish, and he was not happy. Mostly he was upset about inflation, but he was also frustrated by all the road closures related to the recent killing of two Jewish soldiers. The second was called Ramsi, an Arab Israeli who drove us back to Ashdod, an hour’s journey away. He had nine children, talked a lot and told us that he was “wishing for the return of Jesus.” I must say, this was a surprise. I hadn’t realised that muslims were also waiting for Jesus’ return. He asked my wife to pray for his family, which she did. What did I learn? That while we and our taxi drivers hold different beliefs, we face many of the same challenges. We seek to raise our children, love our spouses, and make a living. In short, we are all struggling sinners. And we met in the very location where salvation was purchased for us. We were right there near the hill where blood was spilled for all of us. May God have mercy on all our souls. MARS HILL Before we embarked from Athens, we spent a couple of days there. We visited the Acropolis, and various archaeological sites in the city. We visited Mars Hill. At its base is a rather dirty inscription written in Greek. It’s from Acts 17. There is no church, no monastery, no shrine. It’s just a small hill, towered over by the Parthenon. Tourists walk about on it, but there is nothing on the actual hill to remind us of what took place there. Perhaps that is how it should be. For on that hill St. Paul delivered one of the great sermons of history. He preached the gospel, and it included these truly wonderful words. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. - Acts 17.24-28a He is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. How gracious is our God, that he would draw near through his Son. How merciful he is that, in Jesus, he would live with us, and then suffer and die for us. Mars Hill needs no church, no plaque, no monument. For its importance lies only in the message that was preached there. This word, this gospel, has gone out through all the world. It has been received by all who have ears to hear. “He is not here. He is risen!”

A church leader is a teacher. No question about it. Teaching is an integral part of the job description. It’s right there in the Great Commission. . . . and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matt 28.20a Fine. But teaching what? And to whom? The content is clear. It’s “everything I have commanded you.” It’s the gospel, the teachings of Jesus, the beliefs and practices that lead to Christ-like godliness. The “whom” part, however, isn’t always quite as clear. Every Sunday, church leaders get up and teach. Or preach.* They faithfully expound the word of God to the congregation and fulfil their calling. And this is fine, but I wonder if it’s enough. Today, I’d like to offer up an area of ministry which is both fruitful and essential for all church leaders. It’s called . . . SEE ONE, DO ONE, TEACH ONE I believe that church leaders should be aiming to do themselves out of a job. By this, I mean that by equipping and releasing people for works of service (Eph. 4.12a) we train people in all areas of ministry. In turn, the church becomes less and less reliant on the leader, and more and more led by God’s Spirit speaking through trained and equipped people in the community. Trained speakers, teachers, preachers, carers and servers of all kinds begin to fill the church. That’s how it should be. So how does this process happen? I think a clue to this can be found in the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy. As you probably know, he wrote the letter when he knew he was close to death. It was his last piece of advice to his mentee, the young Timothy. Here’s the relevant section. You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 2. 1-3 First, he exhorts Timothy to guard his spiritual life. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Second, he calls attention to the teaching he himself has given over many years. This is the teaching that Timothy will be passing on. Third, he tells his mentee to find “faithful people” to whom he will pass on this teaching. Faithful people. Not just anyone. They must be faithful. They must be people of good character. But they must be even more than this. They must be “able to teach others also.” Is the work of passing on this teaching easy or difficult? It’s difficult, because back then, followers of Jesus and especially leaders, were subject to persecution. “Faithful people” would show their faithfulness by “suffering hardship.” FIND FAITHFUL PEOPLE Church leaders should pass on their skills to others. Especially the skill of teaching. May I encourage you, then, to consider who it is in your community who is both faithful and able to teach. They must have both these requisites. Character and skill. Once you have found one, two or three people suited to the work, then you will notice the order in which the work is performed. SEE ONE The things you have heard from me. Model the work. Be a good teacher. Display your skills and discuss them with your trainees. Explain your preparation. Don’t be secretive, as some are, fearful that they will lose their position of authority. Instead, be open and generous with all you know. Show them how your sermons and classes are prepared and delivered. DO ONE Entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. Give opportunities to your trainees to use their skills. Explain to your congregation what you’re doing, so they understand why you won’t be seen quite as often as before. Provide feedback to your trainees. Be supportive. It sounds so straightforward, doesn’t it? WHY DOESN’T IT HAPPEN MORE OFTEN? Often, it’s simply that leaders hold false beliefs about position and authority. What will people think if they don’t see me speaking every Sunday? They’ll think I’m lazy. They won’t see me as the leader. Maybe they’ll fire me. Or they offer excuses. I don’t have the time. It’s too much effort. I don’t have the skills to do it. Every one of these objections and excuses is wrong-headed. The objections are underpinned by insecurity, and that is a quality that causes great harm in a leader. If you serve in fear, you will never be free, and you will never experience joy. If you are fiercely protective of your visibility in church, and see others as a threat, then you will reap the rewards of such an approach. But worst of all, ensuring you are the only one who teaches in church is NOT the model of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul clearly took delight in passing on his knowledge and skills to young Timothy. He brought along young men and passed on his knowledge and skills to them. Silas, Luke and others all benefited from his calling. It’s time each church leader did the same. TEACH ONE The one sure sign that you are doing the right thing is when your trainee manages to train others. That will bring you joy upon joy. Perhaps not all are able to do this, but when it happens, it is the means of producing exponential growth. Spiritual growth and often numerical growth too. Teachers teaching others to teach. This is a sign of the growth of God’s Kingdom. Teachers growing in the grace and knowledge of God who in turn model Christ-like character as they teach. If that happens in your church, then you are a healthy community, growing in character, grace, and love. Don’t believe the objections. Don’t offer excuses. You can do this. God has equipped you to do this. Go and find some faithful people who are able to teach. Pass on your skills to them. Equip and release teachers in your community. The Lord bless you as you go out in his name to teach others. Embrace the concept of “passing on.” For what you have received, you must pass on. As the Apostle Paul wrote, For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 15.3-4 *Teaching is not the same as preaching, but that’s a post for another day.

“Get out of my way, I’ve got a machete!” On return from a recent holiday, I almost found myself uttering this threat to all and sundry. Why, you might ask. Allow me to explain. This summer, we took a week off very late in the season. Our visit to Shetland was wonderful, but as we set off, I carried with me a nagging worry. I hadn’t cut the grass for two weeks and it was already very long. On my return, I was met by a scene reminiscent of my visions of the Garden of Eden. Abundant growth everywhere. Especially the lawn, which swept out before me like an undulating green ocean. To make matters worse, I’d returned during the wettest week of the year in Perthshire. Have you tried to cut wet grass? It’s not advisable. And it’s especially inadvisable when the grass has been treated with a Late Summer/ Early Autumn feeding by Greenthumb (a grass feeding and maintenance company I retain). So I had to wait until the end of the third week since the previous cut. In Perthshire, that’s a long time. A machete may be an exaggeration, but I did have to raise the height of the lawnmower further than ever before. It was the only way to make a first cut of the crop. That word “crop” is an interesting one. Nowadays, it’s associated with the annual ingathering of cereal or other plants, but it can also mean “the top of a flower or plant.” The lawnmower was soon filled with an overflowing crop. In fact, the crops choked the lawnmower every five minutes. What would normally take me an hour took me nearly four hours instead. I had an abundant crop of grass. As I trudged back to the house after my battle in the garden, my attention turned to a second-hand book I had received for my birthday from my sister-in-law. The Chemistry of Crop Production. She certainly recognises my geekiness. What produces long grass? Water, air, light and heat, ash, lime, potash, phosphate, nitrogen and microbes combine with the phenomenon of photosynthesis so that the plants’ chlorophyll absorbs the energy of light and the plant’s protoplasm so that it separates carbon dioxide from the air into carbon and oxygen. Exhausted, I sank into an armchair and reflected on my experience and my reading. IN SEASON, GRASS DOES WHAT COMES NATURALLY – IT GROWS Grass produces more grass. It’s inevitable. The mystery of growth is a creative miracle: converting chemical matter into completely different matter. The principle of a seed falling into the ground works out in grass too—rye grass being an example of seed-born grasses. It must, in other words, produce “fruit”. This is the mystery of the Christian experience, that by “abiding in Christ” we will produce “fruit”. Jesus said that “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit” (John 15.6). There is one critical element to this: who we are is a consequence of who we have become. When we are linked to Jesus in the new birth, fruit will be displayed in our lives. The growth is supernatural. It is in our character as well as our deeds that we will see the imperative of a changed life. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Gal. 5.22 MULTIPLE CUTS ARE BETTER THAN A “ONCE ONLY” CUT The Vinedresser of Jesus’ teaching in John 15 demonstrates his patience by gradually paring down the unfruitful branches. The unproductive fruit, which saps energy from the plant and hinders other fruit forming, needs to be cut off. In my own life, I’ve discovered that the painful process of paring down unfruitful areas of life must continue without check. Those things which hinder my ability to be fruitful need to go. In truth, the Greek word for “prune” (kathairō) often means “clean”. Its root is similar to the adjective translated “clean” in John 15.3. You may remember Jesus’ words to his disciples. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. John 15.3 As I cleaned the lawnmower, wiping it down and pushing it into the shed, I thought about the way the Lord has worked in my life. The constant practice of reflection, confession, repentance and striving to maintain a clean life is very much like the continual passes of a lawnmower on stubborn, resistant grass. It is the Lord who makes me clean, who “crops” me as I submit to his will in my life. GRASS NEVER GETS SHORTER BY ITSELF As I stared out of the rain-streaked windows into the leaden skies, I knew the grass wasn’t going to cut itself. It wouldn’t get shorter as a result of my earnest display of hoping! It was going to be a mammoth task, so when that first sunny, windy day arrived, it wasn’t just the washing that had to go outdoors, but me too. In my wellies! It wouldn’t be my favourite day of the year, but then so much of life is filled with must-do tasks. DISCIPLINE During my life, I’ve experienced many “head-down” days. Discipline isn’t a favourite word among many. We often believe it entails a loss of freedom, but in reality, discipline is not a bad thing. We kick against it sometimes because it forces us to confront challenging issues in our lives, but the results of a disciplined life are clear to see. Spiritual disciplines are the simple habits and practices that help us to develop, grow, and strengthen our faith in Christ. They are things like prayer, Bible study, meditation, confession, solitude, worship, and celebration. These things don’t bring us salvation and they aren’t a recipe for God’s approval. Instead, they are practices that help us develop a lasting faith, a strong faith, and a faith that bears fruit in our daily lives. The disciplines don’t have power in themselves; they help to develop and strengthen our faith in our Lord who is powerful over all things. “Must-do” things aren’t millstones around our necks. Quite the opposite. If we discipline ourselves to seek the Lord in all we do—and include habits which help us to know and serve our God better—then we will see results that are often rewarding and reassuring. We will witness a lasting crop. A fruitful harvest. So when you are next faced with a lawn that needs cutting, be encouraged. You may not want to cut it, but the discipline will do you good. Spiritual disciplines do us good. They produce fruit. They produce a wonderful, healthy crop.

Hi there! Thanks for stopping to read this post. You’ve stopped. Briefly. Has this guy got anything meaningful to say? Well, let’s see. Imagine, for a moment, that this post might possibly add something valuable to your life. So, pause and breathe slowly. Stop. For two minutes. Three times a day. Stop. How hard can that be? LIFE IS BUSY First, I get this. Leaders have a lot on their plates. There is a lot to accomplish. There are tasks to complete, people to meet, goals to achieve. So let me be clear. I’m not suggesting that these tasks and goals aren’t valid, nor that your work doesn’t require hard work. It does. There is, however, a price to be paid for constant movement, continual running and reaching for the next thing. It creates stress and tends towards exhaustion. And in fact, a person who never stops often achieves less than the one who rests at appropriate moments. Studies show that for students, they retain more information if they take a ten-minute break every hour. And so today, I set you a challenge I have attempted myself. First, the challenge. Second, how I fared. Third, why it’s worth having a go. THE TWO MINUTE BREATHER Stop for two minutes three times a day. That’s just six minutes a day. This will benefit you whatever you do during those two minutes (that’s how God has created us), but I suggest one of these ways to enrich the time further: Meditate on a Scripture Worship Short devotional prayer Three times a day. HOW I FARED In truth, not well. Not well at all! I found it very hard. It’s only six minutes a day and I often forgot. Days would pass and I would simply forget. Once I had put on an alarm to remind me, that helped. But then I found it hard to slow down and stop. It was like slamming on the brakes on the motorway. Everyone else was speeding by, and I was resistant to stopping. I thought I would somehow lose momentum. But this turned out not to be true. Once I had got used to stopping for two minutes even once a day, I discovered the benefits. Which is why I’m recommending this practice. WHY IT’S WORTH HAVING A GO First, the practice of stopping regularly through your day is a reminder of your need to slow down. It actually reduces the stress in your body. When you stop, you slow your breathing and take deep breaths. The focus moves from the external to the inner life with God. Second, it acts like a regular wake-up call to the purpose of your life. Instead of distracting yourself with Facebook or Twitter, you are brought before the Lord to worship him, and since that is the ultimate goal of your life, it is good to be reminded of it. Third, the practice confronts a number of lies about your work. 1 – If you stop, you’ll get behind. Just two minutes and you’re behind? I don’t think so. If you believe that stopping for two minutes will cause you to get behind, then there is something very wrong. Because that simply isn’t true. Not unless you’re a paramedic or a trauma surgeon. If you feel a constant drive to press on, it’s precisely by stopping that you gain perspective. Indeed, after stopping and worshiping, you will bring into the next portion of your day the joy of having spent time with your Lord, if only for a couple of short minutes. 2 - This isn’t a good time or “I’ll lose track of what I’m doing.” Well, a little clarity might help here. I’m not asking you to stop in the middle of a team meeting. I’m suggesting you find three times a day when you can simply stop. Anybody can find that. Anybody, that is, who makes it a priority. And perhaps that is the crux. You will only do this if you make it a priority. It’s like the excuses we make for not sending emails. I haven’t had time. Really? It takes about a minute, and you haven’t had a minute? Of course you have, but , most likely, the email simply wasn’t important enough to you. If you prioritise this, you can do it. It’s not impossible. 3 - It doesn’t suit my personality. Maybe so. However, have you noticed that when Jesus taught people, he didn’t adjust his teaching to different personality types. If devotional practices bring benefits, then those benefits are available to everyone. It may be that highly-strung people will find this more difficult, but all the more reason to have a go. Jesus doesn’t say, “If you can’t concentrate, then don’t bother to pray.” He calls us all into his presence. In truth, you can do this. If you want to. Your God is well able to meet with you, whatever personality type you may have. 4 - I can’t slow down. Yes, you can. That is just a lie. The two-minute breather may be a challenge at first, but it is not impossible. I’ve added this last one, because it’s obviously an excuse. Anyone can slow down if they determine to do it. Back to how I fared . . . I will confess that I found this harder to do than I would admit to myself. It shouldn’t be hard, but it was. I made excuses or I forgot. Allow me to quote from Brother Lawrence, the master at holding Jesus before him all day long. I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to God, which I may call an actual presence of God; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with God. - The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence. Why do I quote from Brother Lawrence? Because the two-minute breather is simply a technique to draw us back to a constant awareness of God’s presence. For he is always with us. Every moment of every day. There is nothing magical in the breather itself. Stopping for two minutes every now and then won’t transform you into the perfect Christian. But it may help you slow down. It may help to remind you regularly of your life’s purpose. If you struggle with it, it may even function as a warning signal. That you’re moving too fast, that you’re doing, doing, doing, without being grounded in your relationship with God. So, what do you say? Are you willing to try? I would love to hear how it goes. Do email me to let me know what you have learned through the practice. My email: richard.collins@livingleadership.org The Lord bless you as you serve him today.

This Sunday is Clergy Appreciation Day—9 October. It’s also known as Pastor Appreciation Day. The cynical among you are probably saying, “What next?! Another excuse for greeting card companies to cash in?” Well, whatever you think of designating a special date for it, clergy or pastor appreciation can hardly be a bad idea. So, let me ask you some questions. • Do you appreciate your minister?[1] • Would your minister know that you appreciate them? Or . . . • If you are a minister, do you feel appreciated? In our experience in Living Leadership, leaders are often chronically under-encouraged. I suspect that also runs true for many church members. Recently, someone suggested to me that many younger preachers only have one way of applying the Bible. The point of every sermon seems to be, “you need to try harder and do better”. That may well be a legitimate application to draw from some Bible passages, but I don’t think we can say it’s the point of every portion of Scripture. Nor is it true that we don’t need other messages, including that precious thing we call “encouragement”. A little appreciation goes a long way. It’s a familiar saying, isn’t it? And I’m confident that you know how true it is in your own life. Psychological research backs it up. Studies published in March 2022 found that an attitude gratitude can reduce our tendency to objectify others. The researchers defined objectification as, “treating others merely as things or tools while denying their personhood”. Sadly, this tendency to treat people as a means to an end can creep into ministry, as I have blogged previously. To guard against it, these studies say, we should cultivate gratitude. By showing appreciation, we become people who are less likely to objectify others. So, ministers, encourage your people, when you’re preaching and in pastoral encounters. If you’re a church member, don’t forget to encourage your minister. It’s so important to let them know they are appreciated. It seems so straightforward, doesn’t it? So what seems to be the problem? Why do ministers feel unappreciated?[2] Critical comments stick more easily and for longer than positive feedback. This is especially true when we feel overworked and tired. Cultural communication styles can sometimes cause harm. We can be overly reserved or pitifully superficial. Banter can be fun, but it can also bring people down if we are never sincere. Church members often underestimate the amount of time and effort that leaders pour into their job. Some make a superficial judgement based simply on what they see. We find it easier to praise people to others rather than to their face. Sadly, the praise sometimes never reaches the one praised. In other words, the encouragement never reaches the ears that need to hear it. Some church members fear that praising a pastor might breed pride or complacency. They erroneously believe that encouragement will negatively affect their humility and dampen their motivation. This simply isn’t true. Some church members hold unjustified beliefs and unbiblical ideas. For example, they believe that “it’s my minister’s job to keep my spiritual fervour”. Or, “if a pastor is doing the job well, the church will inevitably grow”. When things aren’t going well, resentment grows towards the minister. Finally, there is old-fashioned jealousy, rivalry and competitiveness. If you’re a church member, I wonder if any of these apply to you. It’s worth saying at this point that I’m not saying that all ministers need to be drenched in unconditional positive affirmation at all times. I’m also not arguing that when ministers behave badly, they shouldn’t be disciplined. Of course they should. Ministers need godly support and encouragement. They need wise counsellors who can both admonish and encourage. They need to hear the truth spoken in love. That means we shouldn’t tell ministers their sermons are wonderful when they aren’t. It means we should provide honest, loving feedback. If their hearts are in the right place, they will appreciate it. That caveat established, let me suggest three ways to show appreciation for your leader. DON’T JUST THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO. APPRECIATE WHO THEY ARE. Encouraging feedback often focuses on what a leader does rather than on who they are. I scanned the internet for advice on how to show appreciation on “Clergy Appreciation Day.” It was discouraging, to say the least. “You are the best pastor ever” is both ridiculous and unhelpful. “We appreciate your messages every Sunday” is slightly better, but still falls short. It focuses exclusively on what the minister does. Instead, the most meaningful feedback should focus on the leader’s character. If you see Christ-like qualities in them—compassion, gentleness, wisdom, faithfulness, humility—let them know. And be specific. “I truly appreciate how thoughtful and kind you were last week, when you called after my mother died. Thank you.” That would warm any leaders’ heart. Yes, it’s an action, but the focus is on the leader’s character that produced the action. DON’T JUST THANK THEM, THANK GOD. APPRECIATE GOD’S WORK IN THEM. In our culture, it is generally deemed polite to thank people for what they do for us. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but what about an additional dimension? St. Paul often showed his appreciation for others by offering thanksgiving to God for their service. Leaders love to see their church members growing, so when they hear a person say “I thank God for who he has made you and how you use the gifts he has given you,” that goes a long way. It keeps the focus on God and his glory. DON’T JUST SAY IT, SHOW IT. APPRECIATE YOUR LEADER IN TANGIBLE WAYS Words are powerful. But so are actions. Appreciative words bless the soul. Actions bless the body. Words can sometimes lack sincerity and they are easily offered. Actions require some effort. So, if you’re a church member, sending a card shows you care. Offering to baby-sit or sending a retail voucher—anonymously is best—are things that touch a leader’s heart. Confectionary may not be good for the teeth, but most leaders enjoy a little sugar! Two final suggestions. PASTORAL REFRESHMENT CONFERENCES Why not pay for your minister to attend one of our annual Pastoral Refreshment Conferences? They are spaces designed to encourage and fortify your leader(s). Spouses are encouraged to come too. If the price is too high for you, why not club together with others, or ask your church to provide the funds? LEADERSHIP COMMITMENTS SCHEME Consider signing up to our Leadership Commitments Scheme. It includes a Code of Best Practice in Caring for Leaders. By subscribing to the Scheme, you show your commitment to work towards appreciative working conditions for your ministers. In addition, the church gets access to a range of toolkits that help embed that culture, including one for ministry reviews. October 9. Clergy Appreciation Day. Pastor Appreciation Day. Whether you’re a minister or a church member, may I encourage you today by leaving you with some advice from the Apostle Paul. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thess. 5.11 The Lord bless you as you serve him today. 1. Insert the title used in your community for those who provide spiritual leadership. 2. If you’re a minister, and you feel brave, you’re welcome to forward this post to your church members. Just blame me if they don’t like it!