Follow the Leader or Lead the Followers?

This month seems to have been all about leaders and followers…and I am not just referring to those who have been brave enough to try brocade trousers and those who are waiting for items to end up on the sale rack or the miraculous loss of ten pounds before they dare to experiment! We have had leadership contests that have had the whole world watching, such as the recently contested US Elections that saw President Obama win another term, and one that has had all of us in Christo Towers pondering the implications, such as the recently concluded selection of Justin Welby as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. However, leading doesn’t begin with the ‘winning’ of votes, but with the willingness to illustrate by example; something that those of us, be we believers for five minutes of five decades often forget.

Leadership comes with a commission: At the close of Mark’s Gospel Jesus himself says this:

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Preaching the good news does not merely mean peacing out to be a missionary in the traditional sense. All creation does not merely reside where one can get a sun-tan or post exotic Facebook updates and Twitter feeds to family and friends. Indeed preaching can be interpreted in choosing to show some of Christ’s truth in your everyday, to lead by example, in whatever situation you presently find yourself in. There is never a perfect time for a commission: if we take the passage in Mark, Jesus is talking to his disciples for the final time before ascending to Heaven. He is leaving them with no fixed time line of his return, He is also departing at a time when they would not only be part of the marginalised minority but also most certainly face persecution. What is also interesting to note is that the Great Commission which this verse is part of; is addressed to all believers, not just the ones heading for lofty office, we are all part of His Divine Leadership campaign.

So who are these ordinary people, doing extraordinary things? Lucky for me I didn’t have to look far, to see how people, places and spaces could be used for the most powerful purposes. A couple of weeks ago I was a guest at a gala concert at St Stephen’s Church, Walbrook. The gala was in aid of The Walbrook Music Trust, an organisation committed to putting on world class choral and instrumental work in St Stephen’s for free. One can only imagine how the gift of music soothes all those who attend especially in the hubbub and fiscally focused heart of the City of London, where one is only as good as their last career appraisal. The Walbrook Music Trust is led tirelessly and without expectation of plaudits by Musical Director Edward Adams whilst financial logistics are championed by John Seagrim. I was humbled and reminded by both these men and the teams they had gathered around them, that preaching the gospel comes in many forms and that by using the church space as a centre of musical excellence and tranquillity a whole new audience to both classical music and God’s eternal truth could be created.

Digging deeper, the building itself showed me further examples of people following their divinely authored commission in the here and now. For starters, we have the space itself: designed by Sir Christopher Wren and with a dome every bit as pretty as the one at St Paul’s. And then there is the altar; designed by Henry Moore with a piece of marble from the same quarry that Michelangelo used for David and finally there is the legacy of former Rector of St Stephen’s, Dr Chad Varah, who founded Samaritans, an organisation that continues to bring comfort and save lives by offering help to the desolate.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we are in a sense setting ourselves to be like him, to lead. The exciting thing is the commission is already in us, it is just a case of bringing it forth and not caring too much for initial reception. God’s purposes are always fulfilled, but if we start with commission led intent, our legacy can last forever.

All Saints, Every Day

Today we’re reminded of All Saints…No not the  clothes shop, although I do remember when many a moon ago, they stocked rather fetching belts with the phrase ‘Jesus Rocks’ emblazoned in metallic studs…Nor the woeful girl band that I could never bring myself to like and blamed for so many a friend adopting the cargo-pants and hoodie look as their style signature…but the saints of the Christian faith, be they  beatified (if you are of a Catholic or High Anglican persuasion) or the common-garden believers (if you belong to a more Reformed/Protestant tradition) today, we remember them all.

For a day that was quite a big deal back in the day, All Saints has suffered somewhat from the day that precedes its popularity; Halloween. Give people the choice between remembering a bunch of long dead goody-two-shoes and currently alive stalwarts of the faith or dressing up in a random quest to scare or provoke comment and it is a no-brainer what they’ll opt for. And let’s not forget how so many Christos, use Halloween as an opportunity to dabble in some ‘occult-light’ activities…You know the deal, a spot of clairvoyance,  participating in harmless-fun spells, exploring traditional faiths, a la many of my mates in Blighty who use this time of year to draw on the parallels between Samhain and its Christian ‘cousin’ in the church calendar. But before I spend this blog bashing Halloween’s growth and dominance; perhaps it’s time to re-brand All Saints Day so we can all better focus.

Because I am a fairly all-embracing denominational girl: I propose one picks ‘n’ mixes it: First find a Saint from the traditional canon who you’re feeling. I decided to opt for St Charles Lwanga, the most famous of the Ugandan Martyrs, a group of Christian martyrs who were killed in the late nineteenth century for refusing to renounce their faith, twenty-two of whom went on to be canonised by the Catholic Church. Apart from being  from my home country, St Charles Lwanga’s story speaks most to me of not compromising: a page and later major-domo of Kabaka Mwanga, the king of the ancient kingdom of Buganda, he chose to forsake earthly advancement, for what he knew to be true. At the time of their martyrdom St Charles Lwanga had no foresight of knowing whether his story would last beyond a generation, never mind become a public holiday in his homeland, a feast day in his new faith and known by millions around the world. But he was constant in his convictions , something we could all learn in a society that exists perpetually on a sliding scale of excuses and flat out denials for when we know we’ve fallen short.

Second, share the story of your favourite saint and think about traits that you could copy from them: As St. Paul famously wrote in his letter to the Philippians:

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

St Charles Lwanga was clearly gifted; the biography we have for him shows he advanced at the palace; ending up as a head of household. In this role he would have had plenty of responsibilities as well as a hotline to palace gossip and intrigue and its probable that he would have gotten wind that the tide was turning for those who had embraced the new religion. And yet not only did he not use his position to save himself, but also did something radical, he encouraged others: arranging for the baptism of the remaining catechumens ahead of their show-trial, and thus ensuring that should they die, it would not be in vain as they would be embraced into the bosom of God’s family. Whilst we have no oral accounts for what he may have said to this mainly young group of men, who were probably scared of the prospect of death, even though they had actively chosen Jesus, it echoes the aforementioned quote from St Paul, who wrote Philippians, shortly before his own martyrdom, as it gives us Christos today something very powerful to imitate.

You see, encouraging others  in their walk of faith is the bread and butter of fellowship and is the best bolsterer of one’s own faith. Furthermore, being steadfast to one’s beliefs draws you that bit nearer to what one does believe, in Jesus. In doing both something truly alchemic happens: more powerful than any cauldron action: we, the current Christos on planet earth, really do all become saints; growing closer in likeness to our Lord and Saviour. So let’s all faithfully follow what we know to be true and cheer on those around us to do the same.  We might not all make it into the annals of history, but we will all get a name-check in heaven.