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.