"All should regard us as servants of Christ...As I see it, God has put us apostles at the end of the line, like men doomed to die in the arena....We are the weak ones, you the strong." 1 Cor 4: 1, 8
Service of others is one of the most fundamental postures that Christians, and especially those called to leadership, must assume, even though this vocation is counter intuitive for most. While it is important that some among us make decisions for the good of all, leaders should never forget, while exercising authority, that the choices they make must both build up our communal bonds and extend the gospel to all nations.
Peter and Paul realized this, and today we celebrate Peter's call to remind us that we have a tradition to uphold, a message to proclaim that is Christ's not ours. Paul, on the other hand, takes this same message to the gentile world, never forgetting that he is a servant of the gospel and that his own word, no matter how eloquent in its written form, is empty without Christ as its foundation.
Whether we realize it or not, all of us are called to be leaders. All have been commissioned at baptism to witness to Christ who was priest, prophet and king, and when we remember our vocation to be servants of the gospel, the fears that come with any responsibility fade in the light of Christ's power.
Today, be counter cultural. Lead by example.
What do you think are the essential characteristics of a Christian leader?
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