Context

Theresa May sought the agreement of Parliament after the event of air strikes on chemical weapon facilities in Syria. How much power should leaders have to act without full consultation with democratically elected members of parliament?

Debate continues about what is the right intervention (if any) to make in Syria. On the ground, reports suggest that medics who treated the victims of the gas attack in Douma are being intimidated to prevent them from speaking out.

Amber Rudd was forced to apologise for the treatment of the ‘Windrush generation’ because policy got in the way of people. The burden of proof that you have a right to be in the country falls on the individual – not only at border controls but at every life decision – a public policy characterised by ‘go home’ rather than ‘make a home’. There are indications that the whole story of suffering is just beginning to unfold.

Post Grenfell, many other people’s homes have been shown to be fire traps rather than places of sanctuary. Who should pay to rectify the situation? 

 

Reflection

Leaders who genuinely put their people first are few and far between. Leaders who lay down their lives for those in their care are almost unknown. When times are troubled, people may be tempted to pledge allegiance to leaders who offer simple solutions to complex problems, and leaders who talk tough in seeking to appear more powerful than they actually are. By contrast, Jesus shows us another but more costly way. What do we really look for in a leader and are we prepared to follow people who demonstrate the kind of vulnerable leadership that Jesus demonstrated? Are we prepared to be leader like this?

The ‘hostile environment’ envisaged and brought into being by the government is far away from the sanctuary and shelter depicted in Psalm 23 and in this week’s Gospel reading. If the measure of civil society is how well it cares for its people including the most vulnerable, it becomes imperative to speak truth to power, and vital that those in power should speak the truth to us and exercise their power with wisdom and generosity. What would society look like if power was genuinely exercised for the good of the people and designed to protect and nurture them? Questions are now being asked about what it means to be a hostile environment and how that affects all of us. There are many other signs of hostility towards the most vulnerable members of society. How can the church help to recast the debate?

For those in leadership positions in the church community, the challenge is acute. Jesus taught us that the way of vulnerable leadership is no easy way and it costs – in all areas of our lives. If the Lord truly is our shepherd, where do we find our still waters, our nurture and our soul food so that we can be constantly enabled to live out the way of Jesus in our mission, ministry, work and worship?

Jesus lived on the edges of society and gave priority to the least, the smallest and the most despised. The parables are full of upside down thinking and imagery that shows us the value that is placed on the most insignificant things and the least important people. The Epistle reads: ‘let us love, not in word and speech, but in truth and action’ (I john 3.18) following the good shepherd who knows us by name and who laid down his life for us. Openness…generosity…inclusion…do these values characterise our public decision making and our church life?

The passage from John loops back to the servant leadership revealed in the foot washing, the passion and the cross – images of love that serves, that offers itself up for us, that opens wide its arms for us and for the world.

 

Prayer

Lord of life,
you call us into pathways of peace;
you call us by name;
you call us to be like you.

You lead us to the rich green grass,
to the cool living waters,
and to the shade and shelter we need.

You surround us with the company of your people,
with stories and songs of faith that sustain us,
and with your promise that you will be with us always.

May we trust you to provide for today.
May we place our lives and our tomorrows in your hands,
and travel with you into and unknown future.
Amen.

 

Questions

• Do people get the leaders they deserve or the leaders they need?
• What examples can we find of leaders who are in it for the money/status/power rather than for serving the people? What motivates leaders and how do we know that they can be trusted to lead us?
• How can we build communities that centre on walking in the way of Jesus and that offer food for the soul and pools of stillness and refreshment? Where can we find these things in our community at the moment? Are we missing any of these?

 

All-age activity

Read Psalm 23 in The Message version. Discuss what you think keeps you going in your Christian journey and what helps you through when the going gets tough. On our Christian journey where do we find pools to refresh us, tables full of food, enemies who challenge us and hope to inspire us on the way?

You might like to do this activity as a gathering exercise and have backpacks and items for a journey available, from which people can make their ‘kit’. If you do this during worship, the items could be discussed and written down on papers and placed in a bag.

 

Young people

What qualities do you most admire in a leader and why? What examples can you find of leaders who genuinely serve the people?

 

Diane Craven is a freelance Education Consultant and spiritualty adviser. She is a Reader in the Church of England, currently licensed to York Minster.

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