“But it was the LORD’s will to crush him with pain. By making his life as a reparation offering, he shall see his offspring, shall lengthen his days, and the LORD’s will shall be accomplished through him.” (Isaiah 53:10)
The major theme for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time describes leadership as the sacrificial service done to others for God as Jesus did as the criteria of greatness in Christ’s kingdom.
Biblically speaking, throughout history, from the time of the mythical Tower of Babel, people have equated leadership with greatness, with “climbing to the top” and “making a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). However, for Jesus Christ leadership is based on sacrificial service for God to fulfill God’s will. This divine vocation and call for leaders to sacrificial service can be achieved only if we quiet ourselves to hear Christ’s teaching repeated in our midst, and then, that we look inward and allow the Spirit of Truth to help us to bridge the gap between the call of the Gospel and the reality of our lives.
Only when each of us consents to do this process will all of us be able to grow toward that greatness of leadership, which expresses itself in sacrificial service.
As an illustration of the quality of service to which He called His disciples, Jesus offers the example of Himself and says: “… whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topics focus on true leadership as a sacrificial service for God and all like the Suffering Servant, Christ Jesus, did.
How can we help each other giving our lives in loving service to others with a smile, drinking the cup of Jesus by laying down our lives in humble, sacrificial service for others as Jesus did?
Wishing everyone a blessed week in the Lord.