A Sermon Preached March 25, 2012 at Crissey Farm

by the Rev. Ted Cobden

Lent 5 B ~ John 12:20-33

“Leadership”

The hour has come”...now is the time…”for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Each time I read this passage, I marvel at Jesus and his authority, his sense of who he is and what he is about. Here he is at the turning point in his ministry. He is heading to the cross. He feels the horror and terror of the path. Yet he is in control. He holds on to his vision and conviction. He is showing us what leadership is about.

When we see Jesus at these moments, we marvel at his authority and leadership. But let us not suppose we are here merely to observe Jesus and to cheer him on. As if Jesus were running in an arena, and we were in the stands applauding him. He says to us “Whoever serves me must follow me. Or as Mark has it: “If any want to become my

followers, let them take up their cross and follow me.” He is pointing to us; calling each of us by name. “Come down from the bleachers; join me in the way of the cross. He wants us to share his vision. To be followers of him and to be leaders ourselves. That is a paradox. The follower of Jesus is a leader. He calls us to lead by learning from his way of leading.

The first thing we notice about his leadership style is that he is clear about his goal. He is going to confront the powers and dominions of this world. Those forces which are messing up God’s people and God’s creation: making people narrow-minded, dividing people into hostile groups, splintering people into self-absorbed bubbles. Those forces which bring fear and darkness. Forces of oppression, addiction and degradation. Jesus enters into the very center of this black hole of evil to show that the ultimate power is light and life. Truth. Selfless love. Irrepressible justice.

One of the reasons we worship regularly is to keep this goal in front of us. This goal of being free of fear because we believe light will shine out of darkness, fairness will prevail, forgiveness heals broken relationships. During the week this vision can easily be distorted. We come back to it in worship to embrace the vision afresh.

So Jesus models leadership for us first because he is clear about his goal and purpose. The second way he models leadership is that he demonstrates the way he achieves the goal. He sees the immensity of the undertaking, and he steps forward into the horrendous struggle. He admits, “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say- ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” He knows the pain and the desperate lonesomeness he will experience. But he steps forward toward the cross.

Those of us who follow Jesus have walked in the way of the cross. Not to the scale and depth of Jesus. But we have experienced loss and sorrow. On occasion we have stood for the hard right against the easy wrong.

What we found as we walked the way of the cross was that we were not alone. The risen Jesus was with us. The friends of Jesus were with us. The power of God was with us. With that support we came to newness of life.

That's how the goal is accomplished--with that support.

That is the third aspect of leadership Jesus demonstrates. Not only does a good leader have a clear objective and demonstrate the way to achieve the goal, the leader comes along side those he or she is leading.

Christ is with us as he was with the disciples on the way to Emmaus.

I have seen you going along side others who were struggling on the way of the cross. I have seen you being the hands of Christ. Even more importantly Christ has seen you as you cared for others. The risen one says, “I have seen you standing beside those who were being discriminated against. I have seen you holding the month old infant in the Ghana orphanage. I have seen you bringing teenagers to learn to serve others at Breaking Bread Kitchen.

“Whoever serves me,” says Jesus, “must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.” The Gospel for today show us Jesus as our leader. He is clear about his vision. He shows us the way to step forward and achieve the goal. And as with the best of leaders he comes along side of us to help us. To help us be steadfast in keeping our vision of the way of the cross. He empowers us to achieve our vision as he comes beside us on the way, the way to Emmaus, the way of the compassionate rule of God.