Last weekend was the Feast of Christ the King. It seems like a funny title for the humble Jesus we know who had no need for power and the attention that goes with it. Let’s take a look at John 18, Last Sunday’s passage, to understand that title better.
We heard Pilot ask Jesus if he is a king.
Perhaps without knowing it, Pilate wanted to be the king that Jesus was. The only kind of king that Pilate knows is the king who lords it over others. Much of human history is about people who have suffered at the hands of “dark kings,” those who’ve used their power for their own self-interests.
But there is another kind of king. Jesus shows us what a real king looks like. I’ve heard it said that until you love the people you lead. You’re not ready to guide them. That was Jesus. He had the king energy of a true leader. He was not about power and control. He was about an enduring love that would die for us. So, he did.
Who have been the humble servant leaders you’ve known? I think of the two pastors I had as a young priest, Fr. Paul Dudley in Mound and Fr. John Brandes at St. Marks in St. Paul. Both were humble men who affirmed me, challenged me when I needed it and empowered me to grow. They didn’t preach it to me. They just modeled it for me.
So how do we become that true leader that Jesus calls us to be? First of all, you don’t have to do it correctly. No one does. I know there’ve been times that, without wanting to, I’ve slipped into control mode. I can tell when I’m there. The other person becomes my competition, and then I fight for control. But when I can get my ego out of the way the energy shifts. That other person now feels respected. That’s what good king energy does, it blesses and empowers.
So a few questions to think about:
Who have been the mentors in your life who have modeled “good king energy,” that is who have used their power not to control others but to empower others?
What have you learned from them? When were you able to get your ego out of the way and use your power in service of others?
What has arrived in the form of that?
On Feast of Christ the King recognizing, Jesus as that good king, call on him to help you be that true servant leader that he calls us to be. We don’t have to do it correctly. Just learn from him.
Fr. Bob
