The Other's Stay Silent.

Do you ever wish you weren't a leader?

Occasionally I wish I could walk into a room and not be looked to to lead - either formally or informally.
Occasionally I wish I didn't have to be the one making the decisions.
Occasionally I wish I had the luxury of sitting on the fence; or simply giving my opinion.

But the times I most wish I weren't a leader are when there arises a topic/subject which has to be spoken into.

Our January series [God, We Need A New Year] features me speaking on two topics that to date I've put off speaking on, but can't stay silent on any more.(fhttp://www.redeemerschurch.com/dlgMediaPlayer.aspx?id=880)

This is what makes leaders leaders, its especially what makes pastors pastors.

The 'leading' role of a pastor draws from both the priest, the prophet, the poet and the pastor.

As a poet we dream of what could happen if God's people fully grasped their inheritance; as priests we centre on bringing Christ centre in people's lives; but as prophets we speak boldly and prophetically into the issues around us.

Enter this Sunday and the topic of non-violence in a world that is growing to be as violent as any era in history.

Here's a quote I give:

"The Bible can be a very difficult book to understand if you are reading it as a citizen of the most powerful empire the world has ever seen."

The Bible was a book written from the underside of power. People of the book are underside power people. Yet we teach it, read it, study it as part of a nation that holds immense power.

So as a prophet pastor I need to speak out about the divine decree that clearly states 'if you live by the sword you will die by the sword.' And, i need to say that to a people who belong to a country that is only 5% of the worlds population but purchases nearly half of the world's weapons. I need to say it to many Christians who have served in our nations military. I need to say it to people who equate patriotism with support of their military.

But this is what leaders do.

What about this insight:
"If someone were to come along who would not compromise, a rebel who insisted on taking the only moral path, rejecting violence in all its forms, such a person would seem so menacing that he would be killed, and after his death he would be canonized or deified, because a saint is less dangerous than a rebel. The first and most prominent example was a Jew named Jesus!"

Non-Violence: The History of a Dangerous Idea @ Mark Kurlansky

Brings us back to the topic of non-violence.

As prophet pastors of Jesus Christ who are called to lead - we need to lead even when the topic we need to speak into is volatile. It's what leaders do. The others stay silent.