I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.
Unless I go away, the Advocate will -not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (New International Version)
Jesus was in the Upper Room with his disciples, sharing their final meal together. The disciples did not understand everything their Lord was communicating to them. Yet, they picked up that Jesus was going away, and this was a source of grief to them.
It must be this way. But Jesus will always be with them, although not being with them. It sounds contradictory, but nonetheless true.
God is as intimately near to us a parent to a child. God is also higher than we can imagine and very far away. The theological terms about this are that God is both immanent and transcendent, that is, both near and far. God is indeed “Our Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9)
For the disciples, it was good having Jesus on earth, near to them, ministering to people up close and personal. They would soon learn that it will be even better with Jesus far away sitting at the right hand of God in heaven.
For us, this is all good. That’s because we have been given the Spirit, who is the continuing presence of Jesus on this earth. So, Jesus is actually here, but not really here. He’s both – by means of God’s Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is described by Jesus as the Advocate – the one who comes alongside us and is so close that it’s like having Jesus inside us, and not just around us. The Advocate does the important work of helping us to be like Christ, enabling us to follow the words and ways of Jesus.
Although none of us are like God, being both immanent and transcendent, and able to be in two places and everyplace at the same time, we nonetheless are created in the image of God. And a good use of leadership, especially in the church, is to understand that leaders need the tension of being both close and distant.
A leader who is everyone’s buddy and always close is missing half of their leadership. And a leader who is aloof and hard to get to know is only half there. Leaders must embrace the delicate and difficult balance of being both near and far, close to the parishioners, yet also able to keep a distinct big picture perspective through a far off view.
Leaders have a very hard time talking of sin and righteousness and judgment if they only have half their leadership working. Yet, it isn’t only about leaders. Everyone can take a lesson from learning how to embrace the paradox of being both near and far.
No matter who you are – whether a pastor, an elder or deacon, a member, and/or a regular attender or friend of the church – other people are making an example of you. Yes, people are watching; they see what you do, what you say, how you act, and your attitude toward most things.
Church leaders, especially, are to be good examples to the Body of Christ (1 Peter 5:3). Maybe you don’t think of yourself as an example to others, or believe that more ordinary parishioners have that kind of influence. However, leadership isn’t really about having a position or possessing power; it’s about the actions and/or inactions you take.
No matter your position in the church or any organization, you must take responsibility for the quality of your Christian life. If you are in any kind of leadership role, you have to decide how good a leader you want to be. Are you willing to develop a full-orbed leadership by being both up close and personal and objectively distant?
I used to get discouraged about the reality that I wasn’t a born leader. But then I came to my senses and remembered that I was born. I’m here, so my mother must have given birth to me. In fact, everyone has been born. It’s a matter of what we do with what we have before we die that makes all the difference.
There is no evidence that people are predisposed with a leadership gene imprinted on their DNA. Yes, in the church there are gifts of leadership given by the Holy Spirit. Yet, that doesn’t get any of us off the hook of leadership any more than not having a gift of teaching means we don’t have to instruct our own kids.
Leadership, being an example, and becoming both close and distant can be learned. It’s a skill and an ability, just like most anything in life. It must be developed and honed, even if one seems prone to be a leader. That means good leadership means being a good learner; and putting in the hard work of practice.
It’s been estimated that about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice over a period of 10 years is what it takes to achieve the highest level of proficiency. Maybe I’ve now lost you. But this is the price of leadership. It doesn’t just happen. People don’t just get zapped by the Holy Spirit like some divine magic trick and automatically become great leaders and persons.
God calls, molds, develops, and shapes individuals of all kinds for spiritual purposes. That’s why there are so many exhortations in Scripture to be examples, follow godly examples, and mimic sound doctrine. Making disciples isn’t like making microwave popcorn. It’s much more like the outdoor smoker; go low and slow and let the meat cook just right.
Since the Christian life and Christian leadership is a learned art, then failure is inevitable. We practice to get better at it. We do it, blow it, learn from our mistakes then try it again – over and over and over again. Yet, the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, is there (and here!) giving grace and teaching us.
And that’s all possible because the Christian’s Lord Jesus Christ left the faraway heaven and came among us and was close – then turned around and went back to heaven in his ascension and glorification. Without these redemptive events, there is no union and intimacy with God.
Intelligence is helpful; talking a good line never hurts; confidence is beneficial; but taking the time to practice the skills of leadership with dedicated work and focused motivation is the one thing that anyone can do.
Be encouraged to know that Christian sanctification is a process; church leadership can be developed and learned. If you desire to be a better example, work at it with all your heart. And have some faith.
Gracious God, in the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ you have given us eternal life and glorified your name in all the world. Refresh our souls with the living streams of your truth, so that in our unity, your joy may be complete, by means of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 