March 16, 2017
If I say “Leader”, what comes to mind? A CEO of some major corporation, Coach of a sports team, Sergeant of a platoon of soldiers, Father in a household, Pastor of a church, or a dishwasher in a restaurant pit, a janitor doing the night shift in a school, concession stand worker at the local theatre? Some professions lend themselves more naturally to the image of leader than others. Leadership carries with it the ideas of being in charge, managing people, and being an authority. Jesus had a different spin on it. He said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)
K.R Ravindran, President of Rotary International 2015-16, from Sri Lanka, tells a story of his first meeting with Mother Teresa. It goes like this.
“So one day, when an elegantly dressed man came to Kolkata looking for Mother Teresa, the nuns who answered the door informed him that she was at the back of the house, cleaning the toilets. They pointed the way, and indeed he found Mother Teresa scrubbing the toilets. She said hello, assumed he was there to volunteer, and began explaining to him how to hold the toilet brush correctly and how not to waste water. Then she put the brush in his hand and left him standing there, in his expensive suit, alone in the lavatory.
Later, the man came out, found Mother Teresa again, and said, “I have finished; may I speak with you now?” “Yes, certainly,” she said. He took an envelope out of his pocket and said, “Mother Teresa, I am the director of the airline, and here are your tickets. I just wanted to bring them to you personally.”
That airline director told that story again and again for the rest of his life. He said those 20 minutes spent cleaning toilets had filled him with the greatest joy he had ever known – because by putting his hands to Mother Teresa’s work, he became part of that work. For those 20 minutes, he cared for the sick just as she did: with his own hands, his own sweat.
That is servant leadership. There is no job to big or too small. There is no opportunity or challenge that is above or beneath. A servant leader first asks, “How can I help?” Not, “How will it make me look?” A servant leader steps in when others hold back. We all can’t be a Mother Teresa, an Apostle of the Lord, a CEO of a major corporation, but we all can do something for twenty minutes that will make a difference in somebody’s life.
This is what Stephen did in Acts 6, and 7 of the Bible. His story will be the major focus of our Sunday Celebration at KCF this coming Sunday presented to us by the Students of Clearwater College. Join us this Sunday if you have the opportunity as we experience a little of what it was like to be a servant leader from Stephen’s perspective.
Request for Concentrated Prayer
We want to thank all those who responded to the call for prayer and financial assistance to meet the last big outstanding bill on the renovation project for S.H.A.R.E. We are happy to report we are half way there of meeting out 34,000 dollar bill.
If you have not responded, (any amount is appreciated) and are feeling led to give a special offering towards this, you can do it by interac, cheque, or by visiting our website. I know that moving S.H.A.R.E. to our building was the right thing to do. We have paid off most of the cost of renovation. We just have this last piece to go. Please pray and consider ways you can participate in this miracle.
Calendar of Events
Visit our website at http://www.kootenaychristianfellowship.com for all the news, sermons, and places to donate.
Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.
Pastor Jim
E-transfers to office@kcfoffice.com
Kootenay Christian Fellowship520 Falls Street (1/2 Block up from Baker Street)Nelson, BC V1L 6B5