Follow to lead
The following is a sermon delivered by student Michael Lindstedt in St. Mary’s Chapel on The Feast of St. Matthew, Sept. 21, 2022. Reading: Matthew 9:9-13
A book that I have found myself returning to again and again in recent months is Little Blue Truck Leads the Way. In this story Little Blue Truck, a country boy at heart, visits the big city. And his visit to the city turns out to be quite providential, as he’s able to solve a major problem.
You see, there are so many vehicles packed into the city’s streets that an impassable traffic jam has formed, and nobody knows what to do. But Little Blue Truck is able to solve the problem with a simple suggestion: “One at a time is the way to go,” he says. Problem solved. Everyone follows Little Blue Truck one-by-one. And, just like that, the traffic jam is no more.
This is a picture of effective leadership, is it not?
Little Blue Truck identifies a problem. Figures a solution. Casts a vision. Gets other vehicles to buy into his vision. And then executes on the steps necessary to implement that vision. We expect leaders to be out in front, blazing a trail that nobody else has found or is yet able to see. We are all here in this place to receive formation for a particular kind of leadership – leadership in Christ’s Church.
And today, the Feast of St. Matthew offers us an opportunity to be reminded of what it means to be such a leader.
“Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And Matthew rose and followed him.”
St. Matthew, whom we commemorate as one of the Twelve, as one of the four Evangelists, is called to be one who follows Jesus.
We typically think of leaders and followers as being distinct from one another. Some are leaders. Others are followers. But, in Christ’s church, we are all followers. Even those in positions of leadership. The sort of leadership to which we have been called is different from that we look for in other places. Yes, of course, leadership in the Church presents plenty of problems that need to be solved: Vision needs to be cast. Executing objectives is important. So, it’s not that this sort of leadership is nonexistent or unimportant in the Church. But there is a particular orientation that is fundamental to leadership in the Church. An orientation that must precede any particular skill we might seek to develop.
To be a Christian leader, one must be a follower. This is so because there are certain problems that we cannot solve. There is a kind of vision which we are not able to cast. Nor are we able to execute on the steps necessary to make such a vision reality. Our Lord said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick . . . I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” We are called to be followers because we need that which Jesus offers. We need to be healed. We need to be made righteous. And we are not able to do this on our own. Not for ourselves. And not for anyone else.
In his faithful response to this call to follow, St. Matthew has in turn led countless others to follow Christ as well. We are reminded that in whatever leadership positions we may be called to serve in Christ’s Church, we will never outgrow the call to follow. To be true disciples of our Lord. Submitting our wills to his. Allowing his healing touch into even the deepest parts of our souls. In turn, we will be able to lead others along the path that we ourselves have walked and continue to walk – following in the footsteps of our Lord.
In order to lead, we must follow.
Michael Lindstedt is a transitional deacon in the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others.
