“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; Repent, and believe in the good news.”

The issue of leadership is front and center for us all these days. We are in the midst of the political primaries where the candidates proclaim that they are the right leader for this age. And we have just ordained and installed new leaders, Elders and Deacons, for this congregation.

These women and men have been have been nominated by the Nominating Committee who discerned in them qualities of spiritual leadership: they worship and practice spiritual disciplines of prayer and study, they have a heart open to the compassion of the Lord, they have particular gifts and talents that seemed obvious to the committee (even if not so obvious to themselves). These leaders have been affirmed, confirmed and elected by you. Hands have been laid upon them.

But leadership is not easy. Leadership is hard and leaders stumble. It is often lonely, for a leader is set apart. There are many temptations. It can be hard to make a leadership decision when you are not 100% sure of your own mind. It is hard to stay centered in the midst when all the “stuff” begins to pile up and the tension mounts. Some leaders get too full of themselves and think it really IS all about them. Some leaders lose touch with those they lead, lose touch with reality, don’t know when to step down. Just look at Joe Paterno. He was a leader who did marvelous things for Penn State. He made a tragic and horrific mistake; if only he would have acted differently when it was reported that his coach had raped a boy. And his recent death has caused many to consider and re-consider his legacy. Leadership is hard

Leaders have a charisma. Charisma is from the Greek for “gift.” And “grace” for that matter. Leaders have a sense of timing, a quality of perceiving mood. Leaders take risks.

The first chapter of Mark is a passage that reveals several important things about leadership and also lays out how you and I, who are just living our lives, might grow in our ability to lead, or perhaps simply lead more balanced lives even if we are not candidates or being ordained and installed.

A stay-at-home parent leads a whole household. A teacher leads a class. A coach leads players. A teen may lead a younger sister or brother. A student may need to take leadership in her or his classroom. In your personal life you may need to change behavior, lead yourself, so to speak.

Let’s look at the text: Here we see Jesus coming out of nowhere. John the Baptist is looking for a leader, looking for the Messiah: “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (v. 7-8) BUT, in fact, as Mark reveals - John was surprised by Jesus. John was looking for the Messiah, but who knew if he knew that the Messiah was standing right there next to him? So lesson #1: don’t be too quick to judge others or yourself. You may have gifts you don’t realize!

But we know both from the stories about Jesus and our own personal experiences of the Lord just how amazing he is a leader: he stills the waters, casts out the demons, talks truth to power, challenges how we live, and gives up his life for us. As the Messiah, Jesus is the leader of all leaders. But he calls you “friend,” “sister,” “brother,” and he sees himself as your servant. He doesn’t put down or bully, or insist on his own way but rather builds up and equips. Now that is a man worth following, a model of leadership worth imitating.

So Jesus is baptized and then what happens? He experiences a confirmation of his call and identity. It is pretty dramatic too. I would love one of those “heaven-splitting” and “spirit-descending-like-a dove” moments; usually it is pretty fuzzy. The new Elders and Deacons had to settle for us laying our hands upon them and a prayer - and I tried to make it a dramatic prayer - but essentially, we are claiming the same descent of the Spirit: “You are beloved children of God, sons and daughters.” God is pleased with you. God is pleased with you! And so is Christ’s body, this church! The Spirit has descended on you.

Then what happens? The Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. Jesus is tempted. Every good leader, in fact everybody, every one of you - has wandered in the wilderness of doubt, of feeling overwhelmed, of losing her way, of wondering: “Why did I say yes?” “How am I going to balance this with all the other things that I have to do?” “I really don’t have what it takes to do what they want me to do.” What is the temptation of Jesus about but recoiling from this magnificent experience of being chosen - it is natural to feel letdown, it is natural to have question s-identity formation ain’t easy. But real leaders acknowledge their own turmoils and name their own demons. This is what Jesus comes to in the wilderness. Real leaders are honest with their own stuff.

John the Baptist is arrested and then and only then Jesus is ready to preach. Timing is everything! None of the exiting 3rd year elders have been arrested but they are gone. It is YOUR time now - it is time for YOU to come into your own and find your way and listen to what Jesus says: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Isn’t it amazing that this moment might be YOUR time? Is your time?

The Greek word used here is “kairos” - and in the Bible, “kairos” is best understood as “pregnant time” - a moment that is full of meaning, potential, hope, change. It is holy time - not bound by a clock, not constricted by minutes or seconds. It is the kind of time when you lose track of time. It is the time of inspiration. You can’t mark it on your calendar. I can’t put on my calendar today “9:30-10:00 Be inspired.” Kairos time is God’s time and it will come when it will come - we can’t control it. And Jesus proclaims: “Folks, God’s time is here. Time and space is filled full of God. It is breakout time.” God is in the midst and so it is time to open up and be filled with it and be shaped by it.
So that’s my charge to the new spiritual leaders, to the church, and to all of you today. Be open to God’s spirit - and pray, a lot! It may mean that you lead us in a shake-up, or your life is shaken up. Remember: There are NO SACRED COWS when God’s spirit breaks in. After all, if the “heavens” can get torn apart, what makes you think that things on earth are neat and tidy? This can be the hardest part of leadership - and of life - because we like the status quo, we don’t like to rock the boat, or get into confrontations. But sometimes when the spirit says “move,” we have to MOVE. What time is it, in your life, right now?

Jesus proclaims: “The kingdom of God is right here and now, present - repent and believe the good news.” I say it again. “Repent and believe the good news.”

You know, “repent” means so much more then “I am sorry” (although it means that too at times.) The Greek word for “repent” is “metanoeo,” meaning change your mind, in fact GET a new mind. And here Jesus is saying to you and to me: “Get a new mind for a new age.”
It is God-in-the-midst time now - and you have to get a new mind to perceive it, get a new heart to feel it, get a new gut to feel the kingdom’s agitation, to believe and trust that what is happening is good - GOOD - because God has “boots on the ground” - God is present now. And therefore nothing is wasted.

“Jesus leadership” is about being open to God, getting a right mind to perceive the movement of the Spirit, and trusting “that all things work for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to God’s purposes.”

And then there is one more thing that is essential for leaders to consider. We didn’t read the next verses of Mark 1, but what happens next is this: Jesus calls a community together (kind of like a “mini-Session”) - he calls James and John and Simon and Andrew (and maybe women too, but no one wrote down their names). He called together a community, because he knew that leaders need the accountability found in community. There are NO LONE RANGERS.

These verses in Mark 1 confirm that:
1. Leaders have charisma, a gift.
2. Leaders are confirmed by the spirit and by community.
3. Leaders get tempted - you have to come to knowledge of yourself - because there will be wilderness.
4. And finally, leaders perceive what is happening, get on God’s time, opening their minds and hearts and they trust, trust, trust, and then trust some more - that all that is happening will unfold towards goodness.

So, leaders, in fact everyone in here, lighten up and laugh, enjoy and have some fun. Church work does not need to be onerous! You can be joyful in serious work. And above all don’t take yourself or anything too seriously.

And what I say to the new leaders, I say to everyone of you - no matter what age, no matter what station, no matter what - IT IS GOD’S TIME right now - you and I have just entered into it. So get a new mind for it and trust that you too are a beloved son or daughter with whom God is well pleased. And this is very, very, very good news indeed!

So leaders, welcome aboard. I can’t wait to share the leadership of Jesus Christ with you.

AMEN.

All right, that wasn’t very good but I wanted to do my part in this enhanced worship as we celebrate the gospel power of the poetic spirit!

But all silliness aside, what we are doing today has tremendous power to transform who you are, how we look at the world, and frankly how we engage the world and each other.

Poetry has the power to liberate, agitate, communicate deep things.

I dwell in Possibility–
A fairer House than Prose–
More numerous of Windows–
Superior–for Doors–
Of Chambers as the Cedars–
Impregnable of Eye–
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky–
Of Visitors–the fairest–
For Occupation–This–
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise

Emily Dickenson wrote that. Our faith has to open things up, create possibilities - help us to open our minds, and hearts and hands to be and do. I think that for too many, Christianity just limits, oppresses, narrows, judges, defines… what a horrible tragedy.

Poetic faith saves us from the hell of literalism. I was with a very bright man, a very conservative, Christian bright man. He had advanced degrees and he makes a whole lot of money - very successful. He and I went on a tour of the petroleum museum in Texas. It really was quite interesting.

We walked through one diorama of the age before the age when the Permian Basin was being formed and all this carbon was being compressed into oil - science tells us that it took billions of years for this to form - Billions!

And as we were walking through my guide said — knowing I was a pastor so he said - either assuming I would agree or provoking me since I think he knew that I was one of the “liberal” pastors - “But of course the length of time is not right because the Bible teaches otherwise.”

I was stunned. He was reading Genesis 1 as a science text. How can you read Genesis 1:1 as anything but a poem of praise to a Creator God who is in the midst of all the stuff (your stuff), hovering, waiting, moving, breathing - all these poetic images that speak to a much deeper truth then some literalist materialistic rendering.

Most of us, simply can’t abide a literalist, limiting, narrowing, proscriptive kind of reading… but most don’t have any other way of engaging with the text … if it didn’t happen that way… then I don’t believe any of it… the baby is thrown out with the bathwater and the Bible isn’t even picked up. This is the reason we put so much emphasis on turning you all into “bible nerds” as Clover likes to say.

The way out of narrow literalism is to engage the Bible poetically, metaphorically, truthfully - we are invited to be interpreters and meaning makers not just robotic followers. The biblical stories free us from the shackles of judgmentalist inerrancy for a creative engagement with the living word of grace and hope and joy!

The truths of life and love and faith are so deep that precise language fails.

Jesus knew this: he opened most of his parables (which are poetic in intent) with the words: “what shall I compare this generation to? The Kingdom of God is like an old woman, a mustard seed, a soppy old, wasteful, over sentimental father who throws a party for a wasteful son, like folks who won’t dress for a wedding party…” Consider the “lilies of the field.” This is poetry people…

POETRY calls us to dig deep for truth by another way - away from literalism. You have to engage passionately with life and then interpret it humbly - knowing that your interpretation may not be someone else’ interpretation - but it calls us into relationship, you see, with the word and with each other. And this is the grace of God, this is the incarnation of God, this is how we live the life of Jesus.

The religious scene, and especially the political scene is so damned boring - so black and white, so constrictive, so judgmental - I don’t want anything to do with it. There is a better way!

I looked at the Bible this past week and noticed how many verses of poetry there are between Genesis and Revelation. From Job to Song of Solomon is almost all verse - poetic verse.

Most of the prophets are organized according to verse - poetic verse.
Just scan the New Testament and whole portions of Jesus’ teaching is in poetic language.
The Bible ends with a superb poetic image of the kingdom descending and God dwelling in the midst.

We are talking about GOD - and none of us have adequate language - but God has given us imagination, and words, and passion to seek after the Divine.

I love the German poet Rilke: this short poem describes my faith location:

I live my life in widening circles
That reach out across the world.
I many not complete this last one
But I give my heart to it.
I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
And I still don’t know if I am a falcon, A storm or a great song?

This image of being grounded in God, circling the mystery of God, giving my heart to God - finding my changing identity in God - soaring like a falcon, raging like a storm, singing the great song.

This may not move you - so choose your own poem! But this isn’t just academic, intellectual work. NO!

We have to take the poetic muse into our relationships. We have to take our poetic heart into the world, into our mission to preach good news to the poor and liberate the captive… And the first thing we may need to liberate is our own narrowness, our own cynicism, our own lack of imagination. Liberals can be just as unimaginative as Conservatives.

Langston Hughes, the great African-American poet - knows well the agitating power of a poem expressing the frustration of waiting for justice, waiting for dreams. The poetry of social justice.

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

When we engage with another - we should be asking ourselves the questions: what poem is that person trying to express…

Have compassion on everyone you meet
Even if they don’t want it. What seems conceit,
Bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign
Of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen.
You do not know what wars are going on
Down there where the spirit meets the bone.

This is a great poem by Miller Williams - your spouse, your child, your lover, your friend, your enemy (where the spirit meets the bone) - what poem are they writing - a lament (”How long, O Lord, How long, will you forget me forever?” Psalm 13), a joyful couplet, a sonnet of broken hopes and dreams, and epic of heroic proportions, a love poem? (”Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine, your anointing oils are fragrant…draw me after you, let us make haste!” Song of Sol. 1:1-3) That is smokin’ HOT and it is in the Bible!

Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, “Kingfishers catch fire” teach us to have the eyes of Christ as we engage with others:

For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces….

We enter into the world in all its complexities and we have to learn to see the world not as a series of problems to be solved - but as series of possibilities to be engaged with and that is a poetic endeavor. Social Justice - is about catching the poetic vision of the prophets.

We have to been engaged in helping write poetry - engaged in meaning making, shaped by the awesomeness of the love of God and the saving message of Jesus Christ and the creative urges of the Holy Spirit.

What poem is this congregation expressing this day of our annual meeting? How is our budget for 2012 a poem - opening up possibilities? How is it a hymn of praise, calling us to think bigger and be bigger?

What if we saw the election of our Elders and Deacons and Trustees as the appointment of so many poet laureates who together will fashion a song of epic proportion reaching out into the world in hope, and joy? See how transformative this can be?

What poem are we writing together - how are we interpreting the signs? What language are we using?

What is the poem of your life, the song you are trying to sing, the verse you are trying to write, even if you are not a poet?

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

That is by Leonard Cohen - a poet and songwriter.

We are all trying to express things - get it out, in verse and song and “dwelling in possibility”- trust your voice, your interpretation, your belovedness in Christ, your gift (cracks and all) offer it humbly - and out of many voices we will give thanks and praise to God.

The power of the poetry of the GOSPEL - is changing the world!

AMEN.