One of the more interesting moments during Pastor Martha’s sermon was when she asked the congregation whether they saw themselves as leaders and ministers. Most of them did not.
It is a sad commentary on the preparedness and willingness of our congregation to be salt and light in the world. It was a painful exercise to experience, especially in light of the lessons we learn from the book of Nehemiah. Pastor Martha made the point that Nehemiah was a man who rose through the ranks, and who presented himself as a leader in each position he held. We, like him, are called to lead.
Leadership is not necessarily correlated to the position we hold. The first job we see Nehemiah doing, “cupbearer to the king” (Nehemiah 1:11), was an unenviable task. Nehemiah’s job, essentially, was to make sure that the king’s food and drink were safe to ingest. If some random betrayer decided to poison the king’s meal, Nehemiah would have been the one to die.
On the first read, his job seems like a thankless task. But Nehemiah served faithfully, and he planned carefully. When he heard of the disrepair in his hometown of Jerusalem, Nehemiah first appealed to God, then to the king. And Nehemiah’s job, dangerous as it was, provided him with an opportunity to obtain financial and political support for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He was no longer a mere cupbearer; he became a cupbearer with an awesome sabbatical assignment: Rebuild.
Nehemiah did not take his assignment lightly. As Pastor Martha shared, he spent his time of preparation in prayer, fasting, and planning. His life of discipline and preparedness was the training ground for his future leadership role.
Let’s evaluate our own leadership preparedness in light of Nehemiah’s. What are we doing from day-to-day as we work what might be a thankless job?
The rebuilder carried a toolkit: prayer, fasting, planning, and more. Tomorrow we’ll continue our reflection on Nehemiah’s emergence as a leader among his people.
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