Obey Our Leaders?
Friday, February 13 • The Week of the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany • Obey Our Leaders? • Hebrews 13.17-25
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account.”
We’re not exactly certain who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. Whoever it was made a tall order. The writer asks us to trust our leaders in the Church. The writer actually says we are to obey them. That lands for me in the way that it might likely land for you. The writer asks us to trust them, not because they stand out, but because they are tired in all the ways that love gets tired. Real leaders often lie awake with our names on their hearts.
The Christian life is far less heroic than we imagined. Turns out, many times it involves letting someone help us follow Jesus, especially when we would rather go about it in a way that has nothing to do with the Way, Truth, or Life of Jesus. Real joy grows as guidance is shared and received. Grief multiplies where counsel is resisted.
The Good Shepherd does not drive us apart. He gathers us up. And His authority, the authority He gives His ministers including you and me, is the power of love and mercy to cover up a multitude of sins. So we pray for one another, leaders included, as we all become more fluent in the grammar of grace.
Bible for Life
Did you know the Book of Common Prayer provides a daily reading plan for the Bible? Check it out, starting on page 934. I’m happy to show you how to get started.
Here are some other helps with your regular Bible reading provided by Scripture Union.
Liturgy for Life
Did you know you can find a guide for daily devotions in the Book of Common Prayer? Check it out, starting on page 136. There are prayers for married people that would make for a quick devotion over coffee or on a walk (BCP 429). You can find a grace to say before birthday cake as well as meals (BCP 830, 835). You can find a prayer of dedication for newborns or adoptions (BCP 439).
Need a Prayer Book? We have them in the pews. You can borrow one. You can also find your own in All Saints Gift Shoppe. Don’t hesitate to ask any of your clergy how to use it.
