I think we are struggling to fully realise what we know innately. Bishop Bill may have been one of those people who lived servant leadership, while not having the words for it. We rarely recognise these prophets among us and yet they are there.
#Jesus is king how to
At times we meet people who intuitively know how to act but do not have the words. Then we need to meet people who exercise these values in leadership so we can emulate them and be mentored by them. It seems to me that firstly, we must be able to articulate this with language – compassion, justice, love, mercy, holiness, grace, truth, faith, hope and love. His wish for us was that we would all get out there and get our hands dirty, or in the words of Pope Francis, to take on the smell of the sheep. This major cultural shift is not easy for any of us, as we discover what servant leadership looks like, and requires of us. He offered his life, in the hope that we, the people of God in the Catholic Church, would witness to the goodness of God as lived out through Jesus Christ.Ĭlearly, we are participating in shifting a culture in our church, and Bishop Bill was part of that shift. It was during these times that I was able to grasp his deep intent for our Diocese and indeed the community. For me, he was at his best on the sanctuary, while celebrating and praying the Mass. During these past two years of the live streaming of Mass, many grew in their appreciation of his ability to break open the Word with such meaning. They saw him as a faith-filled, humble, good man who led a ‘one with’ not as ‘one over’. I have been blessed to receive many messages of condolence, with people writing to me of their experiences with Bishop Bill both personal and from afar. It is the person of Jesus who has shown us what kingly leadership looks like and it is the Holy Spirit who continues to guide us.Īs you know, it has been a big week for our diocese with the death of Bishop Bill and the preparations for his funeral. Through our baptism and through ordination we are anointed to serve, to make real God’s kingdom each moment of every day. This governing or kingly office is one of service. This kingdom calls us to seek out truth as described in the prayers we pray each day at Mass, if we could just but listen with our ears and our hearts.Īt our baptism we are anointed as priest, prophet and king and when a Bishop is appointed as the shepherd of a diocese, he takes on the role of teaching, sanctifying and governing. This reminds me of the theme for our Diocesan Synod, Building the Kingdom of God Together. There it is! This is what the universal kingdom is, a kingdom of truth, life, holiness, grace, justice, love and peace. He might present to the immensity of your majesty …he might accomplish the mysteries of human redemptionĪnd, making all created things subject to his rule, What does Jesus mean when he says, “Yes, I am a king”? I will share with you some of the words from the Preface for this feast: ‘Yes, I am a king, I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’ You may have to select a menu option or click a button.From John’s Gospel (18:33-37) the following words come from the mouth of Jesus in response to a confused Pilate: