On Sunday, we concluded our celebration of the Month of the Ministry by honoring our worship greeters and our Director of Music, Renee Zimmerman. There also was a time of appreciation for my ministry, which was touching. I am so grateful for my ministry at Eastgate, where we are serious about growing in our faith, about loving each other, and about serving beyond ourselves.
In the sermon, we continued our Godsway 66 journey, entering the time of the Judges in Israel -- between the leadership of Moses and Joshua and the first king, Saul. This was a period of charismatic leadership, when influential tribal leaders rose to prominence and authority in the entire nation. A couple of these people's names still echo through the centuries -- Gideon and Samson. Samson is especially famous for his strength, which made people eager to follow him.
The problem with charismatic leadership is that there is no check on where these people might lead, which created problems for the Israelites (as such leadership still creates today, even with our systems of checks and balances). The opportunity, though, is that these people could get certain things done quickly, with no established system to get in the way. However, relying on such leadership can be disorienting, especially when the leader dies and leaves a vacuum -- which is why the Israelites demanded a king.
If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.
You can also listen to the related communion meditation and the closing benediction.
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