Chapel Leadership Series Trinity Western University - Inaugural Week

Light and Leadership Dr. Jonathan S. Raymond President, Trinity Western University 12 October 2006

Dr. Maxine Hancock did a beautiful chapel the One evening we would send cabins of kids on an other day on Psalm 63 – just amazingly unpacked overnight around a campfire, out under the stars. that so well in so short a time. And then yesterday They would have to walk about a mile up a road, out Dr. Sherwood Lingenfelter, the Provost of Fuller of the canyon, up onto a ranch and then down into Seminary, that world-class seminary in Pasadena, a little canyon where there was an old corral. And California, spoke to us on John 4 and the woman the rancher gave us permission to take the campers at the well. there and have campouts. So almost every day of the week there were two or three cabin groups The Spirit I believe guided me to talk about light around the campfire with their sleeping bags. and leadership this morning as a way of stepping off those banners that are around campus. So, Matthew So I decided one night, as camp director, to check 5:14-16. on how they were doing. A big spotlight moon was out that night, so I left camp and I took this lovely “You” – yes, you – “are the light of the world. A city walk in the moonlight. And as I got up there and on the hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people could look down this canyon, I saw a shortcut in light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they the moonlight. And I thought, “OK, I can knock put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in ten minutes off this by taking the shortcut.” So I the house. In the same way, let your light” – an started down the hill and through this path, and as act of volition – “let your light shine before men I got deeper into the path a cloud came and covered that they may see your good deeds and praise your the moon, and it just became very dark. I kept Father in heaven.” going forward down this path, and, within a couple of minutes, I was covered with thorns and briers About 36 years ago, my wife and I finished our and I was stuck. My clothing was tearing and my undergraduate studies. Now in Irene’s case, cute face was getting scratched. The campfire was not lasts. But in my case, ladies, cute does not last. that far away, but I had to navigate all these bushes When I was just a little older, the following year, I and thorns to get there, and rather than turn back got a great job – All my jobs have been a little bigger and cry out, in my pride I said, “I can do this.” Too than me, and I have to grow into them – and I got a long later, I emerged in the light of the campfire. great job running a summer camp in Arizona. I just must have scared the willies out of these kids because I was bleeding and torn – I was just a mess. For those of you who grew up on The Lone Ranger, And here I was, the camp director. this was right exactly where Zane Grey wrote the book series, The Lone Ranger. In Peppersauce So there are a lot of lessons in that. But one of the Canyon, on the other side of Mount Lemmon, was lessons for me has been the importance of staying the city of Tucson. But on the backside of Mount in the light, and having light and shining light. If Lemmon is open range and ranches and semi-arid I had had a light they would have seen me coming desert. And down in Peppersauce Canyon is a brook and not been so freaked out. I would have been that runs through, and there are these enormous satisfied to have a torch. oak trees, and it’s just a great place to bring kids out of Tuscon and Phoenix and over from El Paso When I was a teenager in my home church, there and give them a great week at camp, but also to was the idea of Torchbearers. So in the teen introduce them to the gospel and to Jesus Christ. fellowship group in the church, that’s what they

 Light and Leadership were called, we were the Torchbearers, meeting And then after ten days, God honours that, and on Friday night to go do this or do that. I didn’t the Holy Spirit comes and empowers them to be know what Torchbearers meant; I never stopped witnesses, to fulfill that prophecy of Jesus that they to reflect on it. It wasn’t until years later I realized will indeed be witnesses, that they will indeed share that part of it was that, together as a fellowship, we the light. And we find Peter in chapter three going would shed a light to other students – our peers in to the temple, because he’s still a very good Jew, our high school, in our community – and we would and on the steps is a cripple who’s been crippled for bear a torch that would share the light of Jesus life. He’s begging because that’s how he lives. And to teens and pre-teens. In other words, we would Peter says to him, “silver and gold have I none, but have a social influence. We would “let our light so that which I have I give you – in the name of Jesus shine,” as some translations say, or to shine in such Christ arise.” And he’s healed and he rises and he a way that truly our peers and younger teens would leaps for joy, and he goes off as a witness. see the light of Jesus in us and through us who were Torchbearers. And then Peter does a wonderful thing. He gives a remarkable sermon. He gave a sermon in chapter I got thinking about Torchbearers, and in a way it two, he gives another one in chapter three, and in has to do with servant leadership. Do you remember both sermons you can see that Peter’s behaviour when Jesus was arrested? When you see the Jesus has changed. His sermons are all about Jesus. He film, there are torchbearers who are guiding this keeps the light on Jesus. He is a torchbearer that nefarious group to the Garden of Gethsemane lights the way for others, and that light is cast on to light the way, so they can carry out this task of the way, the truth and the life, who is Jesus, and on arresting Jesus. The torchbearer is really a servant. Jesus’ wonderful gift – the gift of salvation. And the The torchbearer is not the big time leader, but gift is not just a small idea of salvation – it’s not just in a way they are the real leader because they are that Jesus has done a forensic salvation of saving piercing the darkness with a torch, they’re making a us from the penalty of sin – but that Christ has way, they’re lighting the way for others to follow. It done something even more because redemption is occurred to me that, as a teenager belonging to this just the beginning of life. You see, the light that fellowship, I was to be a torchbearer lighting the Peter shines on Jesus is the light of this great gift of way, shining the way and serving others by making salvation, that Jesus has not only saved us from our sure the way was safe. They could traverse that way sin, but saved us to Christlikeness. and they could come to benefit by the light that was available. It is a big salvation. It is a salvation that keeps on saving in the sense that we’re saved from sin, but Another way to think about servant leadership, the now because of redemption we are reconciled idea that our calling is not to be leaders that serve with God. That relationship is restored. That but servants to lead, is to be a servant that carries relationship comes into play in a way that now, by Christ’s torch and, in that role as servant, to lead Christ in us through the Holy Spirit, we can go others in ways that are good for them to go. Now on with the journey of becoming more and more I really believe that being a torchbearer servant and more like Jesus. It’s not just that redemption leader is everything about shining a light on Jesus. is there as a fact of reality of the past, but there In Acts 1, Jesus says “you will be my witnesses in is a reconciliation in the relationship. We are no Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the longer out in the dark, we are brought in like the earth.” Then they are empowered to do that. In prodigal son, we are brought back into the family other words, in one sense they will be the light of of God. We are reconciled with God. And now as the world, but they are empowered to do that by we journey and as we are exposed to God’s grace the Holy Spirit we read about in chapter two, by as that journey continues, God shapes our life into their faithfulness. Jesus says, “Tarry, wait....” – they Christlikeness. wait ten days, ten whole days together in fellowship and prayer, remembering the stories, remembering So if you fast forward to chapters eight, nine Jesus’ teachings, giving glory and thanks and praise and ten, you find a Peter and a Paul whose lives to God. are significantly better, stronger, clearer, greater

 Light and Leadership character development in their lives because Africa – everywhere had come to my church. And Christ is restoring them to His likeness. You see what would I do about that but invite them into my that in the life of Luther; you see that in the life home. of Calvin and John Wesley; and you see that in the lives of William and Catherine Booth, founders of What light are you sharing even now? It’s too small the Salvation Army. In their early years, they had a thing for you to be a torchbearer to your friends somewhat settled views, but you see those views or your family or your own backyard. I want to shifting as the Holy Spirit has opened them up to be encourage you today to think about the light you’re more inclusive, more circumspect and Christlike. shedding. Jesus said “let your light shine” – are It is redemption, reconciliation and restoration, you letting your light shine brightly, consistently? which is that ongoing process of becoming like That means not just on campus and then you snuff Christ, that makes us not only a people of faith, but out the light because you’re a commuter. Or not a people of hope. Monday to Friday but Saturday night it’s time to put the light out and work the darkness. Are you I want to say to you this morning that the light you letting your light shine brightly, consistently and shed is not just for your own backyard, not just for with integrity because the light is not about you, it’s you and your special other, or for you and your about Him? Let’s pray. friends in your residence hall or in the home that you live in. It’s just not for you and your family. Jesus, we thank You that You are the light of I want you to really think this week about Isaiah the world, that You give us the high privilege of 49:6. All throughout scripture there is reference to reflecting Your light to a world in darkness. We light, and this is one of my favourite verses. “It is thank You that this university is about light and too small a thing,” not too bad, not too immoral, truth. We thank You for torchbearers of faculty and not too dumb, not too inappropriate. The Lord is staff. We thank You for torchbearers of all students saying through Isaiah it’s just too small a thing for who choose to pick up Your torch and shine the you to be my servant, my torchbearer, “to restore light on You, so that a needy world may consistently, the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I may brightly, may with integrity see that light, and have kept.” It’s just too small. “I will also make you may we keep the light on You. This is our prayer a light to the Gentiles.” In some translations it says and our covenant this morning because we are a a light for the nations. “You will be my witnesses covenant people. We pray these things in Jesus’ to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the name, Amen. earth,” Jesus said.

Here God is saying through Isaiah, I will make you a light to the nations. So, the question I have is how do we embrace that, how do we prepare for that, how do we not necessarily wait, but embrace this idea that God is restoring us to the likeness of Christ. While that is happening we still have work to do – not waiting until we graduate, not waiting until we come back as a faculty or staff member or waiting until we get that job with Microsoft – not waiting, but being a light now to the nations.

There was a time when Winnipeg was in the middle of nowhere. It’s in a sea of wheat. It’s a great city. But people would say, “Winnipeg, that’s in the middle of nowhere,” especially in February. But really, everywhere has come to Winnipeg. In my church on Sunday mornings there were ten first languages – China, Latin America, Eastern Europe,