“A crisis in leadership”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, February 23, 2023
Titus 1:1-16 (Forward, p. 25) CEV p. 1253
Here I find the example of the apostle Paul to be quite refreshing, and quite instructive. For all his prominence in starting churches and hard work in spreading the gospel, it turns out that there is still ‘work undone.’ A case in point is here in Crete. That is why he has sent Titus there, ‘to do what had been left undone.’ And, part of what ‘had been left undone’ was the matter of appointing leaders or pastors for the churches in each town. And so, Paul was not only delegating authority to his colleague and protégé Titus, but he was also expecting Titus to do the same within each local church and context.
To do so, Paul first establishes the qualifications necessary for both the local pastors and the district officials. In both cases, they must be people of good character and bearing in the community, people of good reputation, people who can manage both their personal and public affairs wisely. With the latter position, that of the district officials, he also emphasizes that they must abide with the true faith and, presumably, obey it.
In contrast to these, Paul identifies others whose actions are base and corrupted, who are ‘after it’ only for their own benefit, who reject any legitimate authority, who disobey God’s word, and who spout out pure nonsense. Paul tells Titus to come down on such people and silence them, so that not only will their destructive teaching will cease, but also that they might amend their ways and grow stronger in the faith. And so, while not here commending any of them to future church leadership, Paul is not ‘writing them off’ either. And, presumably, none of this will happen overnight, and so Titus is in it ‘for the long haul.’ That, precisely, is what Paul seems to envision.
And so it is with us: we too have been delegated by God, by Jesus Christ, to continue with His work, to continue with the mission and mandate that He established and began. And, as with Titus, we have been given clear instructions about how to carry it out, and have been expected to keep at it, knowing that it won’t be quick, or easy. We too are to be in it ‘for the long haul.’ Amen.
Forward notes: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work” (verse 16).
“Ouch. Paul’s words here are pretty blunt. We say we believe in God, but our behaviour and choices say otherwise. I can think of a zillion clichés as I dwell on this: Practice what you preach. Actions speak louder than words.
“As faithful Christians, we want people to see us as living proof of a loving God. We try to live our lives as witnesses to the living Christ. But we are not perfect. We will mess up. We will be petty or jealous, quick to anger and slow to forgive. We are utterly human, with all of our foibles and failures. And yet Paul lays out the path for us: we must not only profess to know God but also act in such a way that others will see and come to know Christ. Thank goodness, God forgives us when our actions don’t match our beliefs, when we fall short of who God has created us to be. And thankfully, God is with us each time we stand back up, supporting us as we strive to follow in Christ’s footsteps in word and deed.”
Moving Forward: “When have you fallen short of God’s expectations for you? What helps you get back on the right path?”