When I was at school one of my closest friends was probably the brainiest kid there, in fact he is one of the cleverest people I know. In my school there were some groupings; some who spent a lot of time in the art room listening to Pink Floyd being trendy and fashionable, others who were the school sport’s stars. My particular group were interested in things like books and ideas, I guess you would call us geeks, but it didn’t bother us. My friend went on to be a nuclear physicist but at some point he became interested in what motivates people and what makes a great leader. He made it his career and it made him a wealthy man.

During the course of his ministry time and again Jesus shows that he has all of the qualities of a great leader. Like all true leaders there is something attractive about him, people just sense in some way that he is different and today we see an example of this.

In Sunday's gospel John the Baptist somehow knows that Jesus is special. In Jesus’ society older people were more senior to younger people and John was also an established religious leader, and yet John defers to Jesus when it should have been the other way round. Jesus does not demand respect and deference. He is the sinless one and he does not need John’s baptism (which was not a baptism as we understand it) but he not only accepts it but he presses John for it. He puts himself in second place to John.

Jesus wants John’s baptism to set us an example of what he later tells the apostles to do, but Jesus’ baptism is not symbolic like John’s but is the gateway to a relationship with him and the Father through the Holy Spirit, it is full of power and grace.

Even at this, the beginning of his public ministry, in an invisible way, Jesus pulls people towards him – in this case John. It’s as though he has a kind of magnet inside him, but magnets not only attract they also repel. This is true of Jesus where the women and men who follow him just want to be with him. At the same time there are others who want nothing to do with him and even want him dead. For me, it’s less about magnets and more about the Holy Spirit at work silently speaking in His follower’s hearts. This was true for John the Baptist and it is as true for us as Christians. We are Christian by accident of coercion; we are Christians because of the fundamental attraction of Jesus.

Later in the gospels Jesus tells us that he is not “a way” but “the way” and the way by which Jesus leads his people, leads you and me, is by his example, as he does in Sunday’s gospel. Jesus leads as much as by example as by his words. His model of leadership not grand empty loud rhetoric but by grounding what he says in what he does.

All of us are in some way broken reeds or wavering flames. All of us are in one way or another damaged and fragile. Jesus in the fullness of his humanity knows this. He desires to open the blinded eyes of our hearts and souls, he wants to set us free from the prison of sin, he wants to bring us from darkness into the light of his presence.

Jesus wants to lead us towards something that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, something beautiful and eternal a place of love and peace.

Jesus’ way of leadership is something that he calls us to do too, to lead others to belief in him and the assurance of eternal life. Jesus shows us time and again how to do this, to make ourselves bigger by making ourselves smaller; by taking the lesser place; by behaving with modesty and humility; by being tolerant; by being forgiving; by doing our best to be people of love not hate. Doing this, with the help of the Holy Spirit, if you listen with the ears of your heart and see with the eyes of your soul, God your loving Father will say to you “you are my beloved, my favour rests on you”.

God bless and keep you all.

I am away for a few days next week but be assured that you will be in my daily prayers.

Fr Chris