A Unique and Personal Sense of Destiny ~ Dr. Brian Clardy
Text: Isaiah 49: 1-7
Delivered to the Congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Murray, Kentucky
Dr. Brian K. Clardy, Preacher
Associate Professor of History at Murray State University
Chair of the Board of Directors, Kentucky Humanities Council
January 15, 2023
And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God.”
May I speak to you this morning in the Blessed Name of the One
True and Living God +Father, Son and Holy Spirit+
What do you do when you have labored and given…. sacrificed and
struggled……planted and cultivated….and still come up short? Despite
your sincerity and best efforts, it seems that “the law of diminishing
returns” and “sunk costs” will win the day and all that you have done is
been for nothing. And when you are a servant leader, your failures,
shortcomings, slip ups and foibles are magnified times a hundred for the
entire world to scrutinize from the peanut gallery.
It is discouraging.
It can be disheartening and draining.
It can be frustrating and debilitating.
This is especially true in a world where boisterous language, alternative
facts, blustering, and deal cutting masquerade themselves for leadership.
This is especially true in a world where the exercise of raw power and
toxic machismo are viewed as the hallmarks of the ability to “get things
done.”
And it is especially true when those who seek to reconcile, heal, and
promote an inclusive society are viewed as boring, ineffective and (at
worse) insincere.
Such goes the ebb and flow of the Second of Isaiah’s Servant Songs in
our readings for today. This Text, clearly written in the aftermath of the
Deportation of the People of Promise, and during a period of great
anxiety as the days were coming when Judah’s children could be
allowed to return to their Sacred Homeland was becoming almost
certain. Indeed, it is possible that the author of the Servant Songs was
among the captives and that the author understood the bitter anguish that
comes from oppression.
Servant Leadership in difficult times is not easy. But the author of
this Text offers a glimmer of hope: God is on the side of true servant
leaders who are sincere about offering compassion and creating a
society where all people can flourish and be their absolute best.
The job of a servant leader is not to be perfect, neither are they expected
to check all the proverbial boxes to be considered “successful.” Instead,
they are called upon to be prayerful and faithful to the task to which the
Divine has appointed them.
Let me underscore that very factor: to the task to which the Divine
has appointed them.
When that servant leader is called and selected directly by God…. when
that servant leader is enabled and equipped by God…. when that servant
leader is doing the work of God…. then it is a fair deduction to assume
that they are in the operational, functional and purposeful will of God.
They have a distinction that sets them apart. They tread a different path.
Indeed, they have a unique and personal sense of destiny that allows
them to be connected with the Holy and that Divine Connection allows
them to serve God’s People with the very love and compassion that they
need at their most dire moment.
Now…let’s be clear. The Sanction and Unction of God does not give the
servant leader cause to be arrogant or to operate in a false sense of hers’
or his own personal importance, but it serves as a divine mandate to be
humble, loving, giving and sacrificial knowing that their efforts will
indeed be rewarded…. if not in their lifetime, but in God’s Time.
This should give the Servant leader a Holy Boldness to speak truth to
power with love. It is never unfair to call out injustice.
This should give the Servant leader a Holy Discernment to engage the
powerful with a sense of prophetic courage.
And this should give the Servant leader a blueprint of the future where
the poor and oppressed are liberated…. where the marginalized and
discarded are elevated….and where the hopeless become hopeful
That in spite of the opposition, the naysayers, and the certain setbacks,
the servant leader knows that these are temporary conditions and that
they can draw upon God’s Rich and Endless Resources to become
refreshed, encouraged and ready to do battle another day. Look at the
Text:
But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God.”
Servant Leaders down through the corridors of history have understood
this blessed assurance: Mother Theresa of Calcutta…. Archbishop
Oscar Romero….Ella Baker……..Caesar Chavez…….Clyde
Bellecourt….Sojourner Truth…..Susan B. Anthony…….and the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whose birthday we will honor
tomorrow. They all had their detractors…. they all had their moments of
discouragement and doubt and angst…..they all had their moments when
they felt drained and unappreciated…….but they also knew that their
strength came from the Unmoved Mover…the First Cause…..the all
wise and all powerful Creator……and that fact alone gave them the
power to preserver knowing that they were on the Right and Divine
Side of History.
Many of you are doing that same prophetic work today in this
community. Your names may not be mentioned in the pages of global
news papers or the leaves of a history book. But you are feeding the
hungry and clothing the naked. You are offering the homeless and
displaced shelter from the elements. You are actively speaking against
unjust systems and defending the defenseless. You constantly face what
Shakespeare called “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and
every day you are taking up “arms against a sea of troubles.”
You are doing often thankless work. And it is so easy to sink into
despondency and wondering if it is worth it.
It is. Because God is on your side. And that same God who gave you the
vision to do this work will make certain provision to complete it.
In your darkest moments of doubt and discouragement, remember
that.
You too have a unique and personal sense of destiny. Your task is not
the result of a bad luck accident or a mistake. You are serving and
leading for a reason…. a time…and a season.
God is with you. God Cares. And God will give you your just reward at
a time of God’s Choosing.
Knowing this….let us all the more give thanks to a God who lifts us up
when we face discouraging circumstances….who gives us power to
serve and to give……who meets us with mercy…..and who grants us a
reward that is steeped and Grace and God’s Loving Power. Amen.
