Remember your leaders. That's what the Book of Hebrews tells us (13.7-8). Remember those who spoke the Word of life to us. Remember their way of life and imitate their faith. Why? Because the Jesus who worked in their lives is "the same yesterday, today, and forever."
We remember their testimony, reflecting on what they taught us, how they lived, and how they finished.
We remember Jesus, who worked in and through their lives. We take courage, knowing that Jesus is at work in and through us as well.
Today I join the worldwide Anglican Communion in remembering and honoring Charles Simeon, priest at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, for 54 years.
I first met Simeon during seminary when I did an advanced leadership development review of his life and legacy. Historians tell us that he was one of the prime leaders in the renewal of the Church of England.
I remember his:
- crisis of conscience that led to his conversion to Jesus while at Cambridge
- biblical preaching
- steadfastness in the face of spirited opposition
- strategic mentoring of young leaders
- planting of seeds that eventually grew into InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Today I pray, with the Anglican Communion, the Collect of the Day for Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836:
O loving God, we know that all things are ordered by your unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Which of your leaders are you remembering today?
