Tag: Servant Leadership

Be The Light

Be the light. A YMCA devotion for those called to bring hope to darkness and to stay faithful amidst suffering. Like Mary, the beloved mother of our Lord Jesus. #flourishingforall

When the times seem dark, when the burdens of living cause you to stumble, when you wonder why life is turning out this way, remember Mary.

Artistic gifts from the nations, of Mary mother of our Lord Jesus, at the Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth Israel

Our OnPrinciple team of 24 YMCA leaders visited Nazareth in February 2020, and a highlight included visiting holy sites where it is believed that the messenger Gabriel announced to young Mary that through her the Messiah of Israel would be born – The Annunciation.

Below are more pics of the Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation, as well as some from the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.

Growing up as a Evangelical Protestant Christian in the Midwest, I was taught to be suspicious of Catholics, to not consider them as even Christian unless they had a born-again experience like me.

This included disregarding Mary, reviling at Marian devotion, and looking down on anyone who held Mary in high esteem.

I’ve been having to detox from this bigotry.

Visiting the Basilica of the Annunciation changed something within my heart towards the Mother of Jesus.

The pictures below try to capture some of the beauty created through architecture and art in remembrance and celebration of The Annunciation.

I was humbled by the lower section of the Basilica, which has an earthen, wooden feel to it, centered around the home of Mary, where Gabriel visited her.

The upper level is full of light, it draws your eyes up, particularly to the towering cupola, a structure of magnificence and awe.

What turned my heart towards Mary in a more personal way was the many works of art depicting her from the point of view of over forty different countries.

I posted a few of my favorite below – Brazil is so joyful, Mexico makes me smile; America makes me grimace, and I still can’t figure out the Canada one.

As I reflect on this place, this sacred space, I’m reminded of the light that Mary brings to those who remember: her simplicity, her faithfulness, her courage, her determination, her fierceness, her enduring hope, her generous love.

The times were dark when she was visited by the messenger of God. The times are still dark for many in the world.

We can look to the mother of Jesus as a source of inspiration, as one who trusts in the Lord, who will follow him to the end, in love.

When I think of the need for more light, I think of the need for more of us to let Mary light our way.

She was loved by Jesus; but it was her mothering love that shaped his infant, adolescent and adult life. It was her songs that stirred his soul, her faithfulness to God that he in part imitated when he faced heart-breaking hardships.

Be the light.

Let the light of Jesus shine through you in the dark.

Learn from Mary the mother of Jesus on courageously enduring to the end, to the vindication, when God makes all things right.

Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth, Israel
Basilica front door; 8 engravings from the life of Christ
Basilica lower level, facing 4th century basilica ruins over the home of Mary, where she was visited by the angel Gabriel
Altar inside the original basilica
Upper level of basilica, facing the back of the sanctuary
Facing the front of the basilica upper level sanctuary
Front altar, upper sanctuary
Flower shaped dome jutting up above the front of the basilica sanctuary
Mary the Magnificat : America

“And Mary sang out:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.””


‭‭[The Magnificat, the Song of Mary, from the Gospel According to Luke‬ ‭1:46-55‬ ‭NIV‬‬]

Mary : Mexico
Mary & the Holy Child : France
Mary : Polonia
Mary : Brazil
Mary : Australia
Mary : Portugal
Mary : Canada
Mary : Spain
Mary : Japan
OnPrinciple Team, group pic at Basilica of the Annunciation
OnPrinciple Team enjoying the warm hospitality of the Nazareth YMCA board members and friends.
Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation; built over an underground spring where it is believed the angel Gabriel visited Mary

Click here for all of the blog posts reflecting on the YMCA in the Holy Land.

YMCA + Kierkegaard: Truth & Decisive Acts

For Christians within the YMCA, these words of Kierkegaard hold much wisdom for how we embody the Y mission and gospel of Christ. When it comes to Christian Emphasis in the YMCA, it’s the humble imitation of Christ, it’s the vulnerable submission to reality and truth, the decisive act to trust Christ in our participation in the Y and the world as we love, care and serve for all.

“Without a life of imitation, of following Christ, it is impossible to gain mastery over doubts. We cannot stop doubts with reasons. Recall that the Savior of the world did not come to bring a doctrine; he never lectured. He did not try by way of reasons to prevail upon anyone to accept his teachings, nor did he try to authenticate it by demonstrable proofs.

“His teaching was his life, his existence. If someone wanted to be his follower, he said to that person something like this, ‘Venture a decisive act, then you can begin, then you will know.’

“What does this mean? It means that no one becomes a believer by hearing about Christianity, by reading about it, by thinking about it. It means that while Christ was living, no one became a believer by seeing him once in awhile or by going and staring at him all day long.

“No, a certain setting is required – venture a decisive act. The proof does not precede but follows; it exists in and with the life that follows Christ. Once you have ventured the decisive act, you are at odds with the life of this world.

“You come into collision with it, and because of this you will gradually be brought into such tension that you will then be able to become certain of what Christ has taught. You will begin to understand that you cannot endure the world without having recourse to Christ. What else can one expect from following the truth?”

– from Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, p. 78

Why the Walls Still Fall at the Jericho Y

Jerichoyentrance 2

Peter Nasir, General Secretary for the East Jerusalem YMCA hosted our OnPrinciple team at the Jericho YMCA Vocational Center and explained in stark terms why and how they live out God’s calling:

“We work with youth whose back is to a cliff.”

onprinciple jericho ymca leaders meeting (3)
Peter Nasir standing between four of his fellow Y leaders.

“If we don’t care for them, they are gone.”

There are still walls in and around Jericho. For too many youth and adult men, they are prison walls. Too many families are hemmed in by refugee walls. Border walls loom ominously, protected by barbed-wire walls and guard towers.

“We are in the business of selling hope; we keep kids out of prison. Youth choose violence out of revenge, despair and hate.”

Peter pointed out to us the unending anxiety that undergirds Palestinians regarding their displacement from their homes, villages, fields and land.

The YMCA in Jericho seeks to bring down the walls of despair that imprison Palestinian youth, subverting the foundations of injustice that support those walls with the gospel of Christ Jesus.

This gospel is embodied through a safe place with wise and loving mentors, practical training in vocational trades that can equip youth to care for their families and take responsibility for their own welfare, as well as forge friendships that support a new hope and justice.

“Palestinians want skills, not relief; we want your friendship.”

jerichoymcapeternasir
Peter Nasir sharing with Jared of Washington and John of North Carolina

As a minority people in the Holy Land, Palestinians face complicated and dire circumstances. Palestinian Christians are a smaller minority amongst their people, yet they play a crucial role amidst the violent conflict as peace-makers.

The YMCA is a place where Palestinian Muslims and Christians can come together to build up hope, skills, wisdom, and aspirations for justice using non-violent, constructive means.

Jerichoymcasign

The Y has a special, highly respected, much-needed role in Jericho. In 1948 when Palestinians were driven out of Jerusalem and other major communities, it included Palestinian Christian leaders and staff at the Jerusalem International YMCA.

jerichoymcahistory2

They were thrust into dangerous, chaotic, desperate situations amongst their displaced people, whereupon they immediately began to put their Y mission into practice, organizing efforts to love, care and serve. Many Palestinians were sent to Jordan, thus going through Jericho, which is where Peter Nasir’s father concentrated his YMCA work.

It goes on today.

The experiences in Jericho with the Y caused me to reflect deeper about the youth in my own community who have their backs to a cliff. What is our Y doing for them? What can we learn from our fellow Palestinian YMCA leaders?

For me, I was struck by their clarity and resoluteness, how they grounded their Y work in the Christian mission, specifically for Peter it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was inspired by how they welcome and serve all the Christian and Muslim youth in their community that came to them.

What will be the motivation for our YMCA to come alongside youth with their backs to the wall?

onprinciple jericho ymca young men
Mike Bussey, former CEO of Jerusalem International YMCA with Jericho YMCA youth

Youth are driven to the cliff’s edge by violence, anxiety, vengefulness, despair, hate. What will motivate us to meet them in the darkness? To stay with them as long as it takes?

Jerichoycomputerclass
Jericho YMCA youth in a computer information technology class

Where does the light come from that we are seeking to bring to their place on the cliff?

From whence comes our strength, perseverance, loving-kindness, wisdom?

For Christians who engage in this kind of youth work, it becomes clear how much we must draw upon the strong, uniting, merciful Spirit of Christ, who calls us to such work, equips us for it, and sustains us.

Jerichosycamoretree
A 1,500 year old sycamore tree in Jericho.

Our visit with the Jericho YMCA ended with a devotion next to a sycamore tree, much like the one Zacchaeus climbed to see Jesus. This sacred place reminds us that Jesus sees us where we are; he sees us when we come looking for him.

And like this tree-climbing sinner, when we are seen by Jesus, we too are sent with a mission to embody the good news. We are sent to make right what we have wronged, to be generous with our resources, and to add light where there is darkness.

As little Christ’s, when we see youth with their back to the cliff, may they see Christ in us and respond to the invitation to a life of hope, meaning, justice, and peace. And may the YMCA continue to be a space where new life takes root, for all.

Jerichoymcawoodsign
Living Y sign in the Jericho facility