Lessons In Leadership From The Nativity

It’s that time of year again. 

The Christmas trees are up, the woolly hats are on, and Christmas songs are being played on repeat in the office (though admittedly that’s been happening in the Onelife office since October… I know, the horror). And school nativities are back, complete with costumes, face paint and panic over whether the kids will remember their lines (‘Dad, is it “We are the wise men from the beast”?’ ‘No son, from the East…’).

Many of us will have fond (or not) memories of playing dress up and taking part in our school nativity as a child. The nativity is a well-known story, one that for Christians heralds the moment when God stepped into the world in order to bring us back to him. A baby that is fully God yet fully human. His birth is a story that lays the foundations for a relationship with the Lord that’ll last for eternity. 

I dare say many of us would be confidently able to retell the Christmas story with no help, but how many of us have spent time thinking about how it might impact our day-to-day leadership?

Here are three lessons in leadership from the story of Jesus’ birth.

Lesson One
CHoose Hope

‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.

— Luke 1:38

Have you ever reflected on your response to fear? I know my reaction can often be to become defensive, then ‘flee’ and ignore the situation, as if it being out of sight will put it out of my mind (and reality). I do whatever I can to protect myself from what I fear is coming. 

As leaders, we can often give in to fear – fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of stepping out into the unknown only to find we don’t know what we’re doing. And that leads us to choose to stay in familiar territory, where we can protect ourselves rather than expose ourselves to danger.

Yet both Mary and Joseph chose to expose themselves to the danger that would have come with Mary being pregnant before marriage. It’s hard to imagine in our culture today the fear they must have felt in this moment – Mary was in very real danger of being stoned to death because of her perceived immorality, and Joseph might well have shared in her fate under the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 22:23). Joseph particularly would have been seen to have brought shame onto himself and his family, in a time when family and legacy was incredibly important. 

They were obedient to God in the face of extreme opposition, and danger, in their community. 

How can we do the same?

As leaders, hope is one of the most powerful tools in our toolkit. Choosing to continue to hope and trust in the Lord and his promises is vital. We need to hope in the things not yet seen, and be expectant that one day God’s kingdom will come and society and our places of influence will be transformed. 

Mary set her hope in God. She sang praises to God despite knowing the opposition she would face, and she professed confident hope in the mercy of God. She remembered what God had done for his people, her ancestors in the past, his mighty deeds and the promises he had made them. Mary expressed her hope through rejoicing in the fulfilment of God’s promise to her, even before she saw the physical evidence of pregnancy. 

What situations are you facing today that you need to have hope in today?

Lesson Two
Value Excellence

And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

— Matthew 2:11

Imagine receiving those gifts as a child. Or imagine being the parent accepting those gifts on behalf of your baby.

And imagine what it would cost you, to give those gifts to someone far more lowly, far weaker and more helpless than you. Would it be more than you are willing to give?

The wise men recognised the significance of Jesus. They understood that the King had come. They brought their best gifts, fit for a King. Yet they would have found a child, only a few months old, vulnerable just like any other young baby. 

Reality rarely matches up to our expectations. Yet the assumptions we make about people or situations will always influence and shape our attitudes and behaviours. It’s important to acknowledge that as leaders, our expectations and assumptions might not always be right, and to recognise that false assumptions often stop us from bringing our best to the situation.

As leaders, we should always value excellence. It’s a matter of our heart posture towards others, and also towards God. We all have a calling to be leaders, to use our influence for God’s kingdom in both small and big ways, and we’re commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves. And we can do that by valuing excellence in all that we do, and not being afraid to bear the cost of bringing our best – our gifts, our time, our words – even when society tells us the person in front of us isn’t worth it.

Society would have questioned why, upon finding a lowly, vulnerable child, the response of the wise men was to worship and offer valuable, costly gifts. They might have asked if it was worth it, giving so much to a child that wouldn’t understand the significance or appreciate the gifts in that moment. But the wise men still gave their best, and they still pursued excellence. 

Not to show off, but because Jesus was worthy. 

Lesson Three
It’s Not About Us

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people…’

— Luke 2:10

In February 2019, I was sat, with my heart beating loudly in my ears, in the changing rooms of the gym at university, holding my phone in a trembling hand.

I’d just received a notification that an email was waiting for me – one that would determine the outcome of the third year of my degree – and I was both terrified and excited about opening it. This email for me held so much promise. It was my acceptance email onto the exchange programme at university, allowing me to study abroad for a year. It promised adventure, challenge, and growth. 

This email was a message inviting me to step outside my comfort zone and into a new, richer story. 

In the Bible, important messages were often delivered, not by email but by an angel. The word angel is derived from the Greek angelos, and both this and the Hebrew for angel (mal’ak) mean ‘messenger’ or ‘envoy’ – someone who carries a message from one place to another. A messenger is sent out by another for a specific purpose.

The angels in the Christmas story were sent by God for a purpose. To Mary they were to reveal she had found favour with God and would give birth to the Son of the Most High. To Joseph they were to tell him not to fear taking Mary as his wife, despite the potential consequences. And to the shepherds in the fields nearby, they were to declare the news of the birth of the Saviour.

Their purpose was to invite Mary, Joseph and the shepherds into the bigger story God was writing – the story of the redemption of humanity. The story of his kingdom. And in delivering this invitation the angels pointed beyond themselves to God’s vision. 

As leaders, we will face the temptation to make our leadership all about us. There may be moments when our perspective on life narrows and everything begins to revolve around our own story – our performance, our reputation, and our abilities as a leader. When this happens, it’s easy to forget God has given us a different purpose.

Our purpose as leaders is not to succeed in building earthly kingdoms for ourselves, but it is to invite others into a bigger, better story. 

Ultimately, to be a leader is to be God’s messenger. 

***

God’s kingdom is full of adventure, challenge and growth. It’s full of restoration and transformation, and the promise of something more. We may be afraid to share God’s vision with others because it feels a step too far outside our comfort zone, and we may fear the impact being God’s messenger will have on us. But as we choose to point beyond ourselves to God’s vision, others will join us on the journey to see that vision realised.

And through them, even more will receive an invitation into the richest story of them all.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

— Luke 2:17–18