Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
I don’t know about you, but two things really stuck with me from Father John’s homily last Sunday on the Beatitudes. The first was his observation that the Kingdom Jesus means to bring forth into the world looks upside down to us because its values are contrary to the values of the kingdom of the world that we inhabit every day. And it’s precisely those upside-down values that threaten to turn that worldly kingdom topsy turvy.
The second was his call to us to “be-attitudes”—that is, to be or embody the attitudes that Jesus teaches are at the heart of the Kingdom of God: humility, modesty, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, lover of righteousness, and so forth.
Today, we encounter something like a variation on these themes in our reading from 1 Kings. Here we have Solomon who, at just 15 years of age, became the king of Israel and Judah. In today’s passage, he seems rather overwhelmed as he talks to God about this hugely complicated and high-stakes job. And for good reason. How does a 15-year-old boy govern all God’s people, knowing as he does that they are a diverse people who have a long history of political division and intrigue, to say the least?
Seeing this, God steps into the fray and promises to give Solomon anything he asks for. Actually, it’s more than that. God tells Solomon to ask for whatever he wants and God will provide it to him. Seriously? Bear in mind that God is the gift-giver here. So, “whatever he wants” really means “whatever he wants.”
Solomon must have felt like a kid in a candy store. He was, after all, just a kid. I have to wonder what possibilities ran through his head. A great horse paired with an exquisite chariot? A beautiful queen? An invincible army? Or maybe all three! Why not? God did say “whatever you want.”
Of course, my list of possible requests would be perfectly simpatico with the values of the kingdom of the world. And they are nothing like what Solomon asked for. Instead of riches and victory and status and other worldly powers and pleasures, he asked for an understanding heart. With God offering him absolutely everything and anything he could possibly want, he asked God to make him a good king. And by that he meant one who knows and understands his people, all God’s people. He wanted to know and understand the people he would govern so that he could make wise moral judgements.
God was surprised by Solomon’s request. God expected Solomon to rifle off a list of kingly demands. Instead, Solomon asked for the gift of the be-attitudes. He asked that he might be the sort of king whose very attitudes of humility and peace and understanding bring forth the Kingdom of God. And God was very pleased.
Earlier this week, Bill and I attended a fascinating panel discussion at UD on food, art, and culture in Dayton. Featured on the panel were a former food writer for the Dayton Daily News and the owners of four great restaurants in the Dayton/Yellow Springs area. Notably, all of the panelists shared how deeply they feel not only about the food they create and serve but also the people who work with and for them. They were all quite eloquent as they talked about the ways they work to listen to their staff, to really get to know them, and to encourage their own creative development.
While 1 Kings may not exactly be a handbook for leadership in the Kingdom-of-God style, it may have something to teach us about what makes for truly great leadership. Let’s call it Kingdom leadership. I believe these local restaurant owners, as they embody the attitudes of careful listening, a desire to understand, and a commitment to helping others realize their gifts enable us to see what Kingdom leadership might look like today. Maybe it’s that Kingdom leadership that makes their staff want to work for these restaurant owners for years and makes their patrons so loyal. Maybe those of us who find ourselves breaking bread at their tables again and again do so because we sense something of that upside-down kingdom right here in Dayton, Ohio.
If so, God must be very pleased.
— Susan Trollinger