Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 15, 2024
Look up a 2010 TED Talk called “How to Start a Movement.” In it, author and entrepreneur Derek Sivers analyzes a three-minute home video of an outdoor music festival. A shirtless guy dances wildly by himself on the hillside as people around him sit and gawk. A few seconds later, shirtless guy is joined by a “first follower” who imitates his crazy moves.
Sivers says that this first follower is key because he “transforms a lone nut into a leader” and shows “everyone else how to follow.” Moments later, more people join behind the first follower, imitating him imitating the leader. A minute after what began as an odd solo, we see dozens of people rushing in until eventually all the festival-goers are on their feet dancing with abandon, caught up in this new movement.
All of us need to be courageous first followers of Christ who show others how to get behind our leader and follow him to the cross.
Not all of Sivers’s analysis will relate to today’s Gospel passage. But his main point is a good reminder for those of us who serve in ministry leadership. If everyone saw themselves as leaders, that would be ineffective.
Leaders are nothing without followers. We cannot confuse our role with that of Jesus, nor can everyone be a gutsy lone prophet out in the world. But all of us do need to be courageous first followers of Christ who show others how to get behind our leader and follow him to the cross.
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