My mom comes from a family of seven kids. Every weekend while she was growing up, her dad would polish the family’s shoes so they would look nice for Sunday worship and for school in the coming week. He would turn on the radio and line the shoes up on newspaper to shine, polish, and brush. My mom says my grandpa would use this time to think about and pray for his kids too. When he would give the shoes back, he would say to each of them, “It was a labor of love.”

My grandpa was a veteran of World War II and came from a generation that valued service and duty highly. He led by his example and sought to serve a purpose greater than himself. He is one of the examples I think of as a servant leader.

Last week, I wanted to raise a question: What is greatness to a Christian? I would argue that for Christians the only measure can be Jesus Christ himself. Furthermore, if Christ is our measure, our definition of greatness will look very different from greatness by the world’s standards. If Jesus is our measure, greatness will not be defined by earthly riches, our ability to dominate enemies into submission, or the number of Facebook likes or Twitter followers we have. Money, power, and popularity are false standards, if Christ is our measure.

There’s a story in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus confronts and corrects his disciples over the meaning of greatness. Mark 9:33-35 says: “Jesus asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all’” (NRSV).

And in the Gospel of John, Jesus sets an example for his followers by washing their feet. This was a humble act of service usually reserved for the lowest members of the household. When he had finished washing their feet, Jesus said to them, “You call me Teacher and Lord – and you are right for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14 NRSV).

If this is our measure and example of greatness, then service and love become our standards. Beginning with ourselves, how can we live this out in our lives? Then, how can we lift up service in the wider culture?

When I look around, I see examples of servant leaders all over – people like my grandpa who lead by their example and serve a purpose larger than themselves. In my church family, for instance, I’ve known many generous servants who support the sick and grieving, who teach our children and youth, who build up the community. And in the broader community, I think of our fire fighters, librarians, teachers, police officers, veterans, and service members. I think also of our business owners who care as much about the community as they do about profits or farmers who want to make a living but also want to feed people and care for the land. I believe you can serve your neighbor and glorify God from any position in life, and I see examples of it every day.

But I worry that these values do not often reach the highest positions of power in our world. Too often the most powerful people seem to be driven more by ego than by service. And what can we do about it?

I won’t pretend to have the answer to this, but I wonder if we can practice a kind of leadership from below. Perhaps we can practice this by living lives of service ourselves, by holding all leaders to higher standards, and by lifting up the servant leaders in our midst. And let us give thanks to God for all who serve following the example of Jesus Christ!

Note: This post originally appeared in the Brodhead Free Press and the Independent Register as part of their weekly “Pastor’s Corner” column.