The Ministry TableSample

When Alpha Meets Omega

I once watched a group of children running through our church lobby. At the back of the pack was the littlest one of them all, a four-year-old girl whose little legs could barely keep pace with the big kids. From the back of the crowd she shouted frantically, “I’M THE LEADER!”. How adorable, and honestly — how relatable!

Leadership in the Kingdom can be an awkward thing. We desire to influence people for Christ, but we also want to be servants. We live in the tension of trying to be the “alpha” in the room — leading the way — while also being the “omega”, putting ourselves last. How fitting that Jesus calls Himself both the Alpha and the Omega. Perhaps this tension is exactly where we are meant to live.

In Matthew 21 we observe Jesus living in this Alpha-Omega tension. Jesus approaches Jerusalem in a crowd of pilgrims, a moment we often call “the triumphal entry”. They were throwing their robes on the ground before Him, raising palm branches and worshipping Him. This would be a moment to act like a leader! Instead, He comes riding on a donkey, intentionally posturing Himself in humility. Rather than overthrowing the Roman oppressors, Jesus surrenders to death for all people, even His enemies. And in Luke, we see that when Jerusalem comes into view, Jesus weeps over the city. He is overflowing with compassion to the point of tears.

Yet when He enters the temple, Jesus demonstrates His rightful authority, putting things right in the house of God. The tender emotion of the previous scene now shifts into courageous action, as Jesus overturns tables, boldly confronting corruption. In John, the disciples' note that zeal (literally "heat" or "fire") for God’s house consumed Jesus. He is not passive, but intense and assertive.

How often do we rise up in pride, trying to exert dominance over others by acting like an alpha, when in truth we’re really just masking our insecurities? And how often do we shrink back in timidity, cloaking ourselves in a false humility, when we’re truthfully just trying to avoid the risk of angering others? Instead, let’s stop to align our hearts with the nature of Jesus: walking in humble authority, our fiery zeal flowing out of a compassionate and broken heart, and surrendering to such a degree that we are willing to take courageous action — even if it costs us everything.

Olivia Munn-Shirsath
Teaching Pastor, Wellspring Church NYC
Long Island City, Queens
https://www.oliviamunnshirsath.com