The story of Bilbo Baggins continues in theaters this Christmas season with the release of The Desolation of Smaug, the second film in The Hobbit trilogy. While Bilbo lacks the strength, size, cunning, and life experience of many of the story’s other characters, his companions nonetheless come to regard him as a leader. When we think of leaders, we may think of political figures, business executives, military officers, teachers, and other authority figures. But we don’t have be in one of these positions to be a leader. God may present us with opportunities to lead in our churches, among our friends and peers, or in our families. LinC talks about what it means to be a leader and looks at some of the ways that God calls us to lead. Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 22:1—23:7; John 13:1-20; 1 Corinthians 4. Oxford Dictionaries named “selfie” the word of the year for 2013. Smart phones and tablets have made it easy for individuals to snap pictures of themselves and to send these pictures to friends and post them on social-media sites. (But you already know this.) Scripture tells us that God has filled the world with selfies, so to speak, as each one of us reflects God’s image. At Christmas we celebrate something even greater. In Jesus, God became fully human and lived among us. Next week LinC looks at the Incarnation and how it changed the world forever. We’ll also talk about how we are called to reflect God in all that we do.
