But if we walk in the light as he [Jesus] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus , his Son, purifies us from all sin.    I John 1:7 (NIV)

The divisions in our nation have been highlighted by the recent Supreme Court nominating process. That process was characterized by uncorroborated accusations of sexual abuse on the one hand, and on the other hand, the enduring damage inflicted by perpetrators of sexual abuse on the minds, bodies and souls of their victims. We have witnessed the pain and shame that can keep victims in the dark, the shredding of the constitutional presumption of innocence by uncorroborated accusations, violations of confidentiality and last-minute disclosures by politicians who chose to withhold evidence in an apparent effort to “sandbag” the whole process—without regard for victim or accused.

Meanwhile, the Church is being wracked by sexual abuse on the part of its clergy —Roman Catholic and Protestant, high profile leaders and pastors of ordinary congregations, perpetrators and those who shielded them at every level of the Church. The testimony of thousands of victims is heart-wrenching and agonizing as we think of how many people have been turned away from Jesus Christ because of such sexual misconduct. It reminds us how easily the transforming love of Jesus Christ can be subverted and destroyed by Church leaders who succumb to their own “cravings in the wilderness” (Psalm 106:14) while in ministry.

As Church leaders speaking prophetically into our culture, we need to get serious about “walking in the light.” Judgement begins with the household family of God, the Church. (I Peter 4:17).  We have nothing to say to the culture around us stumbling in the darkness if we ourselves have succumbed to the same moral, theological and political darkness.

What then does it mean for leaders to “walk in the light”? The Apostle John thought this was so important that he repeated it again in chapter two of his Epistle at verse 6: “Whoever claims to live in him [God] must walk as Jesus did.”  Walking in the light must therefore mean that everything we do as leaders—everything—is done as Jesus would do it. Picture what it would look like if everything you and I do as leaders—our pastoring, teaching, preaching, parenting, evangelizing, managing, discipling—was done as Jesus would do it if he were in our shoes, every moment of every day, and in every relationship at every level and corner of our lives.

 This is what it would look like to walk in the light in which we are called to walk as leaders.

Let me close with this observation. According to I John 1:7, the purpose of walking in the light is two-fold: that we may have fellowship with each other and that the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all our sins. Walking in the light has both a vertical dimension and a horizontal dimension.

The vertical dimension of walking in the light is in our relationship with God, in the light of God himself and his holiness. Our conscience is not enough. Our consciences may be seared and deadened by habitual sin and compromise. We need to walk in the Gospel revelation that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin so that God sees nothing to censure in me. As Oswald Chambers observes:

“The love of God at work in me makes me hate with the hatred of the Holy Ghost all that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To walk in the light means that everything that is of the darkness drives me closer into the centre of the light.”  (My Utmost for His Highest, Dec. 26)

As leaders, do we have the daily spiritual disciplines, the “habits of the heart” and even a Rule of Life that helps us face the darkness in our own lives—and not only to face the darkness, but to keep us running away from the darkness again!  Is our identity in Christ himself, rather than in our ministries, so that we have confidence to bring our darkness into His light, and with the conviction that His blood can both forgive and remove the darkness of sin in our lives?

The horizontal dimension of walking in the light is fellowship with each other. I’m not just talking about coffee at Starbucks. This is the deep, vulnerable transparency we share with brothers and sisters in Christ so that we may continue to walk with them, in light together. Think about it: Paul himself reminds us that the greatest saints have always been conscious of themselves as the worst of sinners (I Tim. 1:15). As David Jackman observes in his commentary on the Epistles of John, Christians who live in God’s light do not find it difficult to walk together in fellowship. “The light shows the way ahead, and enables them to co-ordinate their actions and move forward in harmony.” (The Message of John’s Letters, at 30-31).

This morning I read a wonderful devotion by a church planter named Ben Sternke who asked this same question, and painted a great picture of what real fellowship looks like when we as leaders “walk in the light”:

“Walking in the light has nothing to do with perfect behavior and everything to do with being known. Walking in the light means that we are willing to be known for who we really are (warts, sin and all). It doesn’t mean we have perfected morality, just that we have stopped hiding.

“Walking in darkness means we are still hiding, pretending, putting on airs, attempting to be seen in a certain way, presenting an image that doesn’t reflect the inner reality of our hearts. Walking in darkness is the result of submitting to shame. It means we think we cannot afford to be known for who we really are, because we fear rejection, punishment, abandonment. Appearance is everything for those walking in darkness.”

Do you want to be known for who you really are in a community of Christ-centered light and grace?  Or do you want to hide for the sake of appearance?

As a leader, I  have been blessed to participate in communities of Christ-centered grace and love along the way, where I can be who I really am (warts and all!).  After a recent Rectors Summit, I joined a clergy covenant care group with brothers who live in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia. We meet weekly by video. We walk in the light with each other, and it is both a blessing and an encouragement to have them remind me in places where I cannot always see the way forward and how to find Jesus. If you are a church leader and you are reading this, please don’t hide.  Let us help you find a way to walk in the light with Jesus in the fellowship of others.

The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey is President & CEO of the American Anglican Council.