Champion Leader

We recently celebrated the Annunciation, and this time of year we hear this hymn from the Akathist to the Theotokos sung beautifully in liturgy:

"To thee, the Champion Leader, we Thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and of thanksgiving as ones rescued out of sufferings, O Theotokos: but as Thou art one with might which is invincible, from all dangers that can be do Thou deliver us, that we may cry to Thee: Rejoice, O Unwedded Bride!"

This same hymn is reworded to be sung to Jesus at the start of The Akathist to our Sweetest Lord Jesus:

"To You, the Champion Leader and Lord, the Vanquisher of Hades, I, Your creature and servant, offer a song of praise, for You have delivered me from eternal death. But as You have ineffable loving-kindness, deliver me from all dangers, that I may cry to You: Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me."

Do you know what a Champion Leader is? In the Old Testament, we find that a champion leader was one soldier that was sent out to represent the entire army. The other army would also send out their champion leader, and the two soldiers would battle instead of the whole armies. Obviously, the most famous example of this is David and Goliath. We all know the story of the youngest, runt of the family, David going out to fight the behemoth, giant Goliath.

Many times in Scripture, David prefigures Jesus, and it is easy to see Jesus as a Champion Leader. One man, standing in for all of us, against the powers of Hell. Jesus is God and man in one, so who better to be a Champion Leader.

But it is so awesome how the Church takes this a step further. Imagine the giant Goliath. Who would you pick to go fight him? In the Old Testament, God picked a shepherd boy named David. In the New Testament, God picked a young woman, a slave to the Roman Empire, named Mary. How mind blowing that Mary, the Theotokos, stands in as a Champion Leader against the Devil and his demons. At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel pronounced the incarnation to Mary, and her words of assent, like a stone from David's sling, brought victory. Not a victory over a giant, but the victory of Jesus over sin, death, and the devil.

But even here, the Church isn't done yet. We have to take it a step further. Mary is not an exception to the human race. She is our great example. So, just like her, you and I are called to be champion leaders as well.

You are called to be a champion leader when you serve your family and you pursue what is holy and right for them, when you pray for others, when you offer an encouraging word, when you serve the Church, when you help the poor and marginalized, when you forgive, when you love your enemies, and when you seek to love like Christ loves and you respond to sin and suffering as He would. You are called to be like David, to be like Mary, and to be like Jesus.

St. Paul says in Ephesians, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil" (6:10-11). St. Paul also says in Romans, "I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet" (16:19-20). Whose feet does he say? Yours!

I imagine your guardian angel is preparing a hymn about you, and one day, the angels would like to sing it to you. Even though we don't know all the words to the hymn yet because you are still living it out, I think it will be a beautiful song. It will be unique to you, but in some way, you will face giants like David, you will say, "Yes," to God, like Mary, and you will take up your Cross like Jesus.

Yes, you will trip and fall many times. None of us will be sinless like Jesus, but let us with humility seek to be a community of champion leaders, like David, Mary, and Jesus, for our families, our Church, and for God's kingdom.

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Originally published in the Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.