I’ve been reading about George Washington for some time now. He is revered in part because he had the courage to walk away from the Presidential power he surely could have maneuvered to keep. He practiced a peaceful transfer of power that was almost unheard of back in the day. King George III said that George Washington should be considered “the greatest man in the world” for relinquishing power. He bucked his adoring fans and those hitched to his political wagon to obey his inner compass. His significance, contentment and identity would come from God, his family and community not from the halls of power.

This set a precedent that has been a model for the world. There were many more things he modeled that informed our early national character and practices. He refused to wear his military uniform as President. He rejected honorific titles, instead preferring to be called “Mr. Washington”. He reminded people they were not to bow before him, that they were his peers and that they had a right to impeach him if he violated his office.

Translations: America does not have Kings. Washington promoted limited government and a skepticism of power-seekers. There should be no permanent political class. The government is of the people. Government depended on the consent of the governed. Remember our system is built with many “checks and balances” because Washington and the founders believed people and leaders were flawed and fallen and inclined to unchecked passions.

In his farewell address to the nation before his return to farming he warned his countrymen “in the most solemn manner” not to descend into partisan acrimony believing this was the way America could come apart. He was previewing Lincoln’s coming words that if America is going to die, it would not be by losing a military battle but by suicide (imploding from within).

George Washington knew all about the “Invisible Hand of God’s Providence. In his first Inaugural Address he said, “No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.” He knew God’s Providence personally. As a young 23 year old Colonel he had two horses shot out from under him and four musket balls pass through his coat. Indians testified they tried to kill him but he was bulletproof. God had a plan and made provision in the annals of our history.

I cannot help but think George Washington was intimately acquainted with Jesus’ teaching on leadership in Matthew 20:25-27, “Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave —just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Chaplain Michael Sprague