“Authority!”
June 4, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to your from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Who’s in charge here? We look around, and we ask that question. Though in some ways things have improved, in other ways they have been going downhill. We have recently had to deal with debates over raising the government debt limit; continually rising prices at the grocery store; rising energy and resource costs; and uncertainty in other areas. We are in many ways dealing with a changing world. So we ask, who’s really ultimately in charge? Is it the government, the market forces, or even the media? And the answer is, thank God, none of the above.
Today we remember, and rejoice, as
to who is really in charge, and who has true authority over us and this world.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.” We celebrate that Jesus died to free us from sin’s power
and death, and now has risen again, victorious and never more to die. We also
celebrate Trinity Sunday, and remember that Jesus is part of that Trinity, the
Son of the Father, who has given us the Holy Spirit, as we talked about last
week on Pentecost.
Even though it would be easy to preach
an entire sermon trying to explain, in a highly theological manner, the nature
of how the Trinity works, what is needed instead is to be motivated to action. It
is time for us to move on past doctrine and into living – living out what we
believe in response to who God has shown Himself to be to us. But we still have
to keep in mind who God is for that to happen: He is our Father who created us,
gives us life, and continues to provide us with everything we need; Jesus, the
Son, who died and rose again to save us and give us eternal life; and the Holy
Spirit, who continues to sustain us with the power and ability to follow God
and live for Him. Each of the three are distinct from each other, and shown to
be distinct from each other in the Bible, yet are all worshipped together as
one God. All three, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are equally divine, immortal,
all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-seeing. Yet if we try to explain how the
Trinity works in a logical manner, we will probably end up being distracted, if
not confused. There are certain parts of our Christian faith which we simply
take on faith – even though we may not be able to explain or fully understand
them, we simply believe because the one who is who He is has shown Himself to
be the authority time after time. He has especially done so in acts of love and
kindness to us, as He has used His supreme and sovereign authority to help us,
often in unexpected or seemingly impossible ways. God does not just exist for
Himself: He exists to be fully in relationship with us. And that is how we are
to think of God today: as someone we are in a lifelong relationship with.
Even though it may be a cliché to
some, we really can say, with confidence, that being a Christian is a
relationship, not a religion. Strange as it might sound, being a Christian is
not defined by adherence to certain doctrines or interpretations, but instead
by living in a daily, close relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
This means that anyone, of any background, experience, or lifestyle, who is
walking daily with God, is called a Christian. And as a Christian, someone who
is both living under the authority of God, and who has authority from living
for Him.
But what is authority, exactly? There
are, in fact, two definitions of authority: the first is “The power or right to
give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” The second is “The right
to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to
another.” That first definition of authority belongs only to God. God, and God
alone, has the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce
obedience, because He alone created the world, and knows what really is best
for the world. He alone has the right to make decisions, and He frequently uses
His decision-making power for our benefit. He alone also has the right to
enforce obedience, but He does so not in a forceful, unfair, or coercive manner;
instead, He gently guides those who have gone astray with love and compassion,
seeking to spare and preserve, rather than destroy vengefully. However, we must
remember that we ourselves do have authority – but that authority is one which
is derived from the second definition, the right to act in a specified way, delegated
from one person to another. We have the right, and freedom, to act in a specified
way, to act as God would act toward other people – with love, compassion,
forgiveness, understanding, fairness, and acceptance. And if we act in this
way, then we will be exercising our authority to make this world into the kind
of place God wants it to be. We are to hear the words which God speaks through
Moses in today’s First Reading from Deuteronomy, verse 40: “Keep his decrees
and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you.” So,
it is time for us once again to live out what we are really commanded, in order
to live a better life – and make life better for other people.
Which means it’s time for us to
reclaim our rightful authority. As followers of Jesus, we start with the
authority we have in prayer: believe it or not, whenever we pray, we invoke the
power of God over sickness, trouble, struggle, and the devil. We claim and
exercise authority – divine authority – whenever we pray for God to come and help
us, or someone else. But we also need to exercise our other kind of authority. We
are not called to dictate, but to act. We are not called to police the culture,
but to seek out relationships across boundaries, and build bridges. We are
called not to defend our faith, but to live it out visibly with humility. We
are not called to hold the line, but to make cooperative relationships with
other Christians, and with the world – for the purpose of seeking out and
making disciples, as well as making the world a better place. We are called not
to keep people out, but to reach out, welcome, and embrace – just as God has welcomed
and embraced us. We are not called to impose rules or standards, enforce
obedience, but instead simply to live out the command of Jesus: love God, love
people, and love ourselves, and teaching others to do the same.
Here’s a question: have you ever
wanted to rule the world? Be honest. All of us have said, at some time or
other, “If I was in charge…”, or “If I ruled the world…” and then said how we
would make things. Well, guess what – today’s your lucky day!
You can actually be in charge,
and you can rule the world! But not in the way you think. Remember, authority
is delegated from another person. But believe it or not, God has delegated us
to rule the world. If you really want to be in charge, live as God lives toward
others. If you want a better world, start today, where you’re at right now,
with loving God, your neighbor, and yourself. If you want to make your own
world better, start with nurturing your relationship with God, and growing
closer to Him. If you want a better society, follow Jesus’ command by going, and
teaching others to follow Jesus by your own example. When you take Communion in
just a few minutes, be filled with the power of God to live as He lives; and,
as we will sing together afterwards, tell everyone what He has done. Exercise
your authority today – and go follow God!
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.
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