Sunday, June 4, 2023

Sermon Text for June 4, 2023 - "Authority!"

 

“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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