A question of Authority

Authority and who has it and possibly more importantly, who wants it, continue to plague pretty well all organisations.  We see it in all walks of life, churches included; part of the reason behind the reformation and the arrival of non-conformist denominations has to do with who tells who what to believe or not. Interesting that today in the UK, the government continues to try to tell Christians what they should and should not believe.

Jesus was questioned about this - "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things?". The religious folks knew that they had authority over religious affairs because it had been given them "by God" hadn't it? So if they had not given this Jesus authority to do as he was doing, then it must be wrong. While the question is not answered to their satisfaction, clearly Jesus' authority came from God and he respected that authority and the responsibility that came with it.

Perhaps what the religious leaders had forgotten is that with authority comes responsibility? They were responsible for ensuring that the nation followed Gods ways and commands and yet they had instead focused on rules and regulations and their own importance. They had messed up big time.

There is a duality here and it exists regardless of the type of church governance that we have in our churches. On the one hand church leaders need authority to enable them to handle their responsibilities and so lead, on the other hand that authority, which ultimately comes from God, must be willingly given by the church and all must it accept it and its limitations.

This is often a battle ground in church as some who have not been given authority try to exercise it by various means and on the other hand those given it can mis-use it and abuse it. It is a difficult equation to get right.


The earliest model we have suggests that church leaders need certain qualities that enable them to get this balance right - they should be filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit.


Jesus own words on the kingdom and authority give us the complete opposite to what we might think - If you want greatness in God's kingdom, learn to serve. With authority comes responsibility and if we are called to exercise it - then we must learn to serve so that we handle it well. Jesus had all authority and yet was the model servant. The servant king.

A Topsy Turvy Kingdom

As Easter approaches I have been reading the various accounts of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the conversations and stories that are related in the gospels about this.

From this I see that Christs kingdom simply does not stack up with our worldly experiences and understandings, its a topsy turvy kingdom. Why can I say that? Well because with earthly kingdoms its about power, authority, respect and wealth. Then when we work we expect to get paid more than some one doing less of a job or who we consider less important or skilled.

In Jesus' kingdom its not about obeying rules and regulations its about living a life surrendered to him and which simply reflects the gratitude of what he has already done for me.

Jesus answers his disciples questions after their confusion at his telling a rich guy that he needs to give away his wealth with the parable of the Vineyard (Matt 20-1-16); Its all about gratitude not about reward for service, we can't earn what Christ has already won - our salvation!

He goes on to explain that greatness in his kingdom equates to serving (Matt 20:20-28). We are called not to abuse others because we have authority or power in a given situation. We are called to serve. Jesus our example, shows the ultimate service to us on the cross, he calls us, his people to follow him.

We can pollute the churches mission with ways that do not reflect Christ's kingdom values and invariably they cause strife and upset. If we follow Christ's ways we might avoid a few more of these.

There's much more to read ... try it for yourself and read through the journey to Jerusalem accounts (Matt ; Mark ; Luke ) . Maybe they will cause you to reflect on what might need to change in your life to come into line with Jesus' kingdom model.

 

Too many expectations

Reflecting on my first year in Harlow, one of the things that has been a recurring theme has been the perception that those who don't go to church have of those of us who do.


From the person who had never been to church in their 80 years and wondering if they would be able to come into a service, were they the sort of person who would be welcome? Then there are the ones who thought they had to be a better person than they were and those who were not good enough to go to church because surely their lifestyle would not be appreciated? Then there have been folks who I have talked to as I prepared their family for a funeral who had long since had no connection with church but wondered if they would be welcome. They think the church folk will have too many expectations of them and they would be unable to meet them.

Too often the view that those who don't come to church have of us is that we are exclusive, good folks who welcome those who are like us and so behave as we do - heaven forbid! From my own experiences of church folk they are just as capable of fighting with each other, suffering addictions, anger, relationship issues as anyone else.

Perhaps the real issue is the way in which we in the church project our image sometimes exclusive, distant, disconnected from our communities. As I read the web page of a new church which a friend of mine is pastoring I came across the word again that sums up what we should be - Incarnational!

We are called to engage as Jesus did with everyone, not condemning but challenging, not judging but setting an example, we are called to be part of our community and in so doing we will project a positive, inclusive image of Christ's Church. Jesus tells us his burden is light and Peter tells us that burdens (anxieties, loads, problems) can be laid at Christ's feet. As Isaiah reminds us all are called to be refreshed and transformed by God, all are welcome.

Incarnational means we are meant to be in among the community not keeping ourselves apart from it showing the love of Christ, and showing that it is for all people with no exceptions - all are welcome to be part of the Church. When folks know that they are welcome and feel a sense of belonging, they may start the journey to believing and eventually to working out how that needs to affect their lives.

Common Union

This last weekend I revisited a subject, Active Participation, with the church that was originally prompted by a college (and now Pastor) friend who came up with the phrase when we were investigating scripture and its relation to church life - we are called to Actively Participate in all that Christ is and wants us to be part of - his Church.

What stuck me was the way in which communion as the central point of the service that Sunday, provided a focal point for so much of what God wanted to do through the service. The worship planned by one of worship leaders, the prayers, the sermon (1Cor 10:14-33 but especially verses 16, 17) and the sharing around the table all led to one point - the presence of Christ calling us to actively engage with him and so in his work and mission through his church, well our expression of his Church. A number felt able to be anointed with oil and prayed for during communion as the tangible power of God was among us to touch's folk's lives.

The point, for me, of verses 16 and 17 is that we are blessed and so bless through taking part in communion or our common union with Christ and with each other. Further we are called to take part, actively participate in this with Christ - we symbolically take into ourselves the very body and blood of Christ and so share in his death and resurrection. Dying once again to self that Christ may be Lord of our lives and we might grow in him.

The Message rendition tells us that in this union with Christ and each other - Christ is not reduced to our level but he raises us to what he is - stunning really stunning - he raises us up in our common union with him. What a saviour we have!

Sermon link if you are interested

My Father Loves me

My Father in Heaven Loves me ... in essence thats the message of Christmas for me.

He loves me so much that in spite of the stuff I get wrong and of the many things I do that sadden his heart, his executive action in coming himself, can sort out my and of course, everyone else's wrong doing.

From "The Nativity"

We often recite the words of John 3:16 - reminding ourselves that God loves the world but I wonder if Christmas with all of its joyful celebration impacts us as it should? For me Christmas's significance is that God chose vulnerability, poverty, humility ... as the signs of his coming. A Stable, a poor family with no influence (why else would their son be born in a stable?), a baby not an awesome fighter ready for battle. Love in action.

More importantly God chose me (and you) to receive the greatest blessing of all - the offer of new life, a new way, a new beginning - with him rather than without him. A life that as one writer says - is the "With God life", a life which is a life alive both physically and spiritually - With God! (watch this if you want to explore more). This is the God that we can celebrate at Christmas.

So enjoy Christmas if thats possible for you but hold in your heart the fact that God loves you that much, he holds nothing back in restoring you to himself and wants each of us to walk more closely with him in the year to come.

Our Father in Heaven loves us ...