The Diocese of East Tennessee
Sermons

Jan. 30, 2000
Epiphany IV
Delivered at St. Paul's, Athens

Sermon: True Authority
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

I want to thank the people of St. Paul's for your warm welcome of Annie and me on my first official visitation here as bishop. Warmth certainly is a characteristic greatly valued on a day like this! We look forward to many happy returns to St. Paul's in the years to come. In addition, thanks to your rector for his good work here at St. Paul's and in the life of the diocese as well. I am indeed grateful to you, sir, for all that you do on behalf of this congregation and on behalf of the Diocese of East Tennessee as well.

During the 1960's, the college student generation began to deal openly with the question of authority. Challenges to authority became commonplace, as people and institutions of authority were deemed unworthy of their authority. Such questions about authority had been almost unknown previously in our country, but in the past thirty-five years or so, we have accepted them as facts of life.

It has been said that an accurate measure of society's concerns is reflected in bumper stickers. One of those stickers that has been around for some time proclaims this simple theme: "Question authority." In a real sense, who the authority is or what that authority stands for does not matter. If it is an authority, then it should be questioned, our world seems to say - our world which has inherited certain attitudes from the 60's. Indeed, such a perception emerged from societal consciousness at least thirty-five years ago, and it continues in full force today - "Question authority."

Thus, we read our Gospel lesson this week with a certain current prejudice and societal mindset. "Jesus and his disciples went into Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority" (Mk 1:21-22).

Now, I want to suggest to you today that Jesus' authority was different from that which we question - or, don't question - by virtue of living in America today. Jesus' authority was - and is - special.

Where does the authority of Jesus come from? He held no political office or even any position of particular esteem. In fact, Jesus was a wandering carpenter-preacher, not staying with well-to-do people, or even having a pillow on which to lay his head at night. No authority there, in position or politics or power.

Even in his primary field of conversation and knowledge - that is, religion - even there, Jesus held little recognized authority. The scribes and Pharisees maintained those positions. And, as we read in the Gospel witness, those people were not inclined to share any authority with Jesus or, even, to give him the benefit of the doubt. No authority there, in religious institutions or with religious leaders.

And so, where does the authority of Jesus come from? If he has authority, how is it different? After all, in our world, it seems that a person must be given a position of authority by others. He or she has to be vested with authority. But even the President must give a State of the Union speech each year. And there he tries to prove himself worthy of authority to a press and a public ready and willing to challenge that authority. Authority is given and, then, questioned. That's true of Presidents and football coaches and class officers. Thus, this idea of authority may be more complicated that it appears at first.

However, it seems to me that even in our days of questioning authority, we have an intuitive sense about what it really takes to be truly authoritative in any field. That is, authentic authority comes from within a person. Further, true authority is known by its fruits, not by its trappings.

Regardless of our football preferences - although I suspect we are mostly of one mind - the St. Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans certainly have clear claims to participate in today's Super Bowl. These teams have won the games required to get there - and, therefore, they have made their case on the football field. There is a certain authority behind the fact that those two teams will play today - the authority of action.

Authentic authority, therefore, comes from within a person or a group or a team … from deeds done, not honors conveyed; from performance, not privilege; from self, not society.

"They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority." Jesus' authority comes from within him - from his life, his work, his person.

But with Jesus we must go a step further. He was truly authentic and, therefore, filled with authority from within. But the direction of his life and work and person provides more insight into his unique authority.

That is, Jesus lived for others. He served and offered and gave. True humility results in the most authentic authority. "The meek shall inherit the earth", Jesus says. And, also, he encourages us to share in his birthright, for he calls us to follow him.

In one of the churches I previously served, we developed a community soup kitchen in response to our Lord's command to feed the hungry. Being there with those hungry people gave us as workers access to their lives - a wonderful open window in lives almost completely shut off from the world. Because we accepted the humble position of a servant, we had authority unlike that of anyone else. Certainly, many people and groups exercised authority over these hungry people during the course of daily living. However, that was not the same kind of authority. Our authority emerged from the window opened from the inside - by the hungry people themselves - and not from the authority of an encounter with a big, imposing wall. Thus, like Jesus, ours was the authority of a servant, not of a master…personal authority, not that of an institution. Therefore, our authority, following the example of our Lord, was authentic.

The authority of Jesus is indeed the authority of the baptized community who claims to follow him. I commend to us all the baptismal covenant that we will renew in a few minutes, as a sign of our true authority. And I commend to our candidates today and to the rest of us as well the only authority that is authentic - the authority of Jesus Christ, who calls us to respond to him and invites us all to "Come, follow me."

Copyright © 2000 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee