Advent Lutheran Church Sermon
Jesus’ Authority Mark 1:21-28 January 29, 2012
I began my sermon three weeks ago by saying that the word “revelation” is a key word for the season of Epiphany. The birth of the Savior was revealed to the magi by a star. Today the authority of Jesus is revealed to the people gathered in the temple on the Sabbath through his teaching and by casting out of a demon. We are gathered this Sabbath Day in the sanctuary to reflect upon how Jesus’ authority relates to our lives.
Dr. Mardy Grothe, a psychologist, describes how he got started collecting meaningful quotes as a college student four decades ago in his book, I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like. Grothe resigned from all of the activities that made him a big man on campus and retreated to a small room in the basement of an off campus apartment where he began a program of intense reading and reflection. With the help of several people who agreed to serve as guides he began reading as much as he could from a dozen or so writers. He wrote down quotes on 3x5” index cards and thumb-tacked them to the walls of his room.
At the end of his college years, Grothe dismantled his Wall of Quotes and secured them in a manila folder that he labeled “words to live by.” As the years passed the folder became so bloated with new discoveries that he had to use large rubber bands to keep everything together. After a decade he transferred all the quotations into a computer file designated by the initials WTLB.
Grothe contends that words to live by have helped him become a better person. This is to say that he has given the words of many authors a place of authority in his life. The word “authority” has more than one meaning. Even a corrupt judge, politician, preacher or police officer has “authority,” but the simplest, poorest person in the world can speak with a different kind of authority if they embody wisdom and integrity that others find compelling. Each one holds a different kind of power, one from the outside, and, and one from within. Perhaps the scribes sounded authoritative because they could cite chapter and verse, so to speak of the scriptures but that, after all, was their job. Scholars and preachers today back up what they say in much the same way, citing scripture and the scholarship that surrounds it. When Jesus, from dusty little Nazareth, walked into the synagogue and spoke in a way that “astounded” the people, more than one person must have sense trouble brewing. Scholars seem to disagree on whether the reaction was positive or mixed. In any case, it was no ordinary “Sunday in church.”
As I have thought about Jesus’ authority and words to live by, I realize that as people of faith we compile a faith file in our memory bank. I think we compile a faith file subconsciously but there comes a time when we begin to bring order to our loose leaf file and become more intentional about what we discard and what we file away. My files have changed through the years and are continually evolving. How about you, have you compiled a faith file of words to live by? Does a theme emerge or do you see any connections between the words when you lay them out on a table?
I think I began compiling a file at an early age that might be labeled RTLB, “rules to live by.” We start accumulating material for the RTLB file from the time we learn do’s a don’ts. It must be at an early age. We learned another set of do’s and don’ts when we were enrolled in kindergarten. When you rolled out the little rug on the square linoleum tile floor lay the rule was to be quiet and close your eyes. Now don’t get me wrong because there is a place for abiding by the rules. Rules guide us, maintain order, and yes, when we break them they convict us. However, being a disciple of Christ is not about following rules to win God’s approval or determining our self-worth. There is a world of difference between abiding by the rules and living by the rules. Rules, like success and achievement do not determine self-worth. Rules, do not justify us as being good people before God.
Now you need to listen to your pastor. If you have been accumulating a file of rules to live by over the years and it is bulging here’s what you need to do: You need to remove the pages from this file, run them through the a shredder, put them in a paper bag, bring them into my study. I will add them to the bed of worms in the hoop house. The worms will gradually eat and digest the matter and leave fertile castings behind. The worm bed is the best place for RTLB files, because being a disciple of Christ is not about following rules to win God’s approval or determining our self-worth.
For years I have been compiling for years labeled PTLB, “promises to live by.” This file holds verses stating God’s promises. These verses offer reassurance through troubled times, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me;” promises in times of grief, “We grieve, but not as those who have no hope;” in times when we have acted wrongly or failed to act rightly; “your sins are forgiven;” in times when we feel broken; “by his wounds we are healed;” promises made in the face of death, “we shall be changed in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet and the dead shall be raised;” in times when we feel unworthy of God’s love, “by grace you have been saved and this is not your own doing, but God’s.” This PTLB file grows thick and by allowing these promises to work their way into our hearts and minds we are strengthened with patience, persever-ance, endurance and hope.
You cannot go wrong with a thick file labeled PTLB, and you will want to keep it close at hand. But as important as God’s promises are for keeping us in steadfast faith they do not necessarily challenge and prod us to live faithfully. We need to add one more file; HTLB, or habits to live by. Our behavioral habits of discipleship originate from the habits of our hearts. The habits of our hearts are those practices that open us to allow God’s Spirit to work within us; bringing forth fruits of the Spirit, deepening our connection to God, shaping us into the image of Christ. The habits of the heart are daily prayer, dwelling in God’s word, discerning God’s will for our lives, dedicating ourselves as disciples as fellow members of the body of Christ, deliberately reaching out to others who need encouragement, a listening ear, friendship and kindness. God’s Spirit is activated by the habits of our hearts and forges a set of habits to live by.
Now the truth be told, I am more of a piler than a filer. But whenever my pile gets high enough and I get some time, I go through the piles and separate the papers between the recyclables, one of my three ring binders or the appropriate file in one of my desk drawers. The point is that there is a reordering of my clutter taking place. The authority of Jesus helps us to clear the clutter, get rid of the stuff we don’t need and occupying space in our lives and to file the material that we will want to come back to time and again; promises to live by and habits to live by that are authoritative in our lives.