Authority. The whole idea of ‘authority’ has changed
radically over the last fifty years, and I’ve certainly seen
some changes in my lifetime as a doctor. Gone are the days
when the consultant was God, and when every word he spoke
(and it was usually ‘he’) was treated as gospel. The growth
of consumerism and the internet has undermined our respect
for authority, for politicians, for science, and
particularly for so-called ‘experts’: with Google at our
fingertips we’re all experts, aren’t we? My view on life,
and my opinion, are now as good as anybody’s – or so I’d
like to think!
Recently we have seen this change at work in many different
ways. Discontent with the educated elite and the
establishment contributed to both the Brexit vote and the
election of Donald Trump. People power made itself felt
vociferously, even stridently, when it came to the
leadership of both the Child Abuse and the Grenfell Tower
enquiries: and there was the whole tragic business of
Charlie Gard. Neither have the beleaguered Bishops and
Archbishops of the Church of England been spared their share
of stick.
Of course a moment’s thought will tell us that not all
spurning of authority is helpful or desirable. Children need
both rules and boundaries at home and at school, as they
grow up and learn how to live in the world alongside others.
And our whole system of law and order depends on consent,
and on accepting the proper powers and responsibilities of
the police, and the authority and independence of our
magistrates and judges. I’m sure you can think of many other
examples. Trouble is; we’re much happier when the weight of
authority falls on someone else, and tend to resent it and
feel it’s ‘unfair’ if it falls on us. Sometimes we have to
ask ourselves Ezekiel’s question – ‘Is it not your ways that
are unfair?’
So what, as Christians, should be our attitude to
authority? When, and how, should we recognise and
respect it? We have of course only one perfect model of
authority, and that is Our Lord. And in the wonderful hymn
to His crucifixion and resurrection quoted by Paul in the
letter to the Philippians, we learn the nature of his power
and authority. Every knee should bow at his name and every
tongue confess that He is Lord because he emptied himself,
took the form of a servant, and was obedient. Obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross. A strange sort of
authority, this obedience. Far from being servile or
populist, it comes from heaven itself, from God. As this
morning’s gospel reminded us, it is not of human origin.
It’s helpful here to look at Our Lord’s friendship with St.
Peter as a guide to how Our Lord’s authority works, as far
as the church is concerned. Peter was the first disciple to
recognise that Jesus’s authority came from his status as
Messiah, the Son of the living God. But when Jesus explained
that this meant he had to go to Jerusalem to face the
opposition of the religious and military authorities, and to
be tortured and killed, Peter couldn’t take it. Peter
ignored his Lord’s authority – he knew better – ‘God forbid
it Lord!’ he said. God forbid that you should go the Way of
the Cross – but Jesus knew that this was the will and
purpose of his heavenly Father. Peter was a good man, and
his love for Jesus was deep and genuine. At the same time
everything that he had been taught told him that the Messiah
was to rule in triumph over his enemies, and would restore
the lost Kingdom of Israel. So on a human level his protest
was understandable and justifiable. It was just that this
was not God’s way, God’s plan, for the salvation of the
world.
Soon we are to have a new parish priest, and we continue to
pray for God’s blessing on John Reed, and on Ruth, Alan and
Emma. We pray because all priests need the gift of the
Spirit. They stand in a difficult place, in the middle,
between God and his people. They have to be, like Jesus,
servant-leaders, and from this derive their authority. And
they have to preach and live the gospel, which is the way of
resurrection – but also the Way of the Cross. I don’t really
know what the future holds for us here. It would be lovely
to have proper catering facilities, a full church with lots
of children, lots of servers up front, lots in the choir,
gorgeous music and gorgeous ritual – and I pray for all of
these. But if I’m honest I have also to acknowledge that
this is not necessarily where the Lord will lead us. And so
I also pray that we may be given the gift of discipleship,
that under Fr. John’s authority and guidance we may follow
our Saviour along the path that the Lord, and the Lord
alone, will choose.
This would be a good time to reflect on our future, and on
what Our Lord’s priorities for us might be, as servants of
the servant-King, in a world that is so needy, a world that
so much needs loving. And we are all tired; we need some
refreshment and restoration. Perhaps above all we need to be
reconciled and healed from past hurts, and finally to
put behind us any residual resentment we feel for past
wrongs and criticisms. So let’s pray that with Fr. John’s
help we may be renewed through and through. As Ezekiel might
have said to us ‘Get yourselves a new heart, and a new
Spirit’!