On Good Authority

I am shamelessly borrowing thoughts this week or I may never get sleep. The following is a passage taken from a recent talk by Tony Campolo on “30 Good Minutes.” He explains how he views the difference between power and authority. His mother had authority even though he towered over her. Jesus spoke with authority. Power may intimidate obedience, but it doesn’t build trust.

Whenever the Church speaks with authority, people listen. But the Church has to be sacrificial. And I’m afraid that the Church has not been sacrificial enough. In these days of an economic downturn there is a tendency in the Church to say, well, we’ve got to keep our own building intact, we’ve got to take care of our own staff, we have our own needs. And I’m telling you that the church that forgets itself and sacrifices for the needs of the poor and the oppressed—not only in their own neighborhood but around the world—that’s the church that will speak with authority. The church that speaks with authority doesn’t have to resort to power. People will listen.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, All dominion and authority are yours. It seems the more apparent power we gain only fuels the appetite for a larger increase in control and influence. We dislike being told what to do and work aggressively to claim our perceived rights and entitlements. Let us remember that our true freedom is supplied by the authority of the resurrection. Let us humbly stand down in rank. Let us be voices of camaraderie instead of coercion, encourage self-sacrifice rather than self-centeredness, and center our consciousness globally instead of isolationism. Let us be a congregation that has the authority to change lives. Amen.