Quirky Leadership
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
One of the main themes running throughout all of this week's lectionary passages is the authority that comes with sharing and teaching the word of the Lord -- and (echoing last week's scriptures) the life-changing effect of listening and responding to that word. God explicitly tells us in the Deuteronomy text that he will hold accountable both "anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name" and "any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak." Similarly, Mark contrasts Jesus' teaching in the temple with those of the scribes -- indicating that the authority of Jesus' teaching is demonstrated by the action of his healing a man with an unclean spirit, as opposed to that of the scribes, which is characterized by the bluster of words. In this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Ron Love notes that this is a key insight that we ought to use as we analyze the qualities of our leaders today -- particularly the presidential candidates. Leadership requires many different attributes -- but more than anything else we expect our leaders to act with authority, even though we are often disappointed. While our public figures constantly tell us why we should listen to them, Ron reminds us that, like Jesus in the temple, real leadership may seem at first to be unusual and even quirky. Yet by using the measuring stick of the authoritative leadership style demonstrated by Jesus, we can learn much about the true nature of the leadership (or lack thereof) exhibited by our politicians and other people in the news.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the theme of authority and this week's texts. She notes that real authority arises out of an organic connection between those who lead and those who follow (akin to the deep-seated notion that governmental authority derives from the consent of the governed). But as Mary observes, that authority also depends on the sensitivity we have to the effects of our authority on one another (as Paul so eloquently outlines in our epistle passage). While God continues to send authoritative leaders among us, it is only when we quiet our own voices long enough to listen to one another -- and even more importantly, to God -- that we can clearly perceive that authority in a meaningful way.
Our illustrations this week include items related not only to authority and leadership, but also to another theme in the texts -- the perils of idolatry and following false prophets.
Quirky Leadership
by Ron Love
Mark 1:21-28
THE WORLD
If one gives it some thought, every evening news story involves leadership: competent leaders, incompetent leaders, philanthropic leaders, self-serving leaders, leaders with a vision, leaders who are myopic, leaders who inspire, leaders who belittle.
Jena McGregor writes a column titled "On Leadership" for the Washington Post that each day examines the leadership style of a particular individual. With last week's capsizing of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, she looked at the leadership style of the vessel's captain , Francesco Schettino. It can be rightfully concluded that the 160-foot gash in the haul was a result of human error. Schettino, in order to salute a former colleague, took the boat off course. Schettino finally admitted, "I was a victim of my instincts."
Realizing that Schettino had been disciplined several times for a daredevil style at the helm, McGregor also looked at the leadership style of the ship's parent company, Carnival, and its CEO, Micky Arison, who claimed to be in control of the situation without ever leaving his office in Miami 5,000 miles away from the tragedy. McGregor observed that in a tragedy of this magnitude "optics matter," and that the picture of a sunken vessel without the company's CEO on the scene with victims and rescuers demonstrates a lack of concern.
Leadership requires one to be knowledgeable, sensible, and present.
Let us stay with Jena McGregor and the meaning of leadership. In an earlier column, she contended that we know everything about the presidential candidates except their leadership style -- which is to say, how they are actually going to get things done. She noted that it is interesting how much we know about the Republican contenders: we know their political policies, their family lives, their childhood backgrounds, their quirks -- but not how they lead. So she wrote that the Post's "On Leadership" staff would conduct an "experiment" and portray only the best leadership qualities of each of the six candidates in the field (two of whom have since exited the race). It is interesting that she wrote that this column would be an "experiment," since leadership style is overlooked on the campaign trail. This is because people seem to be far more interested in knowing that Ron Paul does not wear a seat belt, Rick Santorum was a lobbyist for the World Wrestling Federation, and Newt Gingrich has a fascination with zoos. McGregor contends that we ought to be less concerned about trivia and even policy and more concerned about how one will function as the nation's leader. To summarize a very lengthy article, McGregor identifies the best leadership quality of each candidate as: Ron Paul -- common sense and consistency; Rick Perry -- confidence and an understanding of public opinion; Newt Gingrich -- intelligence, historical perspective, and vision; Mitt Romney -- the ability to act as a businessman; Jon Huntsman -- patriotism and negotiation; and Rick Santorum -- moral values and self-discipline.
If we should stay on the topic of leadership and politics, let us look at those who vote. In an interesting piece for the New York Times, Nate Silver writes that voters tend to be the lagging indicators in a political contest. The political party, big money donors, and the media create the momentum for leading candidates -- and the voters usually fall in line behind this.
But there is still a contest to be had, for voters can be influenced by means beyond a campaign's control. ABC News reported on a recent study which indicated that the location where voting takes place can determine how an individual votes. If you vote in or near a school, you will be more likely support a tax increase for public education. If you vote in or near a church, you will be more likely to vote conservatively on social justice issues. What the building stands for has a symbolic influence on the voter.
For those involved in public and humanitarian service, this should be an affirmation of your influence on society. For those who are active in the community, the symbols associated with your endeavors are not void of meaning.
Leadership hinges on what is said and what is portrayed. This is understood by Rodney Erickson, the new president of Penn State. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal and the firing of longtime football coach and campus icon Joe Paterno, Erickson needs to restore public confidence and maintain financial support by the university's alumni -- all of whom lived and went to school in the shadow of "Joe Pa." Erickson is doing this by emphasizing the academic and research accomplishments of the university, to a constituency that often considers the football team's poll ranking by the Associated Press as more significant than its academic ranking by U.S. News & World Report. Erickson said, "We need to keep what's happened in the rearview mirror. Because we have to take responsibility for what's alleged to have happened at Penn State, we have to do the right things by the victims and see that they get justice. But while looking in that rearview, we've got to look ahead."
Leadership requires many varying attributes. Leadership can be used to benefit others or be self-serving. It is the individual who decides to which leader(s) they will pledge an allegiance. When one has no control over a leader who was selected by a corporation or an establishment, then it is the responsibility of the individual to hold that entity responsible for the improper use of leadership.
THE WORD
In his piece referenced above, election analyst Nate Silver tried to determine how Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary in South Carolina. He observed that further study must be conducted because the Palmetto State does not act like a Southern state nor does it respond like a coastal state, and because there are not enough years of voting research available for its position as an early, influential state on the primary calendar. Silver concluded that South Carolina, my state of residence, is a "quirky state" whose political culture "is not well understood," so not enough is known to make a valid determination about the meaning of Gingrich's win.
When Jesus walked into the synagogue, one wonders if those gathered there thought he was "quirky" since not enough was known about him. He was neither a scribe nor a Pharisee, and he was not a rabbi -- yet "he taught them as one having authority." How could this be? More data was needed.
Through political advertisements, town hall meetings, and public debates, we are hearing many promises (and even diatribes) regarding future policy from the Republican candidates. Most of all we are learning from them about the faults of their competitors and certainly the inadequacies of the sitting president. Is this leadership or is leadership to be found elsewhere?
When Jesus walked into the synagogue there stood the Leader; but instead of understanding and acceptance, there was only confusion and questioning. Rather than listen to one who spoke with authority, those gathered would rather dismiss the one who came from Nazareth. Jesus was well aware of his leadership style. He understood that his policy for the Israelites would spread to the Gentiles. He neither sought nor received any endorsements from the establishment.
Those gathered in the synagogue asked one another about the one who cast out the unclean spirit, "What is this? A new teaching?" It was a new message, characterized by a leadership style that was independent of the established order. When people were near Jesus, his symbolic presence affected them and would have them act differently.
When we look at all our leaders around the nation and the world, we need to be mindful that only one truly "spoke with authority." And it is by that authority that all others are to be judged.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I. Discuss the meaning of leadership.
II. Discuss the leadership styles that are in the news today.
III. Discuss the leadership style of Jesus.
IV. Dialogue on the differences between the leadership of Jesus and that of newsworthy public figures like politicians, a ship captain, a college president, and CEOs.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The lectionary texts from Deuteronomy, Mark, and First Corinthians all bring the theme of authority to this week's readings.
The Deuteronomy passage, traditionally held to be Moses' farewell address, finds Moses promising the people of Israel that even when he leaves them, God still has plans for them. God understands their needs and will raise up another leader for the people -- "a prophet like me," Moses says. The people must listen to the new leader and follow his guidance as they have followed Moses (or perhaps the new leader might wish for more attentiveness). Moses reminds the people that they have asked for this kind of leader, an intermediary between themselves and the God who frightens them. The authority of the leader comes from the combination of the people's request and the power of God, given to the person. Says the Lord: "I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command." The intersection of God's choice and the people's choice gives authority to the leader.
The same combination of holy and human is at work in Mark's gospel. We find Jesus and his new followers entering the synagogue. Ofelia Ortega observes in Feasting on the Word (Year B, Vol. 1, p. 310) that Jesus and his friends "have left the bank of the sea that is a fishing and calling place of the messengers of the kingdom, and they come to the space of security and tradition, where the old religious teachings are transmitted." Today there will be a new teaching.
In the way of visiting rabbis, Jesus takes the scroll of the Torah, reads from it, and then teaches about it. The listeners were "astounded at his teaching," because Jesus teaches with a different kind of authority than they usually see. As Stephen Hultgren of Fordham University writes, "The word for authority, exousia, is related to the verb exesti, meaning 'it is free' or 'it is permitted.' In other words, exousia is the 'sovereign freedom' of one who acts without hindrance. Jesus' teaching in sovereign freedom is contrasted with the teaching of the scribes." The scribes can teach what they have been taught, but Jesus teaches with the power that comes from his connection with God. Hultgren adds, "Whereas the scribes are bound to tradition, Jesus is relatively free -- free in the way that only one who lives directly from and to God's authority is free."
Jesus seals his teaching with a healing, acting out of the same deep freedom. What he has just taught in words, he now brings to life for the assembled group. His authority extends to even the demon that is within the man, and Jesus commands the spirit to come out of the man. The people there apparently understand that the words and the action are part of the same lesson, and they marvel at the authority of Jesus. This same theme of authority unfolds all through Mark's gospel, as Jesus teaches and heals, continually surprising the people who don't think he should have any authority.
First Corinthians looks at the flip side of authority, making a case that believers of all levels have a moral authority in one another's lives. People who are spiritually more advanced have a duty to fellow members of the community not to set a bad example for each other. If something will unsettle a fellow believer, our faith calls us to hold back, not to use our own freedom to be someone else's temptation. Even if we don't consider ourselves leaders, we may have an unseen authority in someone else's life.
God continues to send leaders, in the pattern of Jesus and Moses, who have the authority of God to work among us. Key to the partnership is our ability to listen to them. Jesus commands the unclean spirit within the man in the synagogue to "be silent," and he might say the same to all the voices around us. The cacophony of voices we hear, including celebrities, politicians, advertisements, and entertainment, can close our ears to the voices of God's leaders. "Be silent," Jesus might say to all the voices in our heads, so we can seek out the people who hold God's authority and follow them in working for the realm of God among us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Conservative columnist Cal Thomas writes of his definition of Christian leadership and reminds his readers that "God's strength is made perfect in weakness":
In a church I once attended, there was a man of tremendous faith. His wife is an alcoholic, his daughter has psychological problems. He was often poor in health. Yet week after week, he never complained. He always smiled and asked me how I was doing. He faithfully brought to church a young blind man who had no transportation. He always sat with the blind man, helping him sing the hymns by saying the words into his ear. That man was a "Christian leader" if ever there was one.
* * *
When the "March King," John Philip Sousa, was the conductor of the U.S. Marine Corps Band, a reporter once asked him which instrument was the most important. Sousa was a virtuoso cornet player. He had also invented the sousaphone, a tuba configured so that it could be carried in a marching band. And he had often been quoted as saying that the bass drum provided the heartbeat of the band. On this occasion he raised his director's baton to eye level and said: "This. This is the most important instrument in the band. Without it and the willingness of all those instruments to follow it, all we have is noise."
* * *
There is a form of extreme skiing where intrepid skiers are taken by helicopter to the top of a mountain they have never skied. As the helicopter hovers, they jump out, and immediately begin skiing down the mountain. Since they have never skied this particular mountain, they do not know where the dangers and hazards are. The only safe way to get to the bottom is to make sure that the leader, the guide, the one who has skied the mountain before, is the first one out of the helicopter and then to follow the tracks that person leaves in the snow.
* * *
The resistance that sabotages a leader's initiative usually has less to do with the "issue" that ensues than with the fact that the leader took initiative.
-- Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve
* * *
Search all your parks
In all your cities,
You'll find no statues
Of committees.
-- David Ogilvy
* * *
What was Jesus' voice like? Gentle? Commanding? Surely compelling, even in gentleness, because he spoke, we are told, "with authority." When Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths, the chief priests and Pharisees sent the temple police to arrest Jesus. But the police came back without their prisoner. When the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not arrest him?" the police replied, "Never has anyone spoken like this."
At the foot of the cross, a Roman centurion watched Jesus die. This soldier was present to hear the last words Jesus spoke before his death. The centurion had undoubtedly been present for other crucifixions. So it must have been what Jesus said and how he said it that stirred the soldier to awareness that caused him to state unequivocally, "Truly this man was God's Son."
Jesus spoke with authority. He spoke with so much authority that we hear his words yet, calling across the centuries, "Come! Follow me!" That voice, that compelling voice, what we cannot hear with our ears, reverberates in our hearts. Listen.
* * *
David Gal and Derek Rucker from Northwestern University have found that when people's confidence in their beliefs is shaken, they become stronger advocates for those beliefs. The duo carried out three experiments involving issues such as animal testing, dietary preferences, and loyalty toward Macs over PCs. In each one, they subtly manipulated their subjects' confidence and found the same thing: when faced with doubt, people shout even louder.
Gal and Rucker were inspired by a classic psychological book called When Prophecy Fails. In it, Leon Festinger and colleagues infiltrated an American cult whose leader, Dorothy Martin, convinced her followers that flying saucers would rescue them from an apocalyptic flood. Many believed her, giving up their livelihoods, possessions, and loved ones in anticipation of their alien saviors. When the fated moment came and nothing happened, the group decided that their dedication had spared the earth from destruction. In a reversal of their earlier distaste for publicity, they started to actively proselytize for their beliefs. Far from shattering their faith, the absent UFOs had turned them into zealous evangelists.
* * *
In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis said, "You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death."
Belief is often little more than intellectual assent. Faith is about action and risk.
"I will stand behind you, and when you are ready fall backward without bending at the waist or knees and I will catch you." You can believe that statement and you don't have to do anything. Faith, however, can only be claimed after you have fallen backward without bending and allowed yourself to be caught.
* * *
We seek the voice of authority. Jesus' voice carried it because of who he was. There is a suspicion among us, almost always rightly founded, that no one else speaks as credibly, even though they may claim to.
Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were two titans of British government faced off daily on the floor of the House of Commons, always on opposite sides of an issue. On one occasion, following a particularly vitriolic exchange, Gladstone exploded at the Jewish statesman, "Mr. Disraeli cannot possibly be sure of his facts!"
Thundered Disraeli in reply, "I wish that I could be as sure of anything as my opponent is of everything!"
* * *
At the point of this week's passage in the gospel of Mark, Jesus was a nobody for most people. Sure, John the Baptist had been around, talking up some guy who was on his way, but it would take some time for everyone to figure out that Jesus was that guy. At this point, Jesus had been baptized and picked up some fishermen as his disciples. Big deal -- another wandering teacher. Then he came to the synagogue in Capernaum. He taught as if he wrote the scripture, with conviction and authority, not like the scribes who were always reinterpreting things and contradicting each other. People were intrigued and came to listen. He was the curiosity of the day, a passing blip on Capernaum's radar -- at least until things got really interesting. He commanded an evil spirit to come out of a man, right there in front of everyone! The blip became a steady beep. Commanding evil spirits trumped authoritative teaching on the curiosity scale. The crowd of onlookers quickly spread the word and that one unclean spirit catapulted Jesus from nobody to celebrity in no time at all.
* * *
My first name is Dean. When I was in graduate school at the University of Cincinnati I was a teaching assistant, which meant I had a desk and a telephone in the teaching assistants' office in the same suite as the professors in the department. Occasionally I would find myself alone in the department when everyone else was teaching classes or at lunch or otherwise occupied outside the office. Not wanting to be rude, when the phone would ring I would answer it by saying my name: "Dean Feldmeyer." Often this would cause confusion on the other end of the line -- people would make the mistake of believing that my name was my academic title.
Usually, I would correct them. But sometimes, just for fun, I wouldn't.
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
The first parsonage I lived in was a little "hired man's cottage," which was surrounded by seven apple trees that had not been pruned or cared for in years. Each tree yielded a different kind of apple. I spent a summer spraying, fertilizing, and watering the trees but because I didn't know how to prune them safely, I decided to save that for after I had a chance to do some research.
A week became several weeks which become several months -- and the next thing I knew, apples were growing on the trees. Much to my surprise, on one of the trees the apples were as big as grapefruit, tart and crispy.
In fact, those apples grew so big and plentiful that one night I heard a moan, a loud crack, and then a ripping sound. The next morning I discovered that the tree had split in half under the weight of its apples -- killed by its own wealth.
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
Henry Ward Beecher was the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. He was a Congregationalist pastor and prominent abolitionist -- and large groups of people often crowded into his church on Sunday mornings to hear the famous Dr. Beecher preach.
The story goes that on one particular Sunday Beecher was taken ill and a substitute preacher was called in to fill the pulpit. When he stood to begin his sermon several people, seeing that he was not Henry Ward Beecher, rose to leave.
The substitute preacher is reported to have said, "All those who came here to worship Dr. Beecher may now leave. Those who came to worship the Lord God may remain." Those who were leaving stopped and sat down.
* * *
Adam Frucci, writing for the web site Gizmodo, offers this example of a man who worships at the altar of excessive and conspicuous consumption:
"If you thought a 205-inch TV was a symbol of conspicuous consumption, wait till you see this. The richest man in India is building a 60-story home for himself and the 600 people who serve him. Yeah, 600. It'll include six floors of parking space for his cars, three helipads, elevated gardens, and a health club. The square footage is greater than that of Versailles, and while the architecture looks pretty cool, it's excessive to the point of being really disgusting."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God!
People: We will give thanks to God with our whole heart.
Leader: Great are the works of God, studied by all who delight in them.
People: Full of honor and majesty is God's work.
Leader: God's righteousness endures forever.
People: God is gracious and merciful.
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship and to service.
People: We come to the one with authority to call us.
Leader: God also calls us to take authority.
People: Us? Who are we to take authority?
Leader: The authority is not our own. It is God's who dwells within us.
People: As members of the body of Christ, we take our authority to speak the good news.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Come, Thou Almighty King"
found in:
UMH: 61
H82: 365
PH: 139
AAHH: 327
NNBH: 38
NCH: 275
CH: 27
LBW: 522
ELW: 408
"Holy, Holy, Holy"
found in:
UMH: 64
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
CCB: 15
Renew: 204
"Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above"
found in:
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
NCH: 6
CH: 6
Renew: 52
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
found in:
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 315
NNBH: 304
NCH: 91/92
CH: 304
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
Renew: 45
"Jesus Shall Reign"
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 30
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
Renew: 296
"Trust and Obey"
found in:
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
"O Spirit of the Living God"
found in:
UMH: 539
H82: 531
NCH: 363
LBW: 388
"The Church's One Foundation"
found in:
UMH: 545/546
H82: 525
PH: 442
AAHH: 337
NNBH: 297
NCH: 386
CH: 272
LBW: 369
ELW: 654
"Sing Unto the Lord a New Song"
found in:
CCB: 16
"We Will Glorify"
found in:
CCB: 19
Renew: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who sits in authority over all creation: Grant to us, your creatures, the humility to accept your authority and the courage to accept ours; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, and to acknowledge your authority over us and over all creation. We also come to receive from you the authority we need to speak with confidence the words of grace you have for us to share with others. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we take authority when we have none and ignore the authority we do have.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have taken our thoughts and ideas and shared them as if we had the authority to make the rules for ourselves and for others. We have derided others because they do not think as we think. We have ignored the word you have sent among us and substituted human words. When we have had the opportunity to speak a word in your name, we have been silent. We have watched as others have made bad decisions without offering a word from you. Forgive us and call us back to be your obedient children who speak in your loving voice. Amen.
Leader: God sits enthroned on our praises. God desires us to listen so that we may live. He desires that we speak so others may live. Know that God's forgiveness is yours, and yours to give away.
Prayer for Illumination
Come, Holy Spirit, and lighten our minds and hearts with your presence so that we may know the one to whom we owe authority and in whose name we speak. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
Glory and praise to you, O God, creator of heaven and earth. All creation speaks of your glory, power, and authority.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have taken our thoughts and ideas and shared them as if we had the authority to make the rules for ourselves and for others. We have derided others because they do not think as we think. We have ignored the word you have sent among us and substituted human words. When we have had the opportunity to speak a word in your name, we have been silent. We have watched as others have made bad decisions without offering a word from you. Forgive us and call us back to be your obedient children who speak in your loving voice.
We give you thanks that you call us and invite us to follow your word that takes us to life. We thank you for those who have received your love and have taken the authority to speak it to us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who, like us, struggle to listen to your words and to obey them. We pray that as we learn to be more faithful, we will share the good news of Jesus with others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Play a game of "Simon Says" with the children. Make one of the children the leader and play along with the others -- but when the leader gives commands, give other commands yourself. (You may need to select the child leader carefully or warn them beforehand.) When chaos reigns, gather the children and talk about what went wrong. It is hard to play if there is more than one person telling us what to do. In the church we look to Jesus to lead us. He is our Good Shepherd and we listen to him.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Authority
Mark 1:21-28
Object: a diploma (preferably a grade-school or junior high diploma, but any will do)
Good morning, boys and girls! When I graduated from [insert appropriate level] school, I received this piece of paper. Does anybody know what this piece of paper is called? (let the children answer) It is called a "diploma." Why do you think the school decided to give me one of these? (let them answer) A diploma is a mark of authority. It shows that I have learned a certain amount of material and gives me the authority to go on to the next level. You will also get a diploma because of your learning. When you have a diploma from your school, then you can go on to more schooling.
Sometimes people are given other diplomas. Someone who graduates from medical school, for example, is given a medical diploma. That means the school thinks that person has learned enough about disease and the human body to become a doctor. When a person graduates from seminary, he or she receives a divinity diploma. That means the school thinks that person has learned enough about God and the church to become a minister. Can you think of other kinds of diplomas people receive? (let them answer)
A diploma is a mark of authority. It shows that a person has learned enough to be good at what they are doing.
Do you think Jesus had a diploma? (let them answer) No, we know he did not have a diploma. Yet Jesus had great authority or power. He could do things that no other human being could do. He didn't need a piece of paper called a diploma to prove himself. What he said and what he did proved his power and authority. One day when Jesus went to the synagogue, the people were amazed at his authority. What he said proved to them that he knew God and had God's power with him.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, thank you for your power and authority. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 29, 2012, issue.
Copyright 2012 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on the theme of authority and this week's texts. She notes that real authority arises out of an organic connection between those who lead and those who follow (akin to the deep-seated notion that governmental authority derives from the consent of the governed). But as Mary observes, that authority also depends on the sensitivity we have to the effects of our authority on one another (as Paul so eloquently outlines in our epistle passage). While God continues to send authoritative leaders among us, it is only when we quiet our own voices long enough to listen to one another -- and even more importantly, to God -- that we can clearly perceive that authority in a meaningful way.
Our illustrations this week include items related not only to authority and leadership, but also to another theme in the texts -- the perils of idolatry and following false prophets.
Quirky Leadership
by Ron Love
Mark 1:21-28
THE WORLD
If one gives it some thought, every evening news story involves leadership: competent leaders, incompetent leaders, philanthropic leaders, self-serving leaders, leaders with a vision, leaders who are myopic, leaders who inspire, leaders who belittle.
Jena McGregor writes a column titled "On Leadership" for the Washington Post that each day examines the leadership style of a particular individual. With last week's capsizing of the cruise ship Costa Concordia, she looked at the leadership style of the vessel's captain , Francesco Schettino. It can be rightfully concluded that the 160-foot gash in the haul was a result of human error. Schettino, in order to salute a former colleague, took the boat off course. Schettino finally admitted, "I was a victim of my instincts."
Realizing that Schettino had been disciplined several times for a daredevil style at the helm, McGregor also looked at the leadership style of the ship's parent company, Carnival, and its CEO, Micky Arison, who claimed to be in control of the situation without ever leaving his office in Miami 5,000 miles away from the tragedy. McGregor observed that in a tragedy of this magnitude "optics matter," and that the picture of a sunken vessel without the company's CEO on the scene with victims and rescuers demonstrates a lack of concern.
Leadership requires one to be knowledgeable, sensible, and present.
Let us stay with Jena McGregor and the meaning of leadership. In an earlier column, she contended that we know everything about the presidential candidates except their leadership style -- which is to say, how they are actually going to get things done. She noted that it is interesting how much we know about the Republican contenders: we know their political policies, their family lives, their childhood backgrounds, their quirks -- but not how they lead. So she wrote that the Post's "On Leadership" staff would conduct an "experiment" and portray only the best leadership qualities of each of the six candidates in the field (two of whom have since exited the race). It is interesting that she wrote that this column would be an "experiment," since leadership style is overlooked on the campaign trail. This is because people seem to be far more interested in knowing that Ron Paul does not wear a seat belt, Rick Santorum was a lobbyist for the World Wrestling Federation, and Newt Gingrich has a fascination with zoos. McGregor contends that we ought to be less concerned about trivia and even policy and more concerned about how one will function as the nation's leader. To summarize a very lengthy article, McGregor identifies the best leadership quality of each candidate as: Ron Paul -- common sense and consistency; Rick Perry -- confidence and an understanding of public opinion; Newt Gingrich -- intelligence, historical perspective, and vision; Mitt Romney -- the ability to act as a businessman; Jon Huntsman -- patriotism and negotiation; and Rick Santorum -- moral values and self-discipline.
If we should stay on the topic of leadership and politics, let us look at those who vote. In an interesting piece for the New York Times, Nate Silver writes that voters tend to be the lagging indicators in a political contest. The political party, big money donors, and the media create the momentum for leading candidates -- and the voters usually fall in line behind this.
But there is still a contest to be had, for voters can be influenced by means beyond a campaign's control. ABC News reported on a recent study which indicated that the location where voting takes place can determine how an individual votes. If you vote in or near a school, you will be more likely support a tax increase for public education. If you vote in or near a church, you will be more likely to vote conservatively on social justice issues. What the building stands for has a symbolic influence on the voter.
For those involved in public and humanitarian service, this should be an affirmation of your influence on society. For those who are active in the community, the symbols associated with your endeavors are not void of meaning.
Leadership hinges on what is said and what is portrayed. This is understood by Rodney Erickson, the new president of Penn State. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal and the firing of longtime football coach and campus icon Joe Paterno, Erickson needs to restore public confidence and maintain financial support by the university's alumni -- all of whom lived and went to school in the shadow of "Joe Pa." Erickson is doing this by emphasizing the academic and research accomplishments of the university, to a constituency that often considers the football team's poll ranking by the Associated Press as more significant than its academic ranking by U.S. News & World Report. Erickson said, "We need to keep what's happened in the rearview mirror. Because we have to take responsibility for what's alleged to have happened at Penn State, we have to do the right things by the victims and see that they get justice. But while looking in that rearview, we've got to look ahead."
Leadership requires many varying attributes. Leadership can be used to benefit others or be self-serving. It is the individual who decides to which leader(s) they will pledge an allegiance. When one has no control over a leader who was selected by a corporation or an establishment, then it is the responsibility of the individual to hold that entity responsible for the improper use of leadership.
THE WORD
In his piece referenced above, election analyst Nate Silver tried to determine how Newt Gingrich won the Republican primary in South Carolina. He observed that further study must be conducted because the Palmetto State does not act like a Southern state nor does it respond like a coastal state, and because there are not enough years of voting research available for its position as an early, influential state on the primary calendar. Silver concluded that South Carolina, my state of residence, is a "quirky state" whose political culture "is not well understood," so not enough is known to make a valid determination about the meaning of Gingrich's win.
When Jesus walked into the synagogue, one wonders if those gathered there thought he was "quirky" since not enough was known about him. He was neither a scribe nor a Pharisee, and he was not a rabbi -- yet "he taught them as one having authority." How could this be? More data was needed.
Through political advertisements, town hall meetings, and public debates, we are hearing many promises (and even diatribes) regarding future policy from the Republican candidates. Most of all we are learning from them about the faults of their competitors and certainly the inadequacies of the sitting president. Is this leadership or is leadership to be found elsewhere?
When Jesus walked into the synagogue there stood the Leader; but instead of understanding and acceptance, there was only confusion and questioning. Rather than listen to one who spoke with authority, those gathered would rather dismiss the one who came from Nazareth. Jesus was well aware of his leadership style. He understood that his policy for the Israelites would spread to the Gentiles. He neither sought nor received any endorsements from the establishment.
Those gathered in the synagogue asked one another about the one who cast out the unclean spirit, "What is this? A new teaching?" It was a new message, characterized by a leadership style that was independent of the established order. When people were near Jesus, his symbolic presence affected them and would have them act differently.
When we look at all our leaders around the nation and the world, we need to be mindful that only one truly "spoke with authority." And it is by that authority that all others are to be judged.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
I. Discuss the meaning of leadership.
II. Discuss the leadership styles that are in the news today.
III. Discuss the leadership style of Jesus.
IV. Dialogue on the differences between the leadership of Jesus and that of newsworthy public figures like politicians, a ship captain, a college president, and CEOs.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The lectionary texts from Deuteronomy, Mark, and First Corinthians all bring the theme of authority to this week's readings.
The Deuteronomy passage, traditionally held to be Moses' farewell address, finds Moses promising the people of Israel that even when he leaves them, God still has plans for them. God understands their needs and will raise up another leader for the people -- "a prophet like me," Moses says. The people must listen to the new leader and follow his guidance as they have followed Moses (or perhaps the new leader might wish for more attentiveness). Moses reminds the people that they have asked for this kind of leader, an intermediary between themselves and the God who frightens them. The authority of the leader comes from the combination of the people's request and the power of God, given to the person. Says the Lord: "I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command." The intersection of God's choice and the people's choice gives authority to the leader.
The same combination of holy and human is at work in Mark's gospel. We find Jesus and his new followers entering the synagogue. Ofelia Ortega observes in Feasting on the Word (Year B, Vol. 1, p. 310) that Jesus and his friends "have left the bank of the sea that is a fishing and calling place of the messengers of the kingdom, and they come to the space of security and tradition, where the old religious teachings are transmitted." Today there will be a new teaching.
In the way of visiting rabbis, Jesus takes the scroll of the Torah, reads from it, and then teaches about it. The listeners were "astounded at his teaching," because Jesus teaches with a different kind of authority than they usually see. As Stephen Hultgren of Fordham University writes, "The word for authority, exousia, is related to the verb exesti, meaning 'it is free' or 'it is permitted.' In other words, exousia is the 'sovereign freedom' of one who acts without hindrance. Jesus' teaching in sovereign freedom is contrasted with the teaching of the scribes." The scribes can teach what they have been taught, but Jesus teaches with the power that comes from his connection with God. Hultgren adds, "Whereas the scribes are bound to tradition, Jesus is relatively free -- free in the way that only one who lives directly from and to God's authority is free."
Jesus seals his teaching with a healing, acting out of the same deep freedom. What he has just taught in words, he now brings to life for the assembled group. His authority extends to even the demon that is within the man, and Jesus commands the spirit to come out of the man. The people there apparently understand that the words and the action are part of the same lesson, and they marvel at the authority of Jesus. This same theme of authority unfolds all through Mark's gospel, as Jesus teaches and heals, continually surprising the people who don't think he should have any authority.
First Corinthians looks at the flip side of authority, making a case that believers of all levels have a moral authority in one another's lives. People who are spiritually more advanced have a duty to fellow members of the community not to set a bad example for each other. If something will unsettle a fellow believer, our faith calls us to hold back, not to use our own freedom to be someone else's temptation. Even if we don't consider ourselves leaders, we may have an unseen authority in someone else's life.
God continues to send leaders, in the pattern of Jesus and Moses, who have the authority of God to work among us. Key to the partnership is our ability to listen to them. Jesus commands the unclean spirit within the man in the synagogue to "be silent," and he might say the same to all the voices around us. The cacophony of voices we hear, including celebrities, politicians, advertisements, and entertainment, can close our ears to the voices of God's leaders. "Be silent," Jesus might say to all the voices in our heads, so we can seek out the people who hold God's authority and follow them in working for the realm of God among us.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Conservative columnist Cal Thomas writes of his definition of Christian leadership and reminds his readers that "God's strength is made perfect in weakness":
In a church I once attended, there was a man of tremendous faith. His wife is an alcoholic, his daughter has psychological problems. He was often poor in health. Yet week after week, he never complained. He always smiled and asked me how I was doing. He faithfully brought to church a young blind man who had no transportation. He always sat with the blind man, helping him sing the hymns by saying the words into his ear. That man was a "Christian leader" if ever there was one.
* * *
When the "March King," John Philip Sousa, was the conductor of the U.S. Marine Corps Band, a reporter once asked him which instrument was the most important. Sousa was a virtuoso cornet player. He had also invented the sousaphone, a tuba configured so that it could be carried in a marching band. And he had often been quoted as saying that the bass drum provided the heartbeat of the band. On this occasion he raised his director's baton to eye level and said: "This. This is the most important instrument in the band. Without it and the willingness of all those instruments to follow it, all we have is noise."
* * *
There is a form of extreme skiing where intrepid skiers are taken by helicopter to the top of a mountain they have never skied. As the helicopter hovers, they jump out, and immediately begin skiing down the mountain. Since they have never skied this particular mountain, they do not know where the dangers and hazards are. The only safe way to get to the bottom is to make sure that the leader, the guide, the one who has skied the mountain before, is the first one out of the helicopter and then to follow the tracks that person leaves in the snow.
* * *
The resistance that sabotages a leader's initiative usually has less to do with the "issue" that ensues than with the fact that the leader took initiative.
-- Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve
* * *
Search all your parks
In all your cities,
You'll find no statues
Of committees.
-- David Ogilvy
* * *
What was Jesus' voice like? Gentle? Commanding? Surely compelling, even in gentleness, because he spoke, we are told, "with authority." When Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Booths, the chief priests and Pharisees sent the temple police to arrest Jesus. But the police came back without their prisoner. When the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not arrest him?" the police replied, "Never has anyone spoken like this."
At the foot of the cross, a Roman centurion watched Jesus die. This soldier was present to hear the last words Jesus spoke before his death. The centurion had undoubtedly been present for other crucifixions. So it must have been what Jesus said and how he said it that stirred the soldier to awareness that caused him to state unequivocally, "Truly this man was God's Son."
Jesus spoke with authority. He spoke with so much authority that we hear his words yet, calling across the centuries, "Come! Follow me!" That voice, that compelling voice, what we cannot hear with our ears, reverberates in our hearts. Listen.
* * *
David Gal and Derek Rucker from Northwestern University have found that when people's confidence in their beliefs is shaken, they become stronger advocates for those beliefs. The duo carried out three experiments involving issues such as animal testing, dietary preferences, and loyalty toward Macs over PCs. In each one, they subtly manipulated their subjects' confidence and found the same thing: when faced with doubt, people shout even louder.
Gal and Rucker were inspired by a classic psychological book called When Prophecy Fails. In it, Leon Festinger and colleagues infiltrated an American cult whose leader, Dorothy Martin, convinced her followers that flying saucers would rescue them from an apocalyptic flood. Many believed her, giving up their livelihoods, possessions, and loved ones in anticipation of their alien saviors. When the fated moment came and nothing happened, the group decided that their dedication had spared the earth from destruction. In a reversal of their earlier distaste for publicity, they started to actively proselytize for their beliefs. Far from shattering their faith, the absent UFOs had turned them into zealous evangelists.
* * *
In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis said, "You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death."
Belief is often little more than intellectual assent. Faith is about action and risk.
"I will stand behind you, and when you are ready fall backward without bending at the waist or knees and I will catch you." You can believe that statement and you don't have to do anything. Faith, however, can only be claimed after you have fallen backward without bending and allowed yourself to be caught.
* * *
We seek the voice of authority. Jesus' voice carried it because of who he was. There is a suspicion among us, almost always rightly founded, that no one else speaks as credibly, even though they may claim to.
Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were two titans of British government faced off daily on the floor of the House of Commons, always on opposite sides of an issue. On one occasion, following a particularly vitriolic exchange, Gladstone exploded at the Jewish statesman, "Mr. Disraeli cannot possibly be sure of his facts!"
Thundered Disraeli in reply, "I wish that I could be as sure of anything as my opponent is of everything!"
* * *
At the point of this week's passage in the gospel of Mark, Jesus was a nobody for most people. Sure, John the Baptist had been around, talking up some guy who was on his way, but it would take some time for everyone to figure out that Jesus was that guy. At this point, Jesus had been baptized and picked up some fishermen as his disciples. Big deal -- another wandering teacher. Then he came to the synagogue in Capernaum. He taught as if he wrote the scripture, with conviction and authority, not like the scribes who were always reinterpreting things and contradicting each other. People were intrigued and came to listen. He was the curiosity of the day, a passing blip on Capernaum's radar -- at least until things got really interesting. He commanded an evil spirit to come out of a man, right there in front of everyone! The blip became a steady beep. Commanding evil spirits trumped authoritative teaching on the curiosity scale. The crowd of onlookers quickly spread the word and that one unclean spirit catapulted Jesus from nobody to celebrity in no time at all.
* * *
My first name is Dean. When I was in graduate school at the University of Cincinnati I was a teaching assistant, which meant I had a desk and a telephone in the teaching assistants' office in the same suite as the professors in the department. Occasionally I would find myself alone in the department when everyone else was teaching classes or at lunch or otherwise occupied outside the office. Not wanting to be rude, when the phone would ring I would answer it by saying my name: "Dean Feldmeyer." Often this would cause confusion on the other end of the line -- people would make the mistake of believing that my name was my academic title.
Usually, I would correct them. But sometimes, just for fun, I wouldn't.
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
The first parsonage I lived in was a little "hired man's cottage," which was surrounded by seven apple trees that had not been pruned or cared for in years. Each tree yielded a different kind of apple. I spent a summer spraying, fertilizing, and watering the trees but because I didn't know how to prune them safely, I decided to save that for after I had a chance to do some research.
A week became several weeks which become several months -- and the next thing I knew, apples were growing on the trees. Much to my surprise, on one of the trees the apples were as big as grapefruit, tart and crispy.
In fact, those apples grew so big and plentiful that one night I heard a moan, a loud crack, and then a ripping sound. The next morning I discovered that the tree had split in half under the weight of its apples -- killed by its own wealth.
-- Dean Feldmeyer
* * *
Henry Ward Beecher was the son of Lyman Beecher and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. He was a Congregationalist pastor and prominent abolitionist -- and large groups of people often crowded into his church on Sunday mornings to hear the famous Dr. Beecher preach.
The story goes that on one particular Sunday Beecher was taken ill and a substitute preacher was called in to fill the pulpit. When he stood to begin his sermon several people, seeing that he was not Henry Ward Beecher, rose to leave.
The substitute preacher is reported to have said, "All those who came here to worship Dr. Beecher may now leave. Those who came to worship the Lord God may remain." Those who were leaving stopped and sat down.
* * *
Adam Frucci, writing for the web site Gizmodo, offers this example of a man who worships at the altar of excessive and conspicuous consumption:
"If you thought a 205-inch TV was a symbol of conspicuous consumption, wait till you see this. The richest man in India is building a 60-story home for himself and the 600 people who serve him. Yeah, 600. It'll include six floors of parking space for his cars, three helipads, elevated gardens, and a health club. The square footage is greater than that of Versailles, and while the architecture looks pretty cool, it's excessive to the point of being really disgusting."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Praise God!
People: We will give thanks to God with our whole heart.
Leader: Great are the works of God, studied by all who delight in them.
People: Full of honor and majesty is God's work.
Leader: God's righteousness endures forever.
People: God is gracious and merciful.
OR
Leader: God calls us to worship and to service.
People: We come to the one with authority to call us.
Leader: God also calls us to take authority.
People: Us? Who are we to take authority?
Leader: The authority is not our own. It is God's who dwells within us.
People: As members of the body of Christ, we take our authority to speak the good news.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Come, Thou Almighty King"
found in:
UMH: 61
H82: 365
PH: 139
AAHH: 327
NNBH: 38
NCH: 275
CH: 27
LBW: 522
ELW: 408
"Holy, Holy, Holy"
found in:
UMH: 64
H82: 362
PH: 138
AAHH: 329
NNBH: 1
NCH: 277
CH: 4
LBW: 165
ELW: 413
CCB: 15
Renew: 204
"Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above"
found in:
UMH: 126
H82: 408
PH: 483
NCH: 6
CH: 6
Renew: 52
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
found in:
UMH: 154/155
H82: 450/451
PH: 142/143
AAHH: 315
NNBH: 304
NCH: 91/92
CH: 304
LBW: 328/329
ELW: 634
Renew: 45
"Jesus Shall Reign"
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 30
CH: 95
LBW: 530
ELW: 434
Renew: 296
"Trust and Obey"
found in:
UMH: 467
AAHH: 380
NNBH: 322
CH: 556
"O Spirit of the Living God"
found in:
UMH: 539
H82: 531
NCH: 363
LBW: 388
"The Church's One Foundation"
found in:
UMH: 545/546
H82: 525
PH: 442
AAHH: 337
NNBH: 297
NCH: 386
CH: 272
LBW: 369
ELW: 654
"Sing Unto the Lord a New Song"
found in:
CCB: 16
"We Will Glorify"
found in:
CCB: 19
Renew: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who sits in authority over all creation: Grant to us, your creatures, the humility to accept your authority and the courage to accept ours; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship you, O God, and to acknowledge your authority over us and over all creation. We also come to receive from you the authority we need to speak with confidence the words of grace you have for us to share with others. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we take authority when we have none and ignore the authority we do have.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have taken our thoughts and ideas and shared them as if we had the authority to make the rules for ourselves and for others. We have derided others because they do not think as we think. We have ignored the word you have sent among us and substituted human words. When we have had the opportunity to speak a word in your name, we have been silent. We have watched as others have made bad decisions without offering a word from you. Forgive us and call us back to be your obedient children who speak in your loving voice. Amen.
Leader: God sits enthroned on our praises. God desires us to listen so that we may live. He desires that we speak so others may live. Know that God's forgiveness is yours, and yours to give away.
Prayer for Illumination
Come, Holy Spirit, and lighten our minds and hearts with your presence so that we may know the one to whom we owe authority and in whose name we speak. Amen.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
Glory and praise to you, O God, creator of heaven and earth. All creation speaks of your glory, power, and authority.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have taken our thoughts and ideas and shared them as if we had the authority to make the rules for ourselves and for others. We have derided others because they do not think as we think. We have ignored the word you have sent among us and substituted human words. When we have had the opportunity to speak a word in your name, we have been silent. We have watched as others have made bad decisions without offering a word from you. Forgive us and call us back to be your obedient children who speak in your loving voice.
We give you thanks that you call us and invite us to follow your word that takes us to life. We thank you for those who have received your love and have taken the authority to speak it to us.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who, like us, struggle to listen to your words and to obey them. We pray that as we learn to be more faithful, we will share the good news of Jesus with others.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Play a game of "Simon Says" with the children. Make one of the children the leader and play along with the others -- but when the leader gives commands, give other commands yourself. (You may need to select the child leader carefully or warn them beforehand.) When chaos reigns, gather the children and talk about what went wrong. It is hard to play if there is more than one person telling us what to do. In the church we look to Jesus to lead us. He is our Good Shepherd and we listen to him.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Authority
Mark 1:21-28
Object: a diploma (preferably a grade-school or junior high diploma, but any will do)
Good morning, boys and girls! When I graduated from [insert appropriate level] school, I received this piece of paper. Does anybody know what this piece of paper is called? (let the children answer) It is called a "diploma." Why do you think the school decided to give me one of these? (let them answer) A diploma is a mark of authority. It shows that I have learned a certain amount of material and gives me the authority to go on to the next level. You will also get a diploma because of your learning. When you have a diploma from your school, then you can go on to more schooling.
Sometimes people are given other diplomas. Someone who graduates from medical school, for example, is given a medical diploma. That means the school thinks that person has learned enough about disease and the human body to become a doctor. When a person graduates from seminary, he or she receives a divinity diploma. That means the school thinks that person has learned enough about God and the church to become a minister. Can you think of other kinds of diplomas people receive? (let them answer)
A diploma is a mark of authority. It shows that a person has learned enough to be good at what they are doing.
Do you think Jesus had a diploma? (let them answer) No, we know he did not have a diploma. Yet Jesus had great authority or power. He could do things that no other human being could do. He didn't need a piece of paper called a diploma to prove himself. What he said and what he did proved his power and authority. One day when Jesus went to the synagogue, the people were amazed at his authority. What he said proved to them that he knew God and had God's power with him.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, thank you for your power and authority. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, January 29, 2012, issue.
Copyright 2012 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
