Sermon Illustrations

Jesus wants us to live up to the responsibility that goes with our authority. We each have different levels of authority and responsibility, and he expects us to meet those levels.

When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As the Governor moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.

“Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”

“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”

“But I’m starved,” the governor said.

“Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”

Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the Governor of this state.”

“Do you know who I am?” the woman said.

“No I don’t know who you are,” he said.

“Well, I’m the lady in charge of the chicken and it’s one piece of chicken per customer. Now move on down the line.”

We should all be as comfortable with our authority as this woman was. As ambassadors of Jesus, we carry his authority.

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