Title: This is My Inauguration
Text: Luke 4:18
By Rev. Antonio L. Torrence, Pastor of Cross of Life Lutheran Church
In the movie “Gladiator”, the heroic character called Maximus, makes a profound statement that is this, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” The same can be said of power and authority. Every so often power and authority is placed in the hands of an individual to make an effective change in their society. And what one does with it echoes in eternity.
Such was true with the Egyptian Pharaoh named Cheops who used his authority over architecture and engineering and his power over the masses to erect the largest pyramid and greatest mystery on the our planet called the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. That feat competed in 2680 BC still echoes in eternity. Such seems true of Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus who authority over navigation enabled them to reveal to a narrow minded society the different cultures and riches of continents around the world. Their influential deeds are still echoing through eternity. Such was true of the Peter the Great, who used his power as the Czar of Russia to usher his country from its medieval superstitious beliefs to a country that would be influential in science, art, and technology. What he did in life still echoes down the streets of St. Petersburg, Moscow and eternity. Such was also true of Susan B. Anthony, Martin L. King, and Nelson Mandela who used their political power to bring society’s attention to the injustices of sexism and racism in the world. Their contributions to equality, liberation, and justice are still echoing through eternity.
Every so often we are granted some power and authority, and what we do with it will echo through eternity. That which we do now will have rippling effects across the sea of time. That which we sow now, we shall reap in due season. Don’t fool yourself. Those words of indifference and unconcern expressed during someone else’s downfall will sprout up during your own tough times. That nasty attitude and gossip you spread about others will be repeated when your problems hit the headlines. What’s goes around, eventually will come around. That which we do now, the good, the bad, and the ugly will pop back up in our future. Oh don’t think that you’re going through trials and tribulations for nothing. In due season you reap some patience. Don’t think you wasting your time by being patient with folks who tend to get on your last nerve. That patience will give you endurance to run the race. Don’t think that your giving and sacrifices for family and children are all done in vain. In due season, your love ones will produce in you some character. And when are a person of good character, you can always have hope: Hope that God will not forsaken the righteous; hope that the lord’s promises are true; hope that all things work together for the good of them who love the love and are called for his purpose. That which you are doing now with the power and authority given to you by God will echo throughout eternity.
And whether we admit it or not, everything we do generally has to do with power. Power holds a central and all absorbing place in our daily lives. And in our society the use and abuse of power is never far from our minds. We are readily reminded by the media that the “the lust for power, for dominating others, influences the heart more than any other human passion.” Conflicts in the Middle East, gunfire at the local playground, corporate boardroom battle tactics, and bedroom negotiations at home all remind us that we have some desire for power and authority in our lives. We want some control over the events in our lives. Even the most pacifist among us want what the Greeks call ‘dunamis’ and ‘exousia’ (power and authority). We want a little power (dunamis), which is the ability or strength to perform a task. And we want some authority (exousia), which is the inherited capacity to be in charge. And one of the problems with much of our society is that there is a lot of power (dunamis) but very little authority (exousia). There are a lot of folk with power but they have no authority. And there are folk with authority but they lack power. Many are using, abusing, and misusing power without any authority. Children are exerting physical power and killing other children in all forms of violence. Teens are flirting with sexual power while lacking authority over their bodies with self –control. Power struggles for head of household are breaking up homes because no one will place God as the head of their lives. White supremacists are still grappling for white power. Black militants are still marching for black power. Drug gangs are killing for social power. Wall street is geared by economic power. Congress is divided over political power. Many are struggling for power, trying to manipulate power, but they lack the authority to effectively use power.
Others have authority but lack the power. We have parents given the authority over their children, yet they lack the power to control them. Schools have the authority to teach our children but they lack the resources to get the job done. Police have the authority to fight crime but they lack the manpower to effectively make an impact. Christians have the authority to come boldly into the throne room of God and worship him; however, because of fear they surrender the power to worship to peer pressure and shame. Many have authority but lack the power to back it up.
But the good news this morning is that Jesus was full of both power and authority. He had both the physical ability and the divine right to act upon it. Everything that Jesus did was within his means and his right. He had the means to heal blind Bartimaeus and raise a widow’s dead son. He had a right to forgive the paralytic’s sins and offer the Samaritan woman eternal life. Jesus had both power and authority to rebuke the devil, calm stormy seas, and to command a legion of angels. Jesus had both dunamis and exousia. (Tell someone Jesus had it all.) Jesus had so much of it that it he confused all his critics and contemporary. Every time he would get up to speak they would say that he spoke with great authority. You see when others spoke they would say phrases, “According to the prophet Isaiah” or it is written in the scripture or “Thus saith the lord. But when Jesus spoke he would say, “You heard it said that…. But I say this…”He talk as if he was author of the word. And in fact he was the word. Who else could he quote but himself? God’s voice was his voice. That’s why he could state to his people that “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus was speaking with power into his destiny. (Tell some one I want to speak to my destiny). We want to get to a point in our lives where God’s voice becomes our voice. His word becomes our word. We want to get to a point where we are no longer basing our decisions on what others say but on what God’s says. And that is the key to effectively using your power and authority for such a time as this.
So our relevant question for this Sunday morning is how do we like Jesus begin to effectively use the power and authority given to us by God? How do we tune into God’s voice so that his words become our words. How do we allow God to work through us to touch the lives of others? Well Jesus offers us a new paradigm for using power. That paradigm involves us first looking inward, then upward, and finally outward.
We must first look inward. Our text says that early in Jesus’ ministry he went home. Before you can effectively help others, you must address those issues at home. Or confront home base. “Physician heal thyself.” Before we can heal others there must be a healing in ourselves because our perceptions of others stem from how we see ourselves. We see the world not as it is but as we are or as we are conditioned to see it. We need to confront our home base and take a look at self. One psychologist, Stephen Covey, suggests that we look into a social mirror. (Look into the mirror). If the only vision we have of our selves comes from this social mirror – from the current social paradigm and from the opinions, perceptions, and paradigms of the people around us – our view of ourselves is like the reflection in the crazy mirror at a circus. If we rate ourselves only based on public opinion, we would remain powerless. When you look into that social mirror what do you see? Maybe you see that lazy bum of father, your mother always told you that you would be? May be you see that irresponsible clumsy oaf your parents use to berate? Maybe you still see that awkward overweight child that never fit in at school? When you look into that social mirror what do you see? I believe that Jesus took a look into that social mirror he grew up around in Nazareth. That mirror communicated back to him the negative images he had to deal with: “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” “Is this not the one born to Mary out of wedlock?” “What gives him the right to think highly of himself?” Jesus had to deal with those images deal circulating in his hometown. And not only did the town have a low opinion about him but it had a low opinion about itself. It was public consensus that nothing good could ever come from Nazareth. And like him, we cannot let public opinion shape our destination. We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not even our thoughts. We are who God says we are – this is my beloved in whom I am well pleased. I may not please you but I do please God. You may not be satisfied with who I am but God is.
We must look upward- our text says that Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as it was his custom. It was his custom to worship God at the appointed place at an appointed time with other believers. Jesus who was God saw it fit to still worship, pray, and exalt God. Who are we to determine that we do not have to do likewise? In order to effectively utilize the power and authority within our grasp we need to maintain a divine relationship with the source of our power. The reason many of us are powerless is due to the fact that we will not tapped in to God. When Jesus was at his lowest points in ministry, the evangelists say that he would go off to a far place away from the crowds so that he could get direction from the father. When we are going through tough times in our lives that is not the time to pull out of worship. That is the time to plug into worship. We must continue to look upward for a power that will sustain us through our situation.
Finally we must look outward – Jesus demonstrates power in terms of giving it, sharing it, and serving. His power was directed towards brining people to the same integration and wholeness. For Jesus power and authority were not tools to manipulate or control. But they were means to liberate and restore. His strength was not use for self-exaltation or glorification but for submission and servitude. His power was about giving, sharing, and serving. Look at what he preaches to the people. Jesus says, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and, recovering of sight to the blind, to set free those who were oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.“ That which was given to him he used to give to others. He could have used his power to turn stone to bread; however, he used it to feed thousands with just handful of bread and fish. He could have had all the authority of the kingdoms of his world. Yet, he would pass it on to a ragtag of uneducated, illiterate fishermen so that we would know how to worship God in spirit and in truth. He could have gain fame and influence from the leaders and people of his time. Yet, he would choose to go to an old rugged cross, head bowed, and hands bound. Jesus’ power was contingent to his attitude of servitude. Because he was willing to be a servant of all, God gave him power to do all things. God has transfer power to his beloved son.
The one statement I admired within the inaugural speech of President Bush was the point made about the peaceful transfer of power and authority being rare in history. Everyone is not prepared to be givers and/or receivers of power and authority. But when authority is transferred from God to his chosen servant; that transference is the conferring of divine power upon the individual. He or she is empowered to fulfill the tasks of that office without needed instruction from outside influences. In other words, when God gives you power, you are equipped to go to your destiny. When God gives you power, you have been inaugurated into a divine office within his kingdom. (Tell some body, I’ve been inaugurated into office). Yea this is your divine appointment. You are here for such a time as this. And what you do with the power and authority given to you while in office will echo through eternity.
Look what he told brother Peter. He said, “Blessed are you Simon Barjona! I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and what ever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Peter was given power to go to his destiny. And I don’t know about you but I need that power to go to my destiny. I need that power to loose some stuff on heaven and that authority to bind some stuff here on earth. I don’t want to fight for it. I don’t have to argue to get it. But Jesus says that if I asked in his name, then it’s mine. And somebody needs to know that what you are looking for, the master has it. Ask in his name and it’s yours. What you are looking for, Jesus got it. Just ask in his name and it’s yours. He’ll give you peace when you are worrying about tomorrow. He’ll give you joy when you weeping in sorrow. When your mother and father have forsaken you, He will take you up. When troubles rise and the winds of life begin to blow. He’ll be a shelter in the time of storm- a rock in a weary land - a battleaxe in the time of war. And right now you have the power to change the destiny of your life. Take Jesus into your heart. Trust him enough to work out the problems in your life. He won’t fail you. He has given you the power right now to make a change in your life. And what you do with that power today will echo in eternity.
