Sermon for the 18th Sunday after Trinity

Sunday 25th September

Preached by Rev Paul Hewitt

“What do you think of car park? Now, I’m not going to go on about it this morning, but I ask the question in the context of today’s sermon. At the end of the day the powers that be, if I could call them ‘The Authorities’, will decide the outcome of our ownership of that little piece of valuable land over there.

I’m not just saying this because I live with one, but it’s times like these that we value lawyers greatly!

When I first went to Kilkenny College, there were something like 84 boys in the whole school. It was dying on its feet. But, generally speaking, we had it our own way. And when the girls came and joined us they brought with them their teachers, including an English teacher who hated us boys, and chose such plays and books that would suit the girls, like the ridiculous ‘As you like it’ (a comedy?) instead of what we would have much preferred, ‘Julius Caesar’ with all the blood and guts, murder and betrayal! And what’s more, she also chose ‘Pride and Prejudice’! The papers and cinemas are full of it at the moment, as if Jane Austin was the greatest person ever! I hated it! I couldn’t care less what happened to Mrs. Bennett or any of her daughters! But, the question is, who had the authority to say we did one book or play over another? She did! You see in most cases we, well and truly know, where real authority lies!

Andrew and Nikki, with their young family, and now especially with Ruby Belle, know that even such little tiny people like her dictate everything. Isn’t that real authority?

The first part of the Gospel reading this morning, verses 23-27 are entitled ‘The Authority of Jesus Questioned’. And what Jesus says to the chief priests and the elders of the people (these were the people who should have known better) he says in verse 27, ‘If you can’t work out by whose authority I am doing these things, then I’m not going to tell you!’

Most of us know where real authority lies. Yet often, not unlike these chief priests and elders of the people, the authority of God is not recognised. I know of many a situation where a person may hold strong Biblical principles on many issues, but when some circumstance may change and such principles actually constrain them, then their so-called principles are altered to suit their circumstance. We sometimes operate as if rules can be (or should be) changed to fit our personal needs and desires. Rather than being open from the start, they begin to live a lie, and their witnesses as Christians are diminished. Maybe that sounds very harsh, but it is really an illustration of the second part of our Gospel reading about the Parable of the two Sons. At the end of the day neither of them is really any good. All we can say is that at least one was better than the other, but neither was perfect. The really good, is the person whose profession and practice meet and match. In other words they practice what they preach and they preach what they practice. I was looking for an old Bible last night that I had been given (but I couldn’t find it anywhere, since my bookcase fell down (!)), which had inside it a poem which began, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one anytime…”

It is really all about knowing where real authority lies.

You might have heard this story before about a ship’s captain cautiously piloting his warship through the fog-shrouded waters in the dead of night. With straining eyes he scanned the hazy darkness, searching for dangers lurking just out of sight. His worst fears were realised when he saw a bright light straight ahead. It appeared to be a vessel on a collision course with his ship.

To avert disaster he quickly radioed the oncoming vessel. “This is Captain Jeremiah Smith,” his voice crackled over the radio. “Please alter your course ten degrees south! Over.”
To the captain’s amazement, the foggy image did not move. Instead, he heard back on the radio, “Captain Smith. This is Private Thomas Benjamin. Please alter your course ten degrees north! Over.”
Amazed at the audacity of the message, the captain shouted back over the radio, “Private Johnson, this is Captain Smith, and I order you to immediately alter your course ten degrees south! Over.”
A second time the oncoming light did not budge. “With all due respect Captain Smith,” came the private’s voice again, “I order you to alter your course immediately ten degrees north! Over.”
Angered and frustrated that this impudent sailor would endanger the lives of his men and crew, the captain growled back over the radio, “Private Johnson. I can have you court-martialed for this! For the last time, I command you on the authority of the United States government to alter your course ten degrees to the south! I am a battleship!”
The private’s final transmission was chilling: “Captain Smith, sir. Once again with all due respect, I command you to alter your course ten degrees to the north! I am a lighthouse!”

God’s truth is like the lighthouse. It’s not going to change to accommodate us; it’s more the other way round. It’s all about recognising where real authority lies. It’s about conforming our lives to what God wants for us and asking ourselves, where does our ultimate authority lie.