Pastor's Corner: Take thou authority

"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" - [Jesus of Nazareth] then said to the paralytic - "Stand up, take your bed, and go to your home. And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings."

Authority, according to Britannica, is the power or right to direct or control someone or something. Have you ever held a position of authority? Our first instinct might be to respond, "no," because we don't always feel "powerful."

However, the root word of "authority" is "author." Even if we don't write professionally, each of us is an author. How so? With each decision and action, we write and direct the story of our lives. Much of the background is beyond our control - where I was born, who my parents are, and the socio-economic circumstances of my birth. Still, each of us reaches an age when we can exercise our authority. We mistakenly think it's age two when we vehemently say "no!" Yet we know the power of our voice!

We author much of our childhood story through our choices. We quickly learn the "pecking order" of authority in our family, school, and neighborhood. Yet, our own authority as the authors of our story remains. We shape our lives as we make daily choices to "go along" or "stand up" to those exercising their own authorship around us. We don't like bullies and we empathize with the underdogs. I remember the line from "The Authority Song," by John Cougar Mellencamp: "I fight authority - authority always wins." That might have felt at times in our teens, but life is much more complicated than a rock-n-roll anthem would have us believe. We might be the authors of our lives, but we need "writing coaches" and "editors" who help us build new vocabulary and interpersonal skills so that we use our personal authority well. You know them - parents, foster parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, youth leaders, coaches, civic and government leaders - all those authorized in society to be guides for making good choices and learning responsibility.

The Author of Life gives us free choice - the freedom to write our lives as we choose. This is the "unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," described by the Declaration of Independence. We humans are given free choice and divinely appointed as the authors of our own stories, as well as the stewards of the Creation.

When we don't like the story of our life, our faith tells us to return to God's authority. We not only can receive forgiveness of sins, but we can "pick up our mat" and walk away from unhealthy lives. We chose repentance and redemption and healing to be themes in our story. We have the authority to invoke God's grace and accept God's authority and guidance for our lives. God is the Editor of our story.

What about our national story? The Bible has much to say about the exercise of human authority in society. Two quick examples are: When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2) When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. (Proverbs 29:16)

When we observe problems in the world, we each have authority to choose our response. When justice is ignored and the social contract is broken, we pray for wisdom and guidance for actions. We might discuss and deliberate to see all sides of an issue, yet decisive, timely actions are required. Standing around, pointing a blaming finger at the others, is abdication of moral responsibility and our moral authority, whether we are citizens or elected officials. So "take thou authority" to learn about the issues and possible solutions. We will all have a better story when we work together for the good society.

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The Rev. Dr. Sue King, Golden Triangle Parish United Methodist Churches: Van Orsdel-Havre, Big Sandy and Chester.