It seems, as in many things, that authority is viewed differently by those who wield it and those over whom it is wielded. In today’s Gospel lesson the chief priests and elders broach the subject with Jesus: “By what authority do you do these things?” Jesus responds with a trick question: “The baptism of John—was it from God or was it from men?” Their response is telling: “If we say it was from God then we condemn ourselves for not following him. If we say it was not from God—we fear the people who hold him to be a prophet.” Jesus shows that their authority is one-sided, rooted in their own desire for it and not as a submission to the authority of God, so they cannot respond.

Authority in Jesus’ mind is different. He tells a parable to illustrate what He means: Two sons are told to go work in the vineyard. One agrees and doesn't, the other disagrees and does. Which one obeyed? The one who DOES the will of the Father. The chief priests and elders are like the first son, those who believe in Jesus are like the others who enter the Kingdom ahead of the “good” people. Authority hinges not only on the person wielding it, but on the response of those over whom it is wielded. It requires a two-way dialog, humility and sincerity on both sides of the coin.

Authority in the Church comes from God, through Scriptures, through Bishops and then to priests and parish leaders to parishioners and finally, out into the world. But like all authority, it must be accepted by those under it. Each level looks both up the line and down the line. It is more helpful to look up the line rather than down it, for when we look down it we loose our humility and sincerity. When we remember that all authority is lent from the True Source of Authority for given ends we keep things in perspective. Our action then, whatever the level or direction, is first a response to God’s authority.

In this series on the Instructed Eucharist our response to the proclamation of the Word is submission to authority. It requires above all things: Intention: meaning what you say and committing ourselves to action; Humility: knowing God's in control, that you can't fool God and knowing fooling people doesn't matter; and Faith: believing that our worship honors God and that our action makes a difference. Our obedience requires action in accord with the Word and a lack of concern for who else is obeying.

Let’s be more specific: After hearing the Gospel read and preached we reaffirm our faith with the words of the Nicene Creed. Creeds are official statements of the basic doctrines of our faith. The two in our tradition were developed early in the life of the Church. The last great ecumenical council was at Nicea in 325 A.D. It produced the Nicene Creed. We use it in the celebration of the Eucharist. The Apostle's Creed dates much earlier, perhaps to the 2nd century, as a statement of faith by one about to be baptized. It is used in Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, at Baptisms, at Confirmations, at Receptions, and at the Burial of the Dead. Creeds used in this fashion unite us to Christians everywhere. They are not definitions of Anglicanism, they are an identification with the Church Universal. They do not set us apart--they join.

After the Creed follows the Prayers. These are more local than universal, focused more on the concerns of the congregation at prayer. They always cover six areas, as listed on p. 359 of the BCP. For Rite I, see p. 329. For Rite II, see p. 383. In Rite II there are six forms, Form I is based on the litany from the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy. We match them to the Eucharistic Prayers we use and rotate through them by season. There are always opportunities for you to personally insert your own concerns. It is important that you do so to engage in the prayers personally and to offer up to God the personal concerns your own heart carries. The prayers cast our personal concerns up against the proclamation of our faith, the Creed. To do so is an act of faith.

Confession follows, and it is the most personal response of faith. Whenever we become aware of the presence of God in our lives we become aware of our unworthiness, and the proper response is confession. It is perhaps the greatest act of faith. It believes that God's standards are important; that the nature of God is to be merciful; that reconciliation is God's great agenda in the world; and it throws oneself on the mercy of God. The confession is corporate: We all use the same words, and we all confess our common sinfulness and the sins embedded in our societal system. Confession is also individual: It is an opportunity for you to apply the phrases one by one to yourself. As we confess our corporate sin we also confess those very practical personal ones. God's response to our confession is always forgiveness, therefore the priest has the privilege of declaring the forgiveness of God. Any declaration of such a thing is by way of stewardship; the forgiveness is not mine to dispense or withhold as I desire, but it is to be administered as best befits the Kingdom. God ALWAYS wants to forgive us! This is something that we do on Sundays, but you can and ought to do it at home daily. The first and primary venue for forgiveness of the Christian is personal and direct. These forms are offered for your help. Therefore here it is again paramount that we mean what we say.

Then follows the Peace. The peace is the natural result of absolution. Set at peace with God, we offer that peace to one another. Peace is the ultimate objective of God's saving work in the world: Shalom—wellbeing of body, soul and spirit in the community of the faithful. What a divine gift we give to one another. I have been asked, “What if I don’t want to give someone the peace?” Honestly, sometimes we don’t feel like it. But if God only gave us forgiveness when we deserved it we would be doomed to perdition. God forgives, even when He has no reason to feel like it, so we must offer the peace, even though we do not feel like it. The intention of the will coupled with the action will often stimulate the emotional response.

This concludes scene two of act one of the Eucharist. We have entered the Holy Place as a community of faith, we have heard the Word of God read and expounded, and we have responded by declaring our faith, applying it to our lives, and reconciling with God and with one another.

Next week: The Wonder of the Altar.

Fr. Paul Moore+