Hello all! On my windowsill in my office sits a tiny playmobil figure of German reformer Martin Luther. Yes, I have toys in my office, but Jesus said judge not less you be judged. The reason I have this little figure is that it reminds me where authority really lies. Martin Luther is famous for challenging the authority of the Church, which at the time had all the authority in the Western world. Kings and nations were either in good graces, or trying to be, with the Church centered in Rome or they were under the threat of excommunication. Luther, backed by some powerful German princes, was allowed to challenge some erroneous teachings which had become authoritative in the Church. Eventually the challenges morphed into disputes with the office of the Pope itself. Did the church have authority over the Bible and how to understand it, or did the Bible have authority over the church? And who could parse all this out? This had massive social implications because if the church had erred in its understanding of certain doctrines, (think of the divine right of kings), then societies would be upended. Think of the American Revolution and the French Revolution, was it right to revolt against the King of England and the aristocrats if they had divine right to rule? Could the clergy be challenged by the Bible at all? How much power and authority should any one office, political or religious, have? Should governments have authority over the church or the other way around?

The question was answered with the movement in the Church that we now know as the Protestant Reformation. Luther was one of the biggest names in this period of history and he sits on my office reminding me of the power of establishing who has authority. Luke offers us several stories which show the authority of Jesus in chapters 5-6. If Jesus had this authority, then traditions, social norms and understandings were going to have to change for people listening to Jesus. Some rejected these and others embraced them, but all were challenged by the question who has authority in our life. The same question applies to us today, who has the authority in our hearts? This Sunday we will look at how Jesus confronts us with this question. Who is going to have authority in our life, and what kind of authority does Jesus offer? Can we trust Him to be a better Lord and Master than ourselves? We will see you this Sunday!

Ben Melli