Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I suppose I was in sixth or seventh grade and was feeling a little out of sorts with my mom. I forget what the discussion (argument) concerned but I finally said to mom: "You're not my boss!" She replied, "I'm your mother. " "Well, I didn't ask to be born!," I said. "If you had," she replied, "the answer would have been 'No!'" My anger dissipated and changed to laughter, mom had made her authority known once again, in a relatively gentle way.

Now, think of our gospel this morning as Jesus, the Holy One of God, in the synagogue, a holy place, on the Sabbath, a holy day. Jesus is there, teaching in that synagogue in Capernaum, teaching as "one having authority." Authority that is recognized by both the people in attendance and by an unclean spirit. People were astounded at his teaching, while the unclean spirit cries out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." The people listening to Jesus were right to be astounded, and the unclean spirit gets it right too, a confession like that of Peter, "you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God," or Thomas, "My Lord and my God."

Jesus is teaching as one who has authority, not imagined authority like so many of our politicians today, not just angry sound bites and statements that have no basis in reality. Nothing in our gospel says he was angry or using rhetorical techniques to impress those in the synagogue. Our gospel does not say what Jesus was teaching, it does not indicate what the people thought they heard. But he taught as one having authority, his words were authoritative. His words were accompanied by an action on his part, commanding an unclean spirit to leave a man.

Jesus' authority was heard and it was seen, words accompanied by actions, actions that spoke louder than words. There was power in Jesus' words, there is power in words. Words can evoke a response, laughter, anger, crying, consideration and contemplation. Words can evoke a rise in blood pressure, or be calming. And there is power in actions. They say "a picture is worth a thousand words," so actions are actual moving pictures that must be worth thousands of words. Seeing actions, participating in actions, has an even more powerful effect, especially when combined with words. I have not heard this for a while, but I suppose you could say that Jesus walked the talk.

God's word is a word of action, revealed in Christ Jesus. God speaks and it happens, creation and light exist. Jesus teaches with authority, the authority of God revealed in him. Not human authority, not an authority that is valued by our secular society or the world in general, not just talking, or telling people what to do or what not to do, authority not authoritarianism. Jesus' authority is heard and seen and brings people to the living God, whether possessed by an unclean spirit or captivated by the values of the world. Jesus' authority is heard and seen in the giving of himself for you and me.

Jesus' authority is not vested in him because he won an election, because he spoke softly and carried a bigger stick than anyone else. He is not coercing or cajoling, Jesus' authority is heard and seen in ways that benefit other people. His authority brings us freedom, freedom from sin. His authority lets us grow in life, in discipleship, in ways that show the love of God, and of neighbor. Jesus' authority is self-giving love, love that hurts, and also takes hurts, and heals. What Jesus teaches with authority is what God says, whether about sin, or about loving God and neighbor, about obedience, forgiveness and love.

Now if we do not listen to him, if we go our own way because we do not want anyone to tell us what to do, well, Jesus will not be heard or seen. But where he is heard, there he will be seen. Seen in the ultimate act of giving himself for us. Seen in the cross, where death was destroyed and life, real life with God was given to all who believe. The final authority for our sins, for us, seen and heard, not through words that compel or command, but in the giving of self for others.

Jesus speaks and acts for us, he reveals our sin, he forgives us. He gives himself for us in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, his body and blood in the bread and wine. Jesus is heard and seen at work here whenever we have the Eucharist.

You know, there have been times when a sermon or a teaching has moved me in a powerful way. I have been convicted of sin, yet forgiven and made righteous. Proclaiming forgiveness, proclaiming the Good News, sharing with you the words of God's grace, sharing with you the love of God and feeling it in my own life. Jesus cleans us, makes us holy and restores us to communion with each other, and with him. AMEN