Ignoring Authority
As ‘good Americans’ we love our independence. Freedom is the backbone of our society. We do what we want. We believe what we want. We say what we want. We condemn anyone who tries to limit us. This might be the ‘American way’ but it is not the Christian way.
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health; I know that it is well with your soul. For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as indeed you do follow the truth. No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth. Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God’s service. For they have set out for his sake and have accepted nothing from the heathen. So we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers in the truth. I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority. So if I come I will bring up what he is doing, prating against me with evil words. And not content with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren, and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen God. Demetrios has testimony from every one, and from the truth itself; I testify to him too, and you know my testimony is true. I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them.
3rd John 1:1-15
Being part of the Church means more than just ‘where’ we receive Holy Communion. Being part of the Church means being accountable to the authority of the Church as lived in the hierarchy of the Church.
The canonically ordained bishops possess the authority of the Church. Their authority is granted by God directly through the Holy Apostles. When Saint John acknowledged that Diotrephes was refused to acknowledge his authority, he was acknowledging that we also must be obedient.
Obedience is difficult for humans. God gave us free will which we ‘love’ to exert. The problem is that our free will can be used for good or for bad. Too often we use it for our own selfish agenda rather than God’s agenda. We might be ‘good Americans’ but we have a lot of work to do as Christians.
Obedience in the Church is freely accepted. We freely accept to join the Church. We freely accept ordination if we are clergy. Even at our baptism the Church asks us three times if we join ourselves to Christ. THREE times we must affirm our free will.
Upon joining the Church, and at every Divine Liturgy, we recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. We believe “in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” We can’t believe in the Church and then refuse to obey the Church!
As we begin the fast from meat today for the final week of Triodion, I invite you to reflect upon your obedience to the Church. If we are willing to trust the authority of the Church, we will grow closer to Christ. If we refuse to follow the Church, we risk being outside of her protection.
We ignore the authority of the Church at our own peril. Follow your spiritual father. Follow your bishop. Follow your parish priest. I you wonder if their authority is genuine, go back and read today’s reading again.
