Last Sunday was a great celebration. The worship service went so long we probably should have had an intermission. But we made it through and I am very thankful for the efforts of Guy Shepherd and the musicians and singers and all the folks who prepared and served and cleaned up after the celebration luncheon.

And as I listened to the District President’s 25-minute sermon, I couldn’t help but think – are we paying him by the word? No, seriously, what I was really thinking was that the Gospel lesson for last Sunday which he expounded upon would have fit better this week for me and my very first sermon as your pastor. The Gospel lesson last week, you may recall, was the story of doubting Thomas – not believing Jesus had risen from the dead until he could see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands. I thought to myself, “It’s a perfect theme for a first sermon!” Who among us doesn’t have doubts as we embark together on this new chapter of the ministry that is Our Savior Lutheran Church and School. It takes time to get comfortable with a new pastor. And what if I don’t like him? I’m kind of stuck with him. Which isn’t one bit fair since I was here first.

Yes, doubts are in the back of everyone’s mind and they should be. No one hangs around this planet for too many years without developing a healthy dose of skepticism. It’s a part of our survival instinct. I don’t want to be made a fool of; I don’t want to allow myself to be hurt; I just don’t want to be let down.

There was this older woman who was a widow and was talked into a shady real estate deal by a crooked developer. After she calculated her losses at over $50,000 she contacted the Better Business Bureau. The representative who handled her case told her, “MA’AM THIS DEAL SOUNDED SHADY RIGHT FROM THE START DIDN’T IT? WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL US BEFORE YOU INVESTED ALL YOUR MONEY? DIDN’T YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR SERVICES? “Oh sure, I knew. But I was afraid you’d tell me not to do it.”

I’m sure that one thing you probably don’t have any doubts about is that there are going to be Sundays where I will not always tell you what you want to hear, but that every Sunday I plan to tell you what we need to hear – the Gospel of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And you are still going to hear the law, too. I’m going to keep calling you sinners every Sunday, and I know this will come as a shock to you but I am right in there with you – preaching to myself as much as to the rest of us. But I’m also going to remind you of your status as saints and that God believes in you!

And so those sins of your do not condemn you and they do not follow you once you have left them at this altar. So at some point every Sunday it’s time to look up – at the cross; at that beautiful image of our Christ – and say “God will never give up on me. And so I will never give up trying to be more like Jesus.”

See, that’s the difference between authority and responsibility. You are responsible for everyone you know and their relationship with Jesus. I have accepted the responsibility for the spiritual welfare of about 600 folks who call Our Savior their church home. As for authority, you don’t have authority to condemn anyone, and neither do I.

So what authority do I assume as pastor of Our Savior Church? A couple of years ago, Dawn and I took a group of 15 people from our church on a cruise tour with Dr. Paul Maier and about 300 other Lutherans from around the country on a trip called “The Footsteps of St. Paul.” Because I had traveled with this tour company a few times in the past to Israel they stuck me with the job of bus captain on our bus of 42 people. My job was to make sure we kept all 42 people together while off the bus and following the guide. I was given an official “Bus captain” sign I would hold up so I brought up the rear wherever we went. My first crisis of “authority” came into play in the Italian city of Florence. Our group had just left the museum housing Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. We had to wait an hour in line to get in the museum, which was not planned so now we were an hour behind schedule. Well, a woman in our group decided to duck into a gift shop on her own and off we go down the street. We walked several hundred yards when her husband announced he couldn’t find his wife. We all stop and I head back looking for her, with no luck. I return to the group and I had to make a captain’s decision. It was clear to all of us that this woman and her husband didn’t really seem to like each other. We were in real danger of not having time in the afternoon to visit Pisa and its leaning tower. I figured the husband wouldn’t argue so I announce to the guide that we’re going to leave this woman behind and let her find her own way back to the ship. Why should 41 other people suffer for her thoughtlessness?

At this point the guide overrules me and she insists we cannot under any circumstances leave this woman. We will all wait until she is found. I explain that I’m the bus captain. Of course, I was only pretending to be serious but that’s when I discovered that I had been given this big responsibility, but I hadn’t been given any authority. And I suppose that shouldn’t have surprised me because that also describes what it means to be a pastor in the Lutheran Church.

Last Sunday in my rite of installation ceremony we stated that the Scripture and Lutheran confessions do grant me authority; the authority to forgive sins in Jesus’ name and proclaim that every Sunday; the authority to administer the sacraments of holy communion and baptism, and to preach the good news every Sunday from this altar. This is the authority you folks have given me and the authority you can revoke for appropriate reasons.

And that is the sum total of my authority. And it is because of this organizational authority vacuum that the Gospel of a risen Lord Jesus has free reign to be our spiritual authority and guiding influence and the Holy Spirit can continue to show us the way that God would have us go. Make no mistake. In an organization of this size, org charts and boards and committees have their place. But authority? The Bible clearly ascribes that not to me, but to you – the congregation.

So here we go together, heading off into an unpredictable future. We have lots of celebrating in our future, and there will be some tears as well. Continue to keep a little skepticism handy, about everything – except this one thing. That Jesus is the Lord of this Church and He will never fail us or forsake us. Amen