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St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

215 N. 7th, Terre Haute, Indiana

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A Word: Love is Living Art

Sermons · October 1, 2023

In his exploration of authority, Jesus confronts those confronting him, and reveals a way of being in the world that can save us all.


Sharing it is our vocation
Proper 21A  | Matthew 21:23-32

Authority. It’s a sticky concept in every way. 

It’s sticky—in that when we get into it, we get stuck in all of the different facets to it. 

And it is sticky—in that we get stuck on the concept. Sticky like a slogan or a moment or a song. [“Cecilia”] 

With authority, we obsess over who is allowed to speak and when. Who to trust and why. 

And when the chief priests and elders come to Jesus and ask him about authority, we might feel conflicted. 

On the one hand, we’re on Team Jesus, so we don’t really worry about his authority. But on the other, we hear the question and think it deserves an answer. That reaction is what we call integrity. It becomes a matter of honesty and decency. Because we believe every question deserves an answer.

In the abstract, this encounter also triggers long-standing issues for the church about our own authority. Who we entrust with authority and where it comes from.

But there’s a problem with all of this abstraction. It isn’t really in service to the truth.

The full text may be found here.

For a limited time, you may find the audio here.

Filed Under: Sermons Tagged With: Authority, love, Matthew 21:23-32, Proper 21A, temple leadership

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CONTACT

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
215 N. 7th St
Terre Haute, IN 47807

812-232-5165

officeadmin@ststephensth.org

ABOUT

St. Stephen’s is a sacramental community following Jesus’s Way of Love.

We worship on Sundays at 8 & 10.

AFFILIATIONS

St. Stephen’s is a member of The Episcopal Church and congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.

St. Stephen’s is a member of the Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley

PARKING

St. Stephen’s is across from Indiana State University. Nearby parking lots are run by ISU and are free after 5pm weekdays and are free all weekend long. 

Five marked spots in the lot directly behind the church are available during the week.

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