You’re not the boss of me!*If you are a parent, there is a good chance you have heard these words. Perhaps you uttered them yourself when you were a child. Maybe they were directed at an older sibling or babysitter. I have to admit that I still get a bit nervous every time I pass a police car on the side of the road (even if I am under the speed limit)! There’s just something about authority. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” Mark 1:27 As we move through the season of Epiphany, we see Jesus as God’s anointed Son, revealing the Father to us in all his glory. And in Mark’s gospel (the Gospel appointed for this liturgical year) we see him as one revealed to have Authority. Demons, diseases, and natural elements all recognize and yield to his authority. …and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Mark 11:28 And yet, there are those who hold up their hand and say, “you’re not the boss of me!” Some are the teachers of the law, others are God fearing members of the Pharisees, and others are “would be” disciples who chafe at the call of Jesus to follow him. "You're not the boss of me! I think many of us as followers of Jesus still struggle with the idea of authority today. Are we going to allow the “Word made flesh” to have authority in our lives? Imagine what might happen if we were willing to come before the scriptures and allow them to speak to us, to inform our lives, to shape our behavior, and as St. Paul puts it, to transform our minds. What new epiphanies might we experience If we were to come to Jesus and say, “You be the boss of me.” Blessings,
Matthew+ Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP p. 215 *reprinted from January 29, 2021 | 
