Taking Flight...

Our daughter Sophia took her newly married sister Alexa up in an airplane from the downtown airport. They took off early in the morning while most of the city was still half asleep, and together they watched the sunrise from the sky. From that vantage point, everything looked different. The buildings, the river, their high school, the streets they normally drive, all of it looked somehow more beautifully ordered.

There is something about seeing the world from above that resets your perspective. And I know from experience, there is also something about your child piloting the plane that causes you to pray a little more intentionally during takeoff and landing ?.

The girls came back talking about how incredible it was to see Kansas City like that, glowing in the morning light from a view you can only get when you’re lifted above it.

And this relates with what I’ll be preaching about this Sunday from Luke 4:31–37 on the authority of Jesus.

In aviation, no matter how skilled the pilot is, there is one reality that is not optional. Every aircraft operates under the authority of air traffic control. A pilot does not get to decide their own path in isolation. They must listen, respond, and submit to a voice outside the cockpit because that voice has the authority to keep them safe and on course. And even the most experienced pilots do not “graduate” from that system. The higher you fly, the more essential it becomes to stay under that authority.

And this is exactly how life works. Each of us is operating under some kind of authority. The real question is not whether we are being guided, but who is doing the guiding. If we are not careful, we can submit to the authority of our own desires, feelings, and preferences. We can submit to the authority of culture, media, and whatever voices are loudest in the moment. We may even live under the authority of peers, experts, trends, or our own past wounds.

But Jesus says something radically different in Luke. He steps into a synagogue and speaks with authority that does not just inform people, but calls them to respond.

And Luke is showing us that when we submit to Jesus, we are not being restricted, we are being liberated. When we come under the authority of Jesus, we are not losing freedom, we are finally finding it.

This Sunday we will see that His authority is not just spoken in teaching, it is also demonstrated in power. I sure hope to see you at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am (Full KidCity available)…OR a service in Spanish at 1:00 pm. Otherwise, you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or on our New Life website at 9:15 am. Also, we would LOVE for you to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. 

Have a great weekend,

Troy