Gotta serve somebody?

With Bob Dylan at number one, a ninetieth birthday celebration concert for Pete Seeger and the first new Abba song for 15 years, we could be excused for thinking that we’ve gone into a time warp. Comebacks are in. Thankfully for all of these – even Abba! – they have not had to face the same criticism as others who have reappeared.

Jacob Zuma has been inaugurated as the new President of South Africa. Four years ago he was fired as vice-president after being implicated in a corruption scandal. The charges were dropped just before last month’s election, opening the way for his return.

Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi also has experience of comebacks – he is now serving his third separate term as prime minister. Sadly, however, his wife wants to divorce him and he has come under fire from the Italian Catholic Bishops’ official newspaper which called on him to be more ‘sober and sombre’.

Authority can be a tenuous thing for those in public life. The expenses claims of Westminster MPs were leaked to a newspaper which duly published them.

Following this, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey said that the moral authority of politicians has slumped to its ‘lowest ebb in living memory’. Damage has been done regardless of the real explanation for their expense claims.

As we see from the example of Jesus in this week’s readings, real authority derives from God and is seen in its fruit. Public acclaim and celebrity are simply not enough.

Emlyn Williams