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Christ The King Sunday - Yr B
Today is Christ the King Sunday
a peculiar festival, at a peculiar time for Christians
it's a peculiar festival...because
we don't take kindly to the notion of kings anymore
we tend to pride ourselves on declaring independance from kings back in 1776
we tend to describe ourselves as indendant
kings are a thing of the past - and not something most of us can relate to
it's also at a peculiar time...
said to be the ending of one year
and marking the beginning of another year
yet, one that take place in November
and not the end of our calendar year
i liken X the King Sunday to a Car.....
do you remember the days - when you took a car to church?
and didn't watch it on the internet?
imagine for a moment that vehicle
like that car - Christ the King Sunday functions both in a forward direction and reverse
function of X the King Sunday
to drive us backwards
by setting the stage for advent
a season in which anticipate
the festival of Christmas
a celebration of the God, of the universe
ruler of all things
who came to abide with us
but also two drive us forwards
by causeing us to look forward
to the return of Christ
and how all we will all then experience the fullness
that Christ rules over us all
our Christ the King car has three scriptural mirrors to reflect on God's leadership
three mirrors to truth - in our three lessons
all three lessons for today help us to understand
the nature of Christ - rule
and Christ's place in God's overall plan for humanity
and in doing so - help us to reflect on our place in it
mirror number 1 - the passenger side mirror if you will is - ezekiel
ezekial warns - the world is filled with many bad shepherds
whenever you hear Shepherd language...
...know that it always refers to the king
it refers to the political leader of the day
rolph Jacobsen - Luther Seminary professor
the worlds shepherds
the world's political leaders
are focused on feeding themselves
are focused on lining their own pockets
care only for themselves
through this window - the scene before us is that
when a lamb is injured
when a little lamb is wanting
when the one under their charge
is hurting
or despairing
the worldly shepherds
care not
the worldly kings
care not
the worldly political leaders
care not
they have no compassion
hasn't changed
that was true back then
would you agree with me
it rings true - for us today as well
that the worlds shepherds
care less about the needs of the sheep
than they care about themselves
Ezekiel gives the hope - that God is on a mission to address the bad shepherds
a mission in which God will be the shepherd
which describes God
as the good shepherd
in contrast to the world's shepherds/political leaders
God promises to set up over all - one shepherd
a righteous shepherd
a shepherd named David
God promises a rescue mission
tells of Gods rescue mission
that this shepherd will carry out...
a rescue mission
the nature of the rescue mission is this
that seeks to gather the people back to God
they have been divided
the herd has been split
competativeness has driven people away from each other
this is language - from thousands of years ago
and yet - incredibly
describes us so well -
it describes the world in which we live - today
divisions abound
we're torn asunder
divided
ezekiel - continued
gathering / reunion
do you feel as if we are two or more communities...
in speaking of God's flock
and God's rescue mission
in Ezekiel the 34th chapter
it is to gather them in
under one godly shepherd
our deep need
do you -
like i do -
yearn for that reunion...
not one that occurs under the banner of this politician
or that politician...
but under the reign of Jesus Christ
God's promis
and there
i will feed them with good pasture - says God
and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture
they shall lie down in good grazing land
they shall feed
on rich pasture
in the mountains of Israel
and I myself will be
the Shepherd of the Sheep
and I will make them lie Down
says the Lord God
I will seek the lost
I will bring back they strayed
I will bind up the injured
and I will strengthen the weak
that is Gods saving mission
to bring back all peoples
the whole flock
that has been divided
hither and yon.
mirror #2 - the drivers side mirror, if you will - is ephesians
in Ephesians - today - we read
a prayer for wisdom & insight - and knowledge of the hope in Christ
i pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ
the father of glory
may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
as you come to know him
so that with the eyes of your heart
and enlightened
you may know
what is the hope
to which he has called you
what are the riches
of his glorious inheritance
among the saints
and a little further down
god has put his power to work
in Christ
when he raised him
from the dead and seated him
at his right hand in the heavenly places
far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion
and above every name
that is named
not only in this age
but also in the age to come
ephesians - more
scripture is saying - even now
even now - in the future
Jesus has power and dominion
that power
that Dominion of Christ
present even now
even now we confess that
i Jesus is Lord
The world of course doesn't recognize it
mirror #3 - the center view mirror, is the gospel
in our gospel lesson
Jesus describes the values
of life lived in this kingdom
one that turns everything upside down
that isn't based on power
and might
in the traditional worldly sense
but draws its power and might
from acts of service
given without even realizing it
to the least of these
Jesus turns what it means to be powerful
and kingly completely on his head
in the world didn’t know what to do with it
the blind spot of the world
like frost on the car...
the world has been blind to the truths of God's leadership
immediately after Jesus teaches them about the Kingdom of GOd
the scribes and the Pharisees
come together
seeking to have Jesus killed
they're only held back for a time - for fear of an uprising during Passover
they won't wait for long though
and our world still today doesn't seem as if it's changed much
leaders still seem to be focused more on themselves
self-preservation and their own welfare
while the welfare of the poor
and the lowly go on taken care of
and the sheep
due to this lack of leader ship
seem more and more dispersed
as a flock all the time
it is therefore
to remember
our need to turn and see what's obscured (in our blind spot)
so very important for us to remember - what time and circumstances often hide from us
our true citizenship - in Gods kingdom
we belong to God
and there is a reason the name of our congregation is Lord of Life
Our Lord - desires for us Life - and not death
to see the deep, deep hope of God
that god desires for us
the good life that God desires for us
in the hope spoken about
in this passage
in ephesians
is none other
than a life that is lived
in its fullness
it is completeness
and it's joyfulness
and the truth of the gospel
is that we get our fullest joy
we get our greatest satisfaction
we are filled with life
and life abundantly
when we don't live it for our selves
instead live it for others
but we embody the gospel
for all those
who have whatever need
they might have left to our own
we can forget it's there if we're not mindful to check our blind spot
another need: to not get fixated
one of the lessons i learned as a young driver
not to get fixated on one thing in a car
you don't get focused on the speedometer...
Tom Koop taught my son to fly
and i remember him telling me the same thing about
we might get fixated on damnation parts of the passage
we might conclude
as we read this gospel text
that Jesus is just about judgement
if you do good to other people - you get in...
if you don't do good... you're out
in the gospel - the goats are lost
the goats are condemned ...
in ezekiel ... the passage ends with
but the fat and the strong I will destroy
i will feed them with justice
but these passages are guard rails
meant to keep us pointed in the direction God would have us travel...
intended to keep us focused
they are not intended to describe our end of the road
It's important to see these verses in light of the whole of scripture
in matthew - one of the key ingredients in Jesus' ministry is compassion
His ministry was marked by compassion (9:36) for others,
compassion that led him to perform acts of mercy (e.g., Matt. 14:14–21) such as the ones enumerated in our passage
Jesus—who declared that he “came not to be served but to serve” (Matt. 20:28)
demands that service be rendered to those in need
Matthew presents Jesus as Immanuel, God-with-us (Matt. 1:23; 18:20; 28:20).
Jesus’ expressed solidarity with those most in need of compassion (vv. 40, 45) suggests another way he continues to be present
indicates an essential way his followers are to love and serve
will Jesus not also have compassion on Us...
in matthew 18:14 ...
So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
in other scripture ....
Luke 23:34 NRSV
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
John 12:32 NRSV
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
I Corinthians 12:22,26-28
On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.
Philippians 2:10–11 NRSV
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
the point of the journey is this...
It is personal. God wants not only a new world modeled on the values of Jesus. God wants us—each of us.
God is love who wants to save our souls, to use the language of the old revival meetings.
God wants to save our souls and buy us back - whenever we have sold Him out
God wants to give us the gift of life—true, deep, authentic human life.
God wants to save us by touching our hearts with love.
God wants to save us by persuading us to care and see other human beings who need us.
God wants to save us from obsessing about ourselves, our own needs
And instead persuade us to forget about ourselves and worry about others.
That is God’s favorite project:
to teach you and me the fundamental lesson, the secret, the truth—that to love is to live.
and so we take a moment to look forward and backward ourselves
ask yourself
How have I been a blessing to others this past year?
How has our congregation been a blessing?
Have we lived our our callings?
ask yourself
how might i be a blessing to others in this coming year?
how might we all be a blessing?
these are questions that I - as a pastor would love to talk with you about
to hear the stirrings of the spirit within you