Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 1 of 10

Transcription

1 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 1 of 10 GOSPEL: John 18:33-37 The gospel is announced. The holy gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. In John s gospel, the story of Jesus and Pilate presents two different ways of exercising power: through force or with love. 33Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, Are you the King of the Jews? 34Jesus answered, Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me? 35Pilate replied, I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done? 36Jesus answered, My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here. 37Pilate asked him, So you are a king? Jesus answered, You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. The gospel concludes: The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. Today is Christ the King Sunday, also known as the Reign of Christ. This is the last Sunday in the liturgical year, with a new year beginning one week from today with the First Sunday in Advent. As Christ the King Sunday arrives, it should offer us a couple of reminders. First: Brace yourselves, Christmas is Coming. December winter is coming. Brace yourselves indeed.

2 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 2 of 10 Second: Christ the King Sunday ought to remind followers of Christ today that this idea, this truth, that Jesus is King - might not mean what we think it means. When we talk about Kings or Queens or Monarchy today, it doesn't simply translate to the titles that Jesus and Pilate were talking about. We Canadians may recognize Queen Elizabeth as royalty, but her authority is limited here. It seems power in Canada is more political. Arguably the President of the United States of America has more power in our day to day than our own Prime Minister, but we would say that these two have more authority than our recognized monarch.

3 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 3 of 10 We could change the language and say Christ is President, or Christ is Prime Minister but even those titles miss the significance of how radical the claim is - Christ is King, Christ is Lord. The Roman empire was the backdrop for the New Testament. Many of the titles that we use for Jesus, such as: Lord, King, and Son of God, were Caesar s titles. Caesar was called as Son of God, King, and Lord. Also significant is that Caesar would bring messages of Euangellion: messages of good news, proclaiming a gospel to the citizens. Roman citizenship was the most sought after citizenship, and we know what the Roman Empire did to people who were rebellious or insurrectionists against the empire. Jesus was not killed just because of the Jews and Jesus blasphemy, Jesus was crucified by the Roman Empire because he was a terrorist and a traitor. Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus claimed he would tear down the temple and rebuild it in 3 days. Jesus told people not to pay taxes. Jesus claimed there is an authority greater than Caesar. Roman citizenship was the most sought after citizenship, but the radical, backwards claim that Jesus makes is that citizenship in Heaven is higher. Jesus is higher, Jesus is greater than Caesar, or any earthly ruler. It is not Caesar who brings us the good news - it is Jesus, our Lord, our King, the Son of God who really brings us Good News. Our allegiance is not to the empire, our allegiance is to our God. I think we lose the shock of this claim today.

4 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 4 of 10 When we confess Christ is King, Christ is Lord - we ought to remember that our God is a God of reversal. Christ is the backwards King, who says: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, those who are merciful and pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The Lord brings down low and raises up. The Lord has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. The Lord has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; the Lord has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Jesus, the backwards King, is not like earthly kings. I thought, how better to consider the kind of King Jesus is, than to compare him to some well known kings who reigned on the Iron Throne in the Game of Thrones. This is your spoiler alert - if you don t want the show or books spoiled, then maybe now is the time to skip the next page or two, Also, unlike the R rated, 18A TV show, I promise this sermon is approved for all audiences.

5 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 5 of 10 Let s begin with Robert Baratheon - who ruled the Iron Throne for 17 years. He was more excited to win the throne than to rule from it, so he did a whole lot of nothing for 17 years. He spent his time drinking, hunting and womanizing. 17 years of rule, and not much to show for it. When he died, Joffrey Baratheon, his firstborn son takes over the throne, and those of you who have watched the HBO series know that King Joffrey is perhaps the show s most hated character. If Monday morning was a TV character, this is him. He was immature, reckless, ruthless, and incredibly annoying. Arguably Joffrey had no claim to the throne because he was not actually offspring of the king. They say that if Joffrey were any more inbred he would be a sandwich. King Joffrey was the show s most hated character, and his death was easily the most celebrated.

6 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 6 of 10 When Joffrey was killed and the fans stopped celebrating, Joffrey s brother Tommen took the throne. This young boy seems willing to learn what it means to be king, but he s not really the one in charge - his mom and wife are. Perhaps this is the most realistic way any man in power rules. Jesus is not like any of these kings. There is no game when it comes to Christ s reign. This is not a kingship that uses force and violence and terror. Jesus is not the kind of king that demands allegiance, that requires able men and women to fight and die for the cause. There is no selfish, evil intention. There simply is no room for this in the Kingdom of God.

7 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 7 of 10 Christ does not hang out in the clouds, hunting and fishing and drinking. Jesus is not bored. To say that Christ sits at the right hand of God doesn t mean Jesus is sitting on a throne doing nothing for 17 years. The right hand of God is everywhere; it means that Jesus is everywhere, that Jesus is working, not demanding allegiance and submission, but actually interceding for the people, listening to the people, responding to the people. Being subject to the Christ the backwards King does not mean oppression - it means freedom. Jesus is no punk kid, forcing his will on anyone. Indeed, we confess and pray that God s will be done - but God s will does not come by force - but rather through invitation, and by inclusion. Like the Game of Thrones Baratheon s, Jesus certainly does have a royal bloodline. Matthew and Luke s Gospels both, in different ways, show us how Jesus is born in the city of David, Bethlehem, because he is defended from King David. But I m not convinced that part matters so much. Jesus was a Jew. He was average looking, a normal human being. He didn t have Justin Trudeau s hair or Barack Obama s jump shot or Queen Elizabeth s money. Christ s blood is royal because, in God s backwards ways, he was perfect to be the Messiah - born to an unwed, outcast teenager, raised in an impoverished family of refugees fleeing from the threat of violence, native to Nazareth, the backwoods town that people ask what good can come from there? Backwards indeed that this Jesus is King.

8 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 8 of 10 One other thought on Game of Thrones is that fans of the books or TV show had been rooting on Jon Snow. There was no immaculate conception, but like Jesus, Jon Snow was born out of wedlock, and he stands for justice, and looks out for the little guy. Like Jesus, Jon Snow was killed at the hands of his own people because they just couldn t grasp his method of leadership and inclusion of former enemies. Many fans have hope and their own theory that Jon Snow, although killed, will rise from the dead and bring about justice to the throne. After all, they keep saying Winter is Coming!

9 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 9 of 10 Christ s rising from the dead is not just some fan theory. Christ is alive! Christ s Kingdom is not from this world - but we see glimpses of it. At this table where all are invited to share in Holy Communion. We see it when the young baby cries at the font, only to calm down when washed in the baptismal waters. We see glimpses of Christ s kingdom when the oppressed receive justice, when the prisoner is set free, when the church witnesses to the truth, and that truth sets us free. We see glimpses of the kingdom of God when we hear stories that fill us with wonder at God s work in the world, we see glimpses of the Kingdom of God in unexpected places. I believe the invitation for us, on this Christ the King, Reign of Christ Sunday, is to remember and consider the depth that is involved in Confessing Christ as our King, the depth that is involved in confessing that Christ continues to reign.

10 Sermon November Brace Yourselves, Kingdom is Coming Page 10 of 10 It means acknowledging that in the pecking order of our lives and who and what receives priority - Christ is first - above and beyond the president, the prime minster, the queen, and even ourselves. If indeed that s who Jesus is, then it doesn t matter as much how we articulate it, or what we say about Jesus, but to be open to what Jesus is saying to us. Jesus says Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice May we belong to the truth and listen to Jesus voice. the Voice that calls us out when we place anyone, especially ourselves ahead of God. May we remember and keep the commandments of our King - to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and all our mind, and all our soul, and all our stregnth, and to love our neighbours as ourselves - be they male or female, slave or free, Jew or Greek, Muslim or Christian, Refugee or immigrant or homeless or poor. And May we look and long for the Kingdom of God, inviting others to come and see, trusting that just as surely as winter is coming, God s Kingdom is coming, and is already here among us. Thanks be to God. Amen.