“Naming Christ as King: Then, Now & Forevermore” ~ Revelation 1: 4b-8 & John 18: 33-37
November 24, 2024 ~ Northwood United ~ Rev. G. Scott Turnbrook
“So, you are a King?” Here we are arriving at the cusp of a new Christian year. Christ the King Sunday. That’s an interesting word: “Kingdom”. Have you ever considered how many times you have prayed for that: ‘Thy kingdom come’? Indeed, the theology of God's kingdom is woven so tightly into the fabric of our faith, and we rarely stop and ponder its depth and meaning. This morning, we consider what this all means. What do we mean by Kingdom. What kind of King rules? While it might seem obvious, considering the nature of kingdom is not always an easy one to answer. It is multi-layered and complex. While we might not like to admit it, in many ways, we share Pilate's question today, "So you are a king?"
Pilate was confused. Perhaps we join his confusion? A king in Pilate’s thinking meant power and grandeur, not a humble, poor Rabbi. Something in this picture just didn't seem right to him…or to us! Vital to how we answer Pilate’s question is the realization that our commitments inform our faith and our living. When we pray for the coming of the kingdom, what kind of king are we praying to arrive? In many ways, what we do today is to further deepen our prayer: a paradigm shift if you will. There have been constant shifts in paradigms through time: shifting from the viewing the world as flat; shifting from how we view Jesus. Our Gospel for today invites us into a paradigm shift about what God’s Kingdom truly means. A shift into seeing a King that doesn't fit the traditional mold: no obvious power, no prestige, and a bound prisoner about to be sentenced to death without pomp or circumstance.
This morning’s Christian festival is very significant and timely for our days. Interestingly, Christ the King is not an ancient festival like Easter or Christmas. In fact, it is less than a century old. It was first called by Pope Pius XI in 1925. Historically, we think of Europe as being in a time of (almost) chaos. Inflation was rampant, and the seeds of evil that would soon produce the terror of World War II and the Holocaust were being planted. To counter this chaos and evil, the Pope established this Festival of Christ the King. It was to declare that Jesus Christ is king, NOT the powers of evil. Christ’s way would bring peace and hope and further unity. Perhaps we might consider the state of the world today, and agree that our need to ensure the King of Peace is the one we adore and follow? And, so, as we ponder this festival today, I wanted to look at the Kingship of Jesus from three perspectives: Jesus’ Kingship in the past; in the present; and into the future.
Considering Jesus Kingship from the past is a reminder that what God has done is always leading us forward. We remember the Israelites as they struggled in the wilderness, when at times they longed for the security of Egypt, forgetting the hardships of oppression. The challenge is to celebrate the gifts that have led us forward in the ways of peace, justice and hope. When Jesus says, "I am Alpha," he is saying that the goodness of our beginning is in him. No one is self-made. Our very life, our faith, our peace are ours through the body of Christ unfolding throughout the ages.
While Jesus announces the new form of Kingship and the eternal reign of God, we wonder who is listening to him? In particular we are challenged: are WE listening. Or are we more like Pilate verbally sparring with Jesus. "What kind of king are you after all? No one believes in such things any longer! A peasant King is the stuff of fairly tales we read to our children! So the text is not heard, and we wonder why our vision of the future is not clear and why we so easily lose hope.
We also, this morning, ponder Jesus’ Kingship in the present. Theologian, Frederick Buechner, writing in Listening to Your Life, says of the kingdom of God: “The Kingdom of God is not a place but a condition, insofar as here and there, and now and then, God's kingly will is being done in various odd ways among us even at this moment; the kingdom has come already. Insofar as all the odd ways we do his will at the moment are at best half-baked and half-hearted, the kingdom is still a long way off.”
The question of Kingship in the present is that of considering who is really in charge of our days at this moment in time. Do we as Pilate go by appearance: so YOU are a King? If we fail to realize who is truly in charge, we ultimately pay for our foolishness. Mary gave a powerful one-line sermon to the attendants at the wedding feast when they ran out of wine, "Do whatever he tells you." Now that is a bumper sticker! The call to be reminded that to find meaning, purpose, and peace, we must keep asking ourselves, "What is Jesus telling me to do with my life today?" Not what we did in the past, which is over and gone. This is a question of how we are listening to him today! When we ask and listen for the answer, then we are experiencing the power of his Kingdom in our midst.
There was a discovery after World War II in Germany. Scraped on the wall of a barrack in one of the camps of the Holocaust, underneath a crudely drawn Star of David in rough lettering on a crumbling wall, were these words: ‘I believe in the sun even when it does not shine. I believe in love even when it is not shown. I believe in God even when he does not speak’.
Aside from past and present considerations of Christ as King, there is also a future pondering as well. This promise of his reign is not only for today but for tomorrow. Our thanksgiving is not only for what God has done but for what God will do. In the book of Revelation, we are reminded of Jesus words: "I am the Alpha and the Omega." The Pilates of this world will disappear (thank goodness), and most will be forgotten (hallelujah), but the reign of Jesus is forever and ever.
The question of future pondering is how Christ’s Kingdom continues alive and into the future. In John Mansfield’s play "The Trial of Jesus," there is a moment with Pilate's wife remaining in the judgment hall long after everyone else had left. Finally, a soldier who had taken part in the crucifixion comes in, and she asks him, "Is he dead yet?" The soldier shakes his head and says, "No, he is not dead." She questions him further, "But surely he is dead, he has been hanging there so long now." And the soldier replies, "No, he is not dead. His love is let loose in the world now, and neither Jew nor Roman can stop him." Indeed, Christ’s Kingdom continues to live into the future through YOU.
Future pondering of Christ as King is an awareness of God's reign continuing through the ages. While it is a sense God’s presence in this past and present, it is also a declaration that God will be a full part of that which is which is to come. When we live with this sense of expectation, today makes a difference.
Pilate could see no further than what was before his eyes. Pilate saw a prisoner who had made outlandish claims. Jesus saw beyond that moment to the greater truth. The future, as the past, ALL in God's hands.
I would like to close imagining the times when we gather to Celebrate the life of a loved one, In my observation, we generally overestimate the length of our lives and underestimate the power of our legacy. We overestimate the length of our lives because we act as if we should live forever, and we are heartbroken because our loved one didn’t receive the years they deserved. Yet, we inevitably underestimate the power of one’s legacy. We underestimate their legacy when we fail to fail to allow that legacy to live through us. Christ’s Kingdom alive into the future is allowing that legacy to live in us as we follow in his way, now and always.
And that is why we need to celebrate the Kingship of Christ. As we honour God’s gift throughout time in Christ; as we celebrate God alive in Christ today; and as we celebrate God’s legacy through the Body of Christ alive into the future. May we name Christ as our King now and always! Amen.