Christ the King Sunday – November 21, 2010
Luke 23:33-43
“The King is dead; long live the King!”
In 1272, King Henry III died while his son, Edward I, was off fighting in the Crusades.
To avoid any chance of civil war, the Royal Council proclaimed: “The throne shall never be empty; the country shall never be without a monarch.”
Edward I was declared King of England and the practice of immediate succession was born. “King Henry is dead; long live King Edward!”
Edward I reigned in absentia until the news reached him and he returned to England – two years later.
This morning’s Gospel reading is one we seldom hear except during Holy Week…
The story of Jesus’ death isn’t one we tend to dwell on out of context.
First of all, we prefer more pleasant stories about Jesus;
Secondly, when we think of Christ the King we’d rather visualize him sitting on his throne in heaven rather than hanging on his cross.
What we hear in this story, however, is a powerful acclamation of how God’s Kingdom works…
The chief priests miss the point of God’s reign and resist God’s Messiah King;
The Romans mock Jesus by placing the sign on the cross: “King of the Jews” as they watch this pretender king die – “Your ‘king’ is dead”…
The faithful, however, recognize the truth and proclaim: “Long live the King!”
Let us pray…
Almighty and merciful God,
you break the power of evil and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and on earth proclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.
you break the power of evil and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and on earth proclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.
Guide us today as we seek to more fully understand the Kingship of Christ;
help us to overcome the self-centered ideas that keep us from submitting to you.
help us to overcome the self-centered ideas that keep us from submitting to you.
We ask that you lead us into the Scriptures in Jesus Name. Amen.
Christ the King Sunday is a joyous celebration…
White paraments; white flowers; colorful banners; happy music;
The end of the church year; the beginning of Advent – leading us up to Christmas
Our culture: less government, less authority, self-reliance, rugged individualism,
we can take care of ourselves!
we can take care of ourselves!
“KING” – an idea we shunned in 1776; kings are oppressive;
We are the authority; “We the People” – That’s democracy!
It’s true…Some monarchies are oppressive; democracy is better; and so forth…
There is a problem when we allow our culture to define our faith…
Some churches, disliking the whole “kingdom” thing, have changed their church language from the Kingdom of God to the Realm of God.
They are letting culture transform Christianity instead of allowing Christianity to transform culture.
Let me be clear…we may be used to democracy where we all have a voice…BUT, that is not Christianity and it is certainly not God.
· Our faith is not a democracy
· We did not elect God president and we can’t vote Him out in four years
· It’s God’s way or no way!
We also need to realize that God is a different kind of king than we’re used to…
All-powerful AND all-loving, all-merciful, and
in a love relationship with his subjects through the Church
in a love relationship with his subjects through the Church
This king is about mercy, peace, and forgiveness – not oppression
Today’s Gospel takes us into the palace of Christ the King where Jesus is high and exalted
on his throne…
on his throne…
His palace is a place called The Skull – Golgotha
His throne is a cross where he hangs and calls out to his God: Dad, forgive these who don’t realize…He doesn’t resist his agony; he doesn’t return evil for evil
His “subjects” hang around the palace courtyard…
Some gamble for his clothing
Those who condemned him make fun of him: “If you’re really the king, save yourself!”
The Roman soldiers mock him: “Some king! What a joke! Here, king, have some wine!”
Even one of the criminals about to die next to him gathers enough strength to insult him: “You said you were king; c’mon save yourself and us too!”
Some king indeed…Today the church gathers around the throne to celebrate Christ our King…
We gather at a place called The Skull and we watch a man die…”The King is dead!”
There’s no denying that this scene is hard to watch…
We want our king to wear a crown of gold, not a crown of thorns…
In fact, we’re kind of surprised that this story is told on such a joyous Sunday, right before Christmas, one of the happiest times of the year…
Isn’t it just like Jesus to speak to us in unexpected and surprising ways?
This King of ours was more interested in the poor than in the rich…
More interested in freeing those in bondage than sucking up to those in power
He defied the status quo…
He ate when he was supposed to fast
He worked when he wasn’t supposed to work
He hung around with the wrong crowd and blessed those who most people ignored
He taught us to forgive the unforgivable
He made it clear that his idea of being King meant be a servant and that he expected nothing less from his followers.
This is a truly humble King who rules through love, compassion, and infinite wisdom…
This is a King who knew that, “If you want to save your life, you will lose it.
If you lose your life for my sake you will save it.”
If you lose your life for my sake you will save it.”
And so, this King willingly gave up his life that day on the cross…
“The King is dead.”
“The King is dead.”
To save our eternal lives when he was raised from the dead…”Long live the King!”
Seems like today may be the perfect time for us to re-visit this Gospel story…
Next Sunday we begin our time of preparation to welcome the Infant King Jesus
It’s good that we remember why he was born; why he died; and that he reigns today.
Jesus is dead; long live Jesus Christ, our King!
Amen!
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