Christ the King

Even though it is just getting posted now, I preached this at St. Mary's Episcopal on November 22, 2009.

Christ the King
John 18:33-38
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Psalm 93 Revelation 1:4b-8 (Track 2)

Opening Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer.

Introduction: I am delighted to have the privilege of being able to preach this morning. The Gospel according to John is one of my favorite gospels. For one thing, in this gospel, Jesus is not a victim. Also, this is the book of the Bible that we used for my class in Exegesis. It was one of my favorite classes because of looking at textual variants, when it was written, what was going on in the world when it was written, etc. We also looked at how John's gospel was different, and needing to look at metaphor and several levels of meaning. I really enjoy investigative work. When I was growing up, I read the whole Nancy Drew series, and all the Cherry Ames books our local library had.

Today is The Feast Day of Christ the King, and it was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the kingship of Christ as a way of combating the destructive forces of this age. But even though I intellectually know that Christ is King, my knowledge of royalty is limited. After all, we in the United Stated started off as a bunch of rebels, and haven't really changed. However, I think it is a good reminder that the Kingdom of God is not a democracy. Christ is King whether or not you acknowledge him or not.

We may petition Christ the King with prayer requests, but we have no control over how those requests are answered. Contrast that with how our government works. Our president has made it really clear that health care reform is a priority for him. Now there is a lot of input (or arguing) from people as to what is acceptable or unacceptable to them. Congress can pass or veto legislation that the president has proposed. The president can veto legislation, but if congress has enough votes, it can override the president's veto.

I wonder if we have some of that mentality in our relationship with God. Granted, sometimes we don't know what God is telling us. Other times, God says 'no', and we try to get enough votes to override that answer.

I can so used to reading about Jesus in the gospels, and relating to him as friend and brother, that I need to be reminded that Jesus is the Christ, and Christ is King. In some ways, it is like my relationship as a priest to the bishop in our diocese. At clergy gatherings, there are times of joking around with the bishop and relating as friends. There is also the relationship of brothers and sisters in Christ. There are times when I ask the bishop for advice, which I am free to use or not. However, then there are times when the bishop is speaking as Bishop, and as a priest, I had better do what I am told if I want to remain a priest.

Some kings use their authority to be very abusive, and to tax their people very heavily. They want all of the privileges, and none of the responsibilities. Then there are those that take the responsibility seriously. Margaret Silf tells the story of "The Beggar King," which invites us to find ourselves in its simple message of sacrifice and exchange:

There was once a king who had no son, and longed for an heir who would succeed him to the throne. So he posted a notice, inviting young men to apply to be considered for adoption into his family, and to become his heir.
All that he asked of the applicants was that they should love God, and love their neighbor.
A poor peasant boy saw the notice, but he thought he would have no chance of becoming adopted by the king because of the ragged clothes he wore. So he worked very hard until he had just enough money to buy a new set of clothes. Wearing his new clothes, he set off to the royal palace, determined to apply for the position of the king's adopted son.
As he approached the palace, the boy encountered a poor beggar on the road. The old man was shivering with cold, and the boy felt sorry for him. So he exchanged clothes with him.
As he was now back to wearing beggar's clothes himself, it hardly seemed worth going on toward the king's palace. However, having come so far already, the boy decided to keep traveling, and at least he would be able to glimpse the magnificent palace from the outside.
When he arrived, he was greeted by scornful laughter and sneering remarks by the king's courtiers. Nevertheless, he was finally admitted into the presence of the king.
There was something strangely familiar about the king. At first, the boy couldn't work out what it was, and why he felt so at home in his presence. Then he realized that the king himself was wearing the clothes that he had given to the old beggar just a few hours ago along the road.
The king come down from his throne and embraced the boy, holding him close in his arms. "At last you are home," he whispered. "Welcome, my son."

If you don't already, I invite you to broaden your view of Jesus; and to relate to him as Christ the King, in addition to being your friend and brother.
Amen.