Holy Irony! Jesus is King?

Last Sunday after  Pentecost, Cp29, November 24, 2019  Christ the King

Jeremiah 23:1-6  Ps. 46           

Col. 1:11-20    Luke 23:23-33   

Lectionary Link

We might think that billboards were a modern invention for mass advertising, but we find from the Gospels that the cross of Jesus Christ was also a billboard.  On the cross of Jesus, it was written, "The King of the Jews."

This inscription would be interesting to ponder during the actual time of Jesus.  Why would writing be placed upon a cross?  Who would see it?  How many people who would be in the audience for the event that lasted just a few hours would actually be literate?  Would it be an internal joke among the Roman soldiers who could read?  Crucifixions were public spectacles to discourage others about even thinking about rebellion and insurrections.

It is hard for me to understand who the actual viewers would have been to see the words written on the cross.

What is easier for me to understand is the literary function of this billboard within the early Christian community.  "The King of Jews," being written on the cross in the account of the crucifixion is a proclamation of the profound irony which was involved in the cross of Jesus.

Today is the feast of Christ the King and this is perhaps the original irony which instigated the split between the church and the synagogue.

The feast of Christ the King, became a feast because a pope observed the success of the Bolshevik revolution and secular and atheistic political movements in Europe.  How could Christians celebrate an event of Christian politics?  So, we have the arising of the feast of Christ the King.

We know that for us that not only was Christ as king, an ironic notion; the very notion of monarchical governance is a big problem for us as Americans.  We formed our country because we did not believe that monarchy was  true to the nature of free independent people who could determine their own governance.

Americans love the romance of European tourism monarchies and gossip about the Royal family.  We enjoy the Disney fantasies about royalty, even while we are very skeptical about the notion of kings and monarchies.

In the Hebrew Scripture, the notion of kingship was originally problematic.  The tribes of Israel were a loose federation governed by prophets, seers and judges.  The tribes of Israel begged the last famous Judge Samuel to give them a king who would lead an army to protect because all of their enemies had kings with armies.  Samuel, warned them that it was not God's will.  He warned them that a king would be a "socialism of one; a king is a very demanding central government."  The king would take your young men for his army and he would take a disproportionate amount of the goods and services of the country to support his life style.  Reluctantly, God and Samuel, agreed to have a God chosen king, who would be invested in the act of pouring oil on the head.  This anointing is where the word and notion of Messiah derives.  The oil is symbolic of God's spirit selecting and initiating God's chosen leader.  This is also perhaps a variation of the ancient notion of the "divine right" of kings that is found in many ancient societies.  It is also the highest religious political propaganda because, "if God has chosen the leader, then how can mere people oppose such a leader?"  It becomes blasphemy to oppose the divine king."

Let us ponder how the designation of "The King of the Jews" is a highly ironic notion for first century Palestine.  In the time of Jesus, who was the actual King of the Jews?  It was the Caesar and his local representative, King Herod.  So, the Roman soldiers who knew that Caesar was King, mocked the small town prophet king as being but a joke.  In the Passion story, the notion of Jesus as a King was presented as a threat to the Caesar.  Jesus as King was seen as disclosed to the Roman authorities by the Jewish religious leaders who paid Judas 30 pieces of silver for this secret knowledge held by the followers of Jesus.  They confessed Jesus as being the chief candidate for this mythical successor of King David, the Messiah.  The Passion crowd cried, "We have no king but Caesar," which meant that Jesus was presented to Pilate and Herod as a competing pretender to the throne.

That Jesus died a death on the cross was proof that he was not a military king Messiah like David who would be so great as to deliver Israel from the domination of Caesar.  And because Jesus was not a military Messiah, at the death of Jesus, his followers scattered.  How could Jesus on the cross be the Messiah?  And so we understand the chief reason that the synagogue separated from the Jesus Movement.  It was the irony about how Jesus was the king; it was the irony of not being able to believe one's eyes.  For most of the members of the synagogue, Jesus could not be a true Davidic Messiah king because he did not deliver Israel.  In fact, Israel was destroyed by the Roman armies with Jerusalem and the Temple being razed to the ground in the year 70.  How could Jesus be the Davidic Messiah with such devastation of the homeland?

The irony of Jesus as a king and as a Messiah was fulfilled in the early church, through what I would call the mysticism of Jesus Movement.  What is the mysticism of the early church which would bring a person to confess Jesus as the Messiah?  The followers of Jesus had the privilege of the mystical encounters with Risen Christ which was so real, they were convinced that he was still living.  If Jesus of Nazareth, transcended death and appeared as the Risen Christ, this powerful post-death transformation was more than enough proof of Jesus being God's chosen and anointed Messiah-King.

But you see the problem.  If you did not have the mystical experience of the Risen Christ, you could only believe your eyes and think that Messiah would be a powerful military king.  One can sympathize with people who did not have the mystical experience of the Risen Christ; one can sympathize with those who did not have this baptism of the Holy Spirit to be able to experience this interior and vital King of Hearts.

Jesus as the Messiah became evident to those who had this experience of the Risen Christ and understood this parallel kingdom of God that transcended the visible world which was still in control of the tyrants of the world.

Now do you understand the irony of the billboard on the cross of Jesus, "This is the King of the Jews?"

It was an irony because the Risen Christ had become known and revealed as the Messiah to the Jews who had this mystical experience of the Risen Christ, but also to the Gentiles who had the same mystical experience available to them as well.

The history of the church throughout the ages is the history of the irony of Christ as king.  Even when Christianity converted kings and rulers and when so-called Christian Emperors and Kings tried to pretend they were the kingdom of the Messiah, it has not been evident that they could make it heaven on earth.  It has more often been the case that Christian leaders and popes with absolute power also found the all too human way to be absolutely corrupt.  And yet in the continuous failure to make heaven on earth, the irony of Christ as King and Messiah continues.

How does it continue?  It continues as an inside job.  Christ is the Messiah the King is known in the continuing availability of the mystical experience of the Risen Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to transforms the inner lives of the person.

Sometimes the political situations in our world seem so corrupt and bereft of genuine care for the common good, we can get discouraged about the kingdom of the Messiah ever being actually within our grasp.

I believe that many religious people think that if we can convince the kings and the leaders of the world to support us, we can make our heaven on earth. But to ally ourselves with corrupt leaders for our own power is to compromise the values of Christ.

And we can easily betray the irony of Christ the Messiah.  The Gospels of the early churches are the mystical spiritual manuals of the early churches; they present the inner mysticism within the narrative of the life of Jesus.

For those who have had the experience of the Risen Christ, they have entered into the path of identity with Jesus and with Paul, they could say, "I have been crucified with Christ, yet I live, yet not I for Christ lives within me."

The narrative of the life of Jesus in the Gospel is the narrative of the mystical identity with Christ.  This includes the mystical irony of Jesus on the cross as the king of the Jews and as the king of anyone who wants to know the power of the death of Jesus become the mystical power within each of us to die to that which is unworthy.

On this feast of Christ the King, let us be true to the mystical experience of the Risen Christ becoming the King of our hearts who has initiated us into a parallel kingdom of God.  And the wonderful thing about this mystical experience is that many, many times in our lives we find experiences in this visible world which partakes of the delicious presence of the Risen Christ, who is our King and Messiah.  Amen.

  

Sunday School, November 24, 2019 Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King C proper 29

Sunday School, November 24, 2019  Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King 
C proper 29

Theme:

How is Christ a King?

Did Jesus live in a palace?  Did he have a large army of soldiers?  No.

How is it that Jesus is a king and how is it that he has a kingdom?

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within you.  He said it was among us.

What is so special about an invisible kingdom and an invisible king?

The kings of this earth are leaders who have power.  They can force people to obey them.

Jesus is the king of persuasion.  He wins our hearts.  He teaches us to things which are good for us.  He does not force us.  He allows us freedom to choose whether we want to be a part of his kingdom.

Jesus is not like any king that this world has ever had.

If it seems as though Jesus is a king without any power, just remember he had the power to come back to life again.  He had the power to reappear to his followers again and again.  He has the ability to be with us by the Holy Spirit and help us have power to be better people.

Christ is a king, a very different king than the other kings of this world.

The fact that Jesus has not been seen for 2000 years and yet he still remains followed and loved by more people than any other king or person on earth, shows us what a special king that Christ is.

Sermon

Bring two crosses, a crucifix and a Christus Rex

Use the sermon to speak about how we speak of Christ as a King after his resurrection.  After his resurrection, we understand the cross in a different way.

Text: 

  Today is the end of the longest church season.  What is the longest church season?  Pentecost.  If this week is the end of the Christian year, then that makes next Sunday, New Year’s Day.  And what do we call the first day in the Christian New Year?  The first Sunday of Advent.  So what Christian season comes after the season of Pentecost?  Advent.

  We have a special name for this Sunday, the last Sunday in the season of Pentecost.  It is called the Feast of Christ the King.

  And so today we want to think about how Christ is our King.

  We heard the reading from the Gospel today and we wonder how Christ can be our king.  The reading that we have listened to tells us about how Jesus died.  In fact, he died when the soldiers of the great Roman king, the Caesar put him on a cross.  And they put a sign on the top of the cross that was making fun of Jesus.  The sign said: Jesus, King of the Jews.  How can a person who dies this way be a king?

  Let me show you another cross.  This cross is called the cross of Christ the King.  Do you see that Jesus has on wonderful robes and he is wearing a crown?  This cross is different from the other cross.

  How did Jesus become Christ the King?  He became Christ the King, because he did the strongest thing that could ever be done; he came back to life and he promised that God could give us life after our deaths too.  That is a great thing.  And that is why Christ is our king.

  And since we know that Christ is our king and since we know that God is bigger and stronger than death, do you know what that means?  It means that we can live our lives without fear.  We can live our lives with joy, love and faith, because we know that Christ is our King who has been stronger than death.

  So today, let’s celebrate because Christ is our King.  Christ is stronger than death.  And we can live with joy and faith because Christ is our King.  Amen.

Intergenerational liturgy with Holy Eucharist

November 24, 2019: The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Feast of Christ the King

Gathering Songs: Majesty; Peace Before Us; Lord, Be Glorified; Lift High the Cross    

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Majesty (Renew! # 63)

Majesty, worship his majesty.  Unto Jesus be all glory, honor and praise. 

Majesty, kingdom authority flow from his throne unto own; his anthem raise. 

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus. 

Magnify, come, glorify Christ Jeus the King. 

Majesty, worship his majesty; Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 46

Come now and look upon the works of the LORD, * what awesome things he has done on earth.

It is he who makes war to cease in all the world; * he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, then, and know that I am God; * I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – 

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

 Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Song: Peace Before Us (Wonder, Love and Praise, # 791)

1-Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us.  Let all around us be peace.

2-Love  3-Light   4-Christ

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of God.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

 Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia.

Words of Administration

Communion Song:  Lord, Be Glorified (Renew! # 172)

In our lives, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in our lives, Lord, be glorified today.

In our homes, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in our homes, Lord, be glorified today.

In your church, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your church, Lord, be glorified today.

In your world, Lord, be glorified, be glorified, in your world, Lord be glorified today. 

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Lift High the Cross (Renew! # 297)

Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ‘till all the world adore his sacred name.

Come, Christians, follow where our savior trod, our King victorious, Christ, the Son of God.  Refrain

All newborn servants of the crucified bear on their brows the seal of him who died.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God! 

  

Christ as King?

Last Sunday after  Pentecost, Cp29, November 20, 2016  Christ the King

Jeremiah 23:1-6  Ps. 46           

Col. 1:11-20    Luke 23:23-33   

Lectionary Link

   The Gospels are literature of the early church which gather pieces of Christian information from the root event of Jesus Christ through the time when the last editor did a "final" textual edition of a Gospel.  The Gospel is like quilt work piecing together material of the garments of thinking, preaching and reporting and recombining them in a form to serve up the intentions of the writers.
  The feast of Christ the King is a relatively late addition to calendar of the church and the lectionary makers decided to instantiate the Christ as King with a portion of the Lucan Passion account.
  In using the account of the crucifixion as a reading about Christ the King, we are invited to the sense of irony that the Gospel writer has about the meaning of Christ as King.  Irony occurs when many reading audiences have competing relationships to a certain idea based upon the circumstances of their relationship with the subject matter.
  What did the Gospel writers believe?  They believed that Jesus had a cosmic birth with legendary birth discourses that rivaled the birth discourses of the famous Caesar.  If Caesar was the king of the earthly realm; Christ was the one above all angels,  principalities and powers in the invisible realm, a realm which though invisible can be found everywhere.  It is a realm, a kingdom, into which the Gospel writer has access through the receiving the Holy Spirit.
  The Gospel writer is able to rewrite the passion of Jesus from having a post-resurrection "elevated" perspective.  Such an elevated perspective accounts for the pronounced understanding of Christ as King while being crucified.
  One of the most ironic evidence of Christ the King on the cross is the presentation of his clemency.  A king has the power to pardoned.   There are two acts of kingly clemency offered from the cross.  Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."  What an irony, "Guys don't you know you've just about to kill the king of angels?  That's really ignorant.  But Father forgive them for their ignorance about me."  The other act of clemency is seen in the interchange between the repentant thief and Jesus.  A king has the permissive power to say, "It's never too late to change the direction of one's life, even one's death bed.  Forgiven, not just forgiven but promised to be conveyed to and met in Paradise."  Only a king has the power of the clemency, but from the cross?  The cross is the ultimate place of weakness of Jesus and yet he is presented as asking for forgiveness of the ignorant and granting clemency to the repentant thief.  This is the ironic king of the Gospel writer.
  The Gospel writers goes to some detail to show what the Roman soldiers believed about Jesus as King.  They saw him as a pathetic pretender to the throne.  Those who presented Jesus for trial cried, "We have no king but Caesar."  It was very dangerous in Palestine to be regarded as an unsanctioned king.  King Herod was a king of the Jews but he served as a loyal surrogate for Caesar.  And then there was the dual notion of messiah and king.  Many Jews did not regard Jesus to be a messiah or a king, because they expected the king-messiah to be one who would come with the show of force to deliver Israel.
  This highlights a further ironic; the disagreement between the followers of Jesus and the Jews who remained in the synagogue regarding the meaning and manifestation of the messiah.
  There is plenty of evidence that even followers of Jesus wished he had been more than a wisdom teacher and wonder worker; some had hoped that he would also be exempt from suffering and death.
  The reason that the Gospel writer was not a member of the synagogue was that the writer believed in Jesus as the Messiah as one who was anointed or selected by God in a very special way through his life, death, post-resurrection appearances and the ability for an experience of Christ to be accessible to so many new and different people.  For the Gospel writer, the outcome and success of the church was proof of the messiahship of Jesus.  God did something different with Jesus than the notion of the messiah which prevailed in the synagogue.  God did something different with Jesus than being an earthly king like the Caesar.
  Jesus was the Messiah because He manifested the divine appointment by being God's unique Son who invited each person to know oneself as a child of God.  Jesus was the Messiah because He by God's power reappeared to his disciples after his death.  This power of reappearance was proof of his preserved and continuing life.  Further, even when the Risen Christ was no longer appearing in apparent visible ways, He became known within the interior lives of people who claimed to have their hearts cleansed by the presence of God, the Holy Spirit.  The experience of the early Christians compelled them to confess Jesus as the One totally possessed with God's messianic purpose and so for them, Christ was indeed the King.  Jesus as the Messiah was able to make many people feels as thought they were sons and daughters of God.  As a king, he was able to usher many into a Royal Family.
  How do we appropriate Christ as the messiah today?  We accepted that he has ushered us into the family God.  We celebrate this in our baptisms.  The Chrism of baptism is related to the Christ, the messiah, the anointed one.  The anointing with the oil of chrism bespeaks that each of us is to be taken into God purpose within the ministry that we are given in our lives.  The chrism of baptism, signifies to us that we can find the charisma, the inner charm to complement any outer ministry or vocation we have in this life.  We can be talented people with many gifts, but without the inner grace, the charism of being taken into God's purpose, we can have empty vocations and empty ministry.
  Today we confess Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ and the king because we believe that we can find the inner grace to add an inexpressible spice to the ministries and vocations of our life.
  Christ is the King of the invisible realm who will not force himself on the lives of people in the visible realm, but He will allow himself to known by anyone who wishes his forgiveness and divine grace.
  Today, with joy and with the irony of the Holy Spirit, we confess Christ as our King.  Amen.

Last Sunday after  Pentecost, Cp29, November 20, 2016  Christ the King

Jeremiah 23:1-6  Ps. 46           

Col. 1:11-20    Luke 23:23-33   

  Today, on the Feast of Christ the King, we have the rather ironic proclamation of Jesus as King.  We have read an account of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Roman soldier wrote a mock inscription above Jesus on the Cross in three different languages: This is the King of the Jews.

  Remember the Gospel is the literary art of spirituality of the early church.  The writer knew that in telling the story of Jesus the use of this inscription would be full of ironic meanings.  Why?  In the context of the actual life of Jesus, Herod was the King of the Jews, but also Caesar was the King of Jews, because Herod was just a "puppet" regional king for the Caesar of Rome.  The meanings are further problematized because of nuances to the very meaning of the word "king."  The Hebrew scripture uses at least two words for "king."  A king was a "malik" or a "mashiach."  In the history of Israel the rulers of other nations would normally be called "malik" or king.  "Mashiach" meant king in a different sense.   Mashiach comes from the act of anointing with oil.  This was a rite of designating that God had chosen or set aside someone for a divine purpose.
  In the record history of Israel, the age before the kings of Israel was the age of the Judges.  We are told that God did not want Israel to have a king; they were guided in leadership by religious figures.  But the people of Israel clamored to have kings like their neighbors; kings who could assemble armies and protect them.  Samuel warned the people of Israel that kings would be costly; they would take taxes and men for armies.  But the people decided they wanted to be like the surrounding nations and have their own king and so Samuel under divine guidance anointed Saul as the first king.  Saul then was both a king and a messiah.  The king of Israel was supposed to have a dual function; he was to be a king in the secular sense, but also a king in the sense of being committed to God divine purposes.  Saul and his family lost their "messiahship," and Samual anointed David to be the messiah and king of Israel.  David, who was far from perfect, was regarded to be the kingly ideal and he achieved the divine purpose of unifying Israel and setting the kingdom up for his son Solomon who was anointed and whose most significant achievement was the building of the first Temple.
  One can see a degree of flexibility in the term messiah.  A messiah could be a king and a king a messiah.  A messiah-king could also lose the messiah designation, like Saul did.  Priests could also be designated as messiahs in certain roles.  Foreign kings like Cyrus and Darius could be designated as messiah in that they preserved the Jewish people in exile and sponsored the rebuilding of the temple.
  During the intertestamental period the notion of the messiah was developed to address the expectations of a suffering people to have arise for them a messiah king who could restore the kingdom of Israel to independence and freedom.  It was "almost" sacrilegious to call someone a king or messiah of Israel if it did not involve the freedom and independence of Israel.
  So Messiah became the designation for a future superhero figure who would be God's obvious choice for a significant political intervention in Israel.
  Jesus of Nazareth came into Palestine and even to have it suggested that he was the Messiah was both significant and controversial.  Everyone did not agree upon the meaning of the Messiah.  Many thought that the messiah should also be a powerful earthly king who would bring judgment and deliverance.
  So to say Christ the King, is to suggest that the Messiah should have some significant political sway in the world.
  The feast of Christ the King promoted by Pope Pious IX in the 1920's  when the papal states in Italy were being taken from papal control.  The Pope could no longer be a "earthly political leader."  He was soon to limited to control of only the Vatican compound.  This was also after the Bolshevik revolution and the increasing rise of completely secular if not atheistic forms of government. 
  So the threatened Pope thought it would be good to have a Feast of Christ the King, as a way of asserting the significance of Christ to the political world.
  We know that in America religion and politics can often be problematic.  We live with a government that was formed to keep specific religious practices out of government even while protecting everyone personal freedom to worship when and where they want, except if they get pushy about forcing one's particular religious expression upon people who don't want them.
  I think that you and I can appropriate the feast of Christ the King through an understanding of our baptism.
  The oil of baptism is called Chrism.  Chrism comes from the same root word, for Christ, or Christos.  Christos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach, the anointed.
  You and I in our families and in the parish and in our vocation need what I would call both outward position and inward affirmation.
  A king or leader can have the official position within society.  But a king can be really a failure.  He can be a tyrant and an oppressor.  He can be feared and secretly hated by his people.
  To be a good king, a king needs to have the official position but also the inward charisma of kingship.  Through charisma the king wins the respect of people.
  You and I in our lives we might have outer signs of positions and ministry.  We might have the outward profession of faith.  We may have degrees and certificates which announce to the world that we have the authority to do this or that.  But if we do not have the inner grace or charisma in what we do, we can be empty holders of positions.  We can have valid and official ministry without have effective and graceful ministry.
  When we measure the worth of office and charisma, the charisma is more important and it is more validating in its effect.  When we look at Jesus of history, we find that he did not have a palace or throne.  But he did have a winsome charisma to attract the profound allegiance of a group of followers.  When we look at the Risen Christ, we understand that the realm of Christ is not in the trappings of earthly kings; the realm of Christ is with that interior realm of grace and it is a total charismatic grace-filled realm, to which everyone who wishes can have access.
  I do not believe that Christ can be understood as an earthly king or leader.  Yes, leaders have and claim to rule on behalf of Christ and often for good reason, namely the protection of the rights of Christians, but the natural order of this world may never be completely the kingdom of Christ because the kingdom of Christ cannot be an imposed order.  An imposed order would violate the most cherished notion of moral and spiritual worth, namely the freedom to choose Christ as the king and lord of our lives.
  When we were baptized we were anointed with Chrism, and so we have become anointed ones, even little messiahs.  But before we get inflated complexes, let understand the meaning of our anointing.  It means that you and I can be taken up into a higher purpose, a divine purpose as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide the words and deeds of our lives.  And while we may attain significant positions, vocations, ministries with official designation, let us seek to have first of all the charisma of our callings.  Let us seek to have that inner charm which can help us be winsome through service of others in our practice of love, kindness and justice.
  On this feast of Christ the King, let us not think about being a strong church with power to force the conversion of all people; let us seek to have the messianic anointing of our baptism be realized through the charisma, the inner grace of our lives which enables us to win others to the charismatic purposes of Christ through love, kindness and justice.
  If each Christian is able to get into the charismatic or graceful purpose of one's life, then we can be heavenly citizens, cosmic citizens while we try to make local living as heavenly as possible for as many people as possible.
  This, I believe, is the very best way to celebrate on this day and in our lives, Christ as King.  Let us make the Christ the Cosmic King very, very local through grace-filled charismatic living today.   Amen.