Christ the King Sunday!
Focus Statement: In
this scripture, Jesus says his Kingdom is not of this world, but He affirms
Pilot's belief that he is a King by saying for this he came into the world, to
testify to the truth, and by saying those who belong to the truth listen to His
voice.
Function Statement: Because
of this sermon, the
congregation will understand that they are a
part of Christ's Kingdom today and will commit to walk more faithfully in the
truth.
Prayer
John
18:33-37
Movement 1:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be
thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in
Heaven. What are we praying for
here? Are we praying for the end of the
world? For the end of time? Many think so! Many look at how the world is and pray this
prayer looking for relief from this evil world.
"The Left Behind" series and much of the "popular"
literature written about The Revelation of John today make us think of the
Kingdom of Christ in purely futuristic terms, thus, making us long for that
future time win Christ will make all things right. Here is a trailer from one of the “Left
Behind” movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrXe8YDbzYs
But is this the way it is meant to be
understood and prayed at all? “Thy
Kingdom come. They will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Movement 2:
Our
scripture today is John's account of Jesus' answer to Pilot's question,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
The synoptic gospels all agree that Jesus answered in a rather short
way, "You say so," but John's answer to this question is much
longer. Traditionally, many have thought
that the Gospel of John and The Revelation of John were both written by the
Apostle John. This is not always agreed
upon today. Nonetheless, I think their
understandings of the Kingdom of God and Christ are very much similar. Wes Howard-Brook and Anthony Gwyther, in
their book, Unveiling Empire: Reading Revelation Then and Now say,
John's look behind the veil gave him a sense that reality was bifurcated. The word 'bifurcate' means to divide into two
branches. Apocalyptic discourse (which
Revelation is) does this by arguing that there is not only the world
constructed by those with social power but also another world hidden by
empire's illusions. The world defined by
those with power represents one branch.
This is the one most people consider 'reality' and which attempts to
define our very being. The world where
God lives and reigns is the other branch.
According to the apocalyptic worldview, this latter world is the 'real'
one, while the other is a parody or counterfeit version of this reality.11 To Howard-Brook and Gwyther, John's
Revelation shows people living in a world ruled by empire, in which Christ was
crucified, Christians are being persecuted, the poor are being taken advantage
of, people are stepping on others to get ahead, and success is measured by how
much money you have, that there is another realm in which we can live (the Kingdom
of God) where Christ (the lamb who was slain) is victorious and reigning, where
Christians are worshiping God. For John, it was happening now, not sometime in
the future! In this second Kingdom (God’s Kingdom), it is more important to be
fair and just than to get ahead, it is more important to live right and die
than to succumb to the temptations of this world, and in this Kingdom, your
success is measured by your faithfulness to God. In this second Kingdom, we can rejoice! That is why we can worship Christ as King!
In John's gospel, Jesus answers, "My
Kingdom is not of this world." He
is not the King of this world where evil seems to be winning, where people are
trampled on to get ahead, and where those without power are oppressed! He is not the King of that first branch that
Howard-Brook and Gwyther talk about. If
He were, His followers would fight to keep him from being arrested! So Pilot says, "So you are a
King?" Here Jesus answers with the
same answer as the other gospels, "You say that I am," but He doesn't
stop with that answer. He goes on to
say, "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify
to the truth." For what was he
born? To be the King of this second
branch of existence or realm of life? To
testify to the truth? John's
understanding of truth was like the Old Testament understanding of truth where
truth was moral and relational, not intellectual; to be true was to be
constant, to be permanent, to be faithful, to be reliable, and to judge truly.2 For Jesus to testify to the truth was to
testify to a Kingdom in which people could live in relation to God and each
other, where morality is a virtue, where it is important to be faithful and
reliable, and where people are just.
Jesus goes on to say, "Everyone who belongs to the truth [kingdom]
listens to my voice." Christ is the
leader in this Kingdom! Christ
reigns! Christ is King!
Movement 3:
John shows us a Kingdom in which Christ
reigns. We don't have to sit around and
wait for the end to come to live in the Kingdom and for things to be
better. For us to sit around and wait,
for us to give up and long for the end is to succumb to this world. Christ has made a way for us to live in the
Kingdom today! We can make a difference
today! We can make things better! If we live justly, if we stand for right even
when it hurts, the world will be a better place. That is what John’s gospel and the book of
Revelation is about! This isn't to say
we won't suffer; the ones to whom John wrote suffered. It is to say that in the bigger picture, in
the Kingdom that counts, we are on the winning side! John presents us with a challenge. Will we choose to live in the Kingdom where
Christ reigns, or will we live in the Kingdoms of this world? Will we walk in Christ's truth? The choice is up to us. As we encounter Christ at the table this
morning, let's commit to living faithfully in the Kingdom where Christ
reigns! Thy Kingdom come, on Earth as it
is in Heaven, and help me Lord to live faithfully in it! Thanks be to God! Amen!
Prayer of Confession
Service of Communion
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