Stir up, O Lord, the wills of Your faithful people, that we may hear and obey the voice of Christ our King. Amen.
"Are you the king of the Jews?" Today is the final Sunday in the liturgical calendar; next Sunday, Advent Sunday, marks the beginning of a new year for the church. Today, at the culmination of its year, the church celebrates the festival of Christ the King. So what's it all about, the kingship of Christ? What does it mean for us? We who are part of a 21st C Western democracy in which the notion of kings and kingdoms seems rather past its sell-by date, and even our gracious Queen is but a beloved figure-head. What does it mean for you and me to call Christ our King?
The reading from chapter 18 of John's Gospel gives an insight into 3 very different and conflicting concepts of kingship. When Pilate asked Jesus if He were a king, Pilate's notion of kingship was the Roman one, in which the only real power belonged to the Emperor. Any so-called king on Roman territory was but a puppet ruler - like Herod. The Jewish idea of kingship, on the other hand, was based upon historical memories of the glorious reigns of King David and his son Solomon and on future hopes of a Messiah, an anointed ruler who would both lead his people according to God's laws and free them from the domination of powers like that of Rome. The third image of kingship that underlies this encounter between Jesus and Pilate is very different. Jesus will only accept the title of king if it is understood that He is a king like no other. Neither a puppet like Herod nor a dynastic monarch who fights for supremacy over a geographical territory. Not the temporal lord of an earthly kingdom, who had inherited a crown from daddy or won it by violence; but the One whose kingdom does not come 'from this world'.
Note that Jesus does not say that His kingdom is altogether other-worldly; it's not a spiritual or heavenly reality that has nothing at all to do with this present world. Jesus denies that His kingdom has a this-worldly origin or quality - it is not born of this world with its evil and rebellion against God. But Jesus does not deny that His kingdom has a this-worldly destination. That's why He has come into this world Himself and why He sends His followers into the world. The Kingdom of Christ does not come from this world, but it is for this world. That is the crucial distinction.
Look back at your service-sheet for a moment - to the Responsory we said just now - words taken from chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation. According to Christian tradition, John wrote these words while in exile on the island of Patmos. His description of Jesus here is in harmony with the picture given in the Gospel: Jesus is ruler of the kings of the earth, but His kingship is like no other. Jesus Christ is unique, the firstborn of the dead. His kingdom was not won by human means; He did not conquer land by battle; He conquered sin by defeating death. Christ shed His own blood, gave His own life, to set people free and bring them into His kingdom - a kingdom ruled, not by the love of power, but by the power of love.
John's description of Christ's coming in glory draws upon Daniel chapter 7 - today's Old Testament reading. Daniel's amazing vision of God seated on a throne in heaven and the Son of Man coming with the clouds has undoubtedly contributed to the popular but misguided image of God as an old man with a white beard sitting in the sky. But in Revelation as in Daniel, this is picture-language, strong poetic imagery that is not meant to be taken literally but is meant to teach us important truth. 'Coming with the clouds' is not about a scene from Bruce Almighty nor the advent of Superman. Rather it is a statement of God's reign being over all creation as well as beyond human ability to limit or control. It means that Christ's reign has never been a local phenomenon and one day, it will be clearly seen by everyone, even by those who pierced Him - those who in every time and place, have crucified Him with their sinful actions, words and thoughts.
But death could not hold Him; His resurrection proclaimed Him King of Glory and the day will dawn when His kingdom will come on earth as in heaven - unrestricted by any boundaries of race or nation, place or time. He is Alpha and Omega. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet might appear to be a strange name for a king - but they underline the message that the Lord God is the beginning and the end, the source and the goal, of all being. Christ's Kingdom is in all tenses: past, present and future. He is Lord of eternal life, which is not a boring dreary endlessness, but a dynamic state, full of the divine energy and creativity of the Almighty One, who was and is and is to come.
Well, that sounds wonderful. But I repeat the question with which I began: what does it mean for you and me, here and now, to call Christ our King? There's a phrase in today's Collect, printed on the back of the service-sheet, which sums up what it should mean.
It's about 'following in His service'. Acknowledging the authority of your king is not a matter of paying lip-service; it involves actions as well as words.
Just now, some new choristers were admitted to our choir; last week others received their ribbons and medals; while 4 received their Deans awards at the RSCM festival here a couple of Saturday's ago. Actually, John also has recently received a medal. Anyone guess what it's for...? Not for singing! - its for cricket...
But if I ask you John, did you join Barnard's Green Cricket Club with the aim of getting a medal - what would you say - yes or no? No - it's not about getting rewarded with medals - nice as that is sometimes; it's because John loves cricket. And if I asked the choristers if they joined the Priory Choir just so that they could get medals and ribbons, I think they would say 'no'!
And if I'd asked those wearing their medals here on Remembrance Sunday whether they'd served their Queen and country just to be given such honours, I'm sure the answer would have been the same. Yes, of course we all like to receive recognition for our efforts. But no, when we throw ourselves into doing something - whether that's something enjoyable and re-creative like singing or cricket, or something difficult and dangerous, like joining up with the armed forces in time of war - we don't do it to gain an award. We do it out of love, out of loyalty and commitment to a cause; we do it to be alongside others in serving something or someone greater than ourselves.
Following in the service of Christ our King is all that and more.
At the school I attended we often had to learn a prayer off by heart for homework. One which has stayed in my mind is that of the 16th century saint Ignatius of Loyola; it goes like this:
"Teach us, good Lord, to serve Thee as Thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will..."
In our 'me-centered', pick-and-mix society, where what seems to matter most is my personal rights and my liberty to do just want I want, as and when I want to - in this atmosphere, such sentiments as those expressed in the prayer of St Ignatius are not popular. But from the very first days when Jesus called people to come and follow Him, following in the service of Christ the king is all about serving Him as He deserves. Living the Christian life has always been, and is just as much today, about labouring and not asking for any reward except that of knowing that we are doing the will of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In terms of the way you and I live our lives, that means - for example - living under the authority of biblical teaching about morality and ethics - rather than what the current celebrities or politically correct media try to dictate to us. It means loving service of the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength - not just when we feel like it or it suits us, but every day of every week, no matter how we're feeling. It means loving service of others in the name of Christ - not just a spontaneous burst of help for someone we like when the mood takes us, but regular committed involvement in the work of the Body of Christ, as long as we have breath.
In practical terms, what might that mean in the life of this congregation here in Malvern Priory? Well, if we are walking the walk, not just talking the talk, of following in the service of Christ the King, it will mean that we take our Weekly Leaflet home and respond to requests for help: contacting Ann Oldfield about helping here next Saturday; joining a rota for brass cleaning or flower arranging - or, it's not on the Leaflet this week, but there's still a great need for offers of help for the Priory Care Scheme. Do ask me or John or a Church Warden afterwards if you want to know more about any of these things. For if you and I mean what we sing and say when we claim that Jesus is our Lord and King, then we will give, and not count the cost, to support the mission and ministry of the church: more of us will join the Planned Giving Scheme; and the Appeal for money to buy new chairs for the nave won't stay on the Notice Sheet for months because everyone will give as generously as we can at the first time of asking; and next week's Retiring Collection will fund more than token Christmas presents for our Mission Partners, whose needs are so much greater than our own.
And the Prayer Requests on the Leaflet and the Prayer Vine won't just be names we mention in passing to God, as if we're doing Him, or the Church, a big favour by being willing to spare a few moments of our time in prayer. Rather, we'll see prayer as a privilege, the amazing privilege of coming into the presence of the King of kings and bringing our concerns before His heavenly throne. I could go on and on, because there are so many ways in which you and I can and should show our allegiance to Christ our King - much that's already happening but so many more opportunities for Christian service - in and though this church and beyond.
"To labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do Thy will..."
There is great reward in knowing that we do the will of Christ. But that doesn't mean it's always easy. I, for one, don't find it easy and I know I often fail miserably. Yet when Jesus stood before Pilate and was asked the question, "Are you the king of the Jews?", Jesus was under arrest; His small band of followers had more or less deserted Him. After debating His kingship, Pilate had Jesus flogged, and then sent Him off to be crucified - wearing a crown yes, but a crown of thorns. Jesus is the King who reigns from the Cross of Calvary. And it is in the way of the Cross that our King calls us to follow in His service.
Mary Barr
|
