Christ the King
by Rev Allister Lane
24th November 2013
Luke 23:33-43
Colossians 1:11-20
The end of the year is quickly drawing to an end.
In fact, just one week to go – if we are talking about the church year!
Next Sunday is Advent. And it marks the start of the Church calendar.
Unlike the regular calendar, the Church calendar follows the life of Christ.
And so from next Sunday we start the Church year anticipating the coming of Jesus into the
world.
The Church year begins with a period of ‘prenatal preparation’.
With our recent reflecting on giving at St John’s, we have reiterated the important theological
conviction that God starts the flow of giving.
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (John 3:16).
This is THE event that kick-starts the Church year.
It’s THE event that initiates God’s greatest self-revelation.
It’s THE event of God’s great rescue.
And it’s THE event that marks a new era, a new reign, a new Kingdom.
Again what we’ve been exploring recently is how God’s kingdom is a dynamic experience of
giving and receiving – that we are asked to participate in.
We receive from God’s overflowing love (creating, forgiving, restoring love).
And, having received, we are able to share in one of the inherent characteristics of God – we
can join in the kingdom experience, by being givers ourselves.
And, lest we be lulled into some cosy religious system of convenience, or an obligation to
exchange, Jesus reveals (among many other things) the Kingdom functions not by way of
transaction – but with the power of transformation.
People who encounter the Kingdom in Jesus (and enter the experience) have their lives
transformed.
Today’s Gospel reading may seem like a strange one: Jesus dying on the cross.
But in this encounter between the thief and Jesus, we see the transformation of the
Kingdom.
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Unable to offer anything to Jesus, the thief is given God’s grace. He becomes the
undeserving recipient of eternal life – relationship with God, communion in God’s eternal
Kingdom.
Jesus is not a king who uses his power to save himself, but one who saves others.
Next week we will anticipate Christ’s arrival as a helpless babe.
Today we celebrate Christ the King.
This man who was crowned with thorns is celebrated as the risen King crowned in glory. On
the cross Jesus remains resolutely committed to his kingly mission. Only in the
powerlessness of the cross can Jesus demonstrate the authority that ultimately rescues
thieves, scoffers and religious leaders.
Jesus is a King who saves us precisely by not saving himself.
And today is not just a commemoration; not merely a memorial for a heroic king.
Christ the King Sunday emphasises both the character and purpose of Christ and the
characteristics and activities of those who bear his name.
As citizens in Christ’s kingdom, we are called to participate in his ministry.
Here at St John’s we have had the tremendous joy of celebrating a lot of Baptisms (with
more to come!).
And, as part of each Baptism, we welcome people into the Body of Christ. We proclaim that
we are a community who intentionally commit to influence each other’s lives, and encourage
growth in the faith we share, so that we may grow more into the likeness of God.
We all share responsibility for the health and well-being of the Christian community as a
whole.
And next Sunday we will ordain three new elders. And Gina, Jeffery and Linda know that this
role of elder has a particular focus – of servant leadership, where they serve not their own
interests but the welfare of Christ’s Church.
The role of elder has particular responsibilities, and therefore greater accountability. But we
all have a responsibility to contribute to the common good. The language often used in
Reformed theology is the priesthood of all believers – this describes the commitment we
have to serve one another in Christ’s name.
In the Old Testament God’s judgment is sometimes directed at the leaders, the kings and
rulers, who had failed in their role to serve the people, neglecting the needs of the people.
But the Old Testament also holds out hope. A “righteous Branch” will be raised up, a leader
who will deal wisely, execute justice, and enable people to live in peace and security.
(Jeremiah 23:51)
In contrast to the record of failed leadership, New Testament writers use the familiar image
of king to present Christ as this new leader: a servant king.
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The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign
as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
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This image is echoed at the start of the Church calendar (at Advent and Christmas). The
cycle of the Christian year moves us from a culminating celebration of Christ as king back to
the beginning again, as in Advent we anticipate celebrating the coming of the King.
Just as we continue to pray, “Your kingdom come,” so this seasonal transition reminds us
that, yes, the kingdom of God is here, but there is a very real sense in which the kingdom is
still arriving.
Yes, Christ the king has come, and Christ will come again.
This forward movement (from one completed church year into a new church year) reminds
us that Christ’s kingdom is both an accomplished reality and a continuing work in progress.
As participants in Christ’s Kingdom, each of us claims our full identity as Christians as we
continue our growth in Christ.
This is a dynamic experience. And it is one we are invited to participate in.
In recent weeks we’ve described this experience in terms of receiving and giving; like we are
standing midstream in a continuous flow of grace. We give as Jesus gives, and in the
worship which is our wholes lives, living in (and with) the grace of God we become part of
the transformation at the heart of God’s kingdom.
We could also describe this dynamic experience like breathing: inhaling and exhaling.
We breathe in the nurture and nourishment Christ provides in word and sacrament; we
receive the benefits of the support and encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ –
the priesthood of all believers.
And then, we breathe out.
We preach and teach, work and witness by caring for and caring about all God’s people and
the creation.2
The Lord’s Prayer concludes:
“For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.”
These are attributes ascribed to God.
But (as we have heard) because of Jesus, ‘power’ and ‘glory’ can be reflected in our lives.
The nature of this ‘power’ and ‘glory’ is also revealed in Jesus: our joy is not in exercising
control over others but in demonstrating the compassion, forgiveness, and grace of God that
has transformed our lives.
We do this for the benefit of others and the good of all.
And in doing so, the love of God in Christ flows through us and change happens.
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We are not passive recipients of the blessings of citizenship within Christ’s kingdom. Recipients also have
responsibility. We have been blessed to be a blessing, and how we bring that blessing is an important part of
our ministry and mission. In the section prior to the passage read today from Colossians the Church is
encouraged to lead lives worthy of Christ, fully pleasing to him as we bear fruit in every good work and as we
grow in knowledge of God. (1:10) Having ourselves been rescued from the power of darkness we have been
transferred into Christ’s kingdom (1:13).
Having experienced this transference, we become agents of transformation in the church and world.
Having been forgiven, we have power to forgive.
Having experienced Christ’s love and care, we can be caring and compassionate, gracious and generous in
word and action.
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As participants in his kingdom we share the same power of Jesus.
How we use this power says much about how we see Christ as king and how we see
ourselves. We demonstrate the truth of God’s kingdom to others by the way we live as
citizens of the kingdom.
Sharing our love and patience;
with simple actions of service – cooking, teaching, nursing;
our gestures of grace and generosity continue the dynamic of transformation at the heart of
God’s Kingdom.
It’s as simple and intimate as breathing – and also as important for life!
Amen.
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