November 22, 2015
Christ the King
- 2 Samuel 23:1-7
- Rev Ruth Chadwick Moore
Today is Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ Sunday. It is always the last Sunday of the Christian year – where we remember and celebrate the life and ministry of Jesus – before we begin the Advent time of waiting for his birth among us once more.
I always swore I would never preach on the Book of Revelation, but I am going to try and use the passage from the 1st chapter of Revelation today to help us understand Jesus a little better and to understand what it means for him to reign.
I really don’t know much about kings or what they do or which countries have kings or queens. I read “People” magazine in the doctor’s office so I can keep current on little Prince George and Princess Charlotte – who my mom says is of course name after her – but I don’t really understand what a monarchy is. I do know that a monarch or a king from the 1st Century CE was a different breed than today’s monarchs. Most of us probably envision kings and queens as existing in the image of Queen Elizabeth the II, a figure head who has no real power except that of her personality. We have presidents in the United States and they have great power and are often spoken of as being the “most powerful person in the world,” but whatever power President Obama has, it’s nothing like what was exercised by Caesar. Caesar’s power was absolute and he certainly didn’t have a Congress keeping his power in check. The power of the Roman Empire was complete control over every aspect of life and the new Christians to whom Revelation was written know only this kind of power. Revelation was written to help them understand God and Jesus’ power
The word power conjures up an almost endless array of images: military, personal charisma, political might, physical force, social influences – even freakish events of nature. For those outside the circles of power, moving inside seems to be the key to success and happiness, but gaining power almost always means learning the limits of that power. Political leaders soon discover the powers teamed up against them, or in spite of, their best laid plans. Parents find that their control over their children is not what they had anticipated. Even the power to bring about good is subject to corruption. That’s why our stories of King David and from Revelation are so helpful. They help us reflect on the nature of power and of powerlessness. They help us discover what kind of power Jesus had and how he used that power.
We learn in 2 Samuel that even though King David accomplished many things his power did not belong to him – it came to him as a gift. And his power depended entirely on God in sustaining that gift. As our Psalm reminds us – David’s power comes from God who establishes him on the throne.
So David’s power comes from God. Is that where Jesus’ power comes from? And what kind of power does Jesus have? Well if David and his colleagues are kings, Revelation tells us that Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of earth.” (v. 5) Even those who put Jesus to death, those who acted with power, will eventually learn that their power has been utterly overturned. (v.7) Only the one who stands at the beginning and the end holds real power. (v.8) Only the one who is and was and who is to come is the Almighty.
On this Sunday celebrating the Reign of Christ, Revelation provides fascinating insights into Christ’s person and work, as well as into our response to his reign. Like I discussed with the children, Revelation describes who Jesus is, what Jesus has done for us and what our response should be to all that.
First who is this Jesus who is coming to be with us again? Revelation provides a three part portrait in verse 5. As our “faithful witness” Jesus lived and moved authentically among us as a mentoring teacher and a model of sacrificial service. The word witness is also used to mean “martyr,” which speaks of his death. Jesus would not yield to opposition but continued to overturn money changing tables and spirit-strangling assumptions – all the way to his death. As the “firstborn of the dead” he overcame that death and assumed his rightful place in heaven. And as “the ruler of the kings of the earth” he possesses ultimate authority over all creation – even over human made divisions.
Secondly, Revelation gives us a description of what Jesus has done for us – he “loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.” And notice the tenses in that statement – Christ’s love for us is always present, but his work on our behalf is in the past, thought its effects continue forever.
Then we hear “and made us to be” which moves from what Christ has done, to what our work should be under his reign. We are to live as members of a “kingdom,” under Christ’s authority, and as “priests serving his God and Father.” (v. 6) This is our reminder that the people of God need no intermediaries between themselves and God, and yet at the same time we can serve as intercessors for each other. If all our priests, then there is an equality of our presence before God. As that kingdom of priests we share in Christ’s reign of goodness, of love, of mercy, and justice – interceding for creation, even as all things will be made new.
The audience for John’s Book of Revelation was under the imperial, violent and terrifying rule of the Roman Empire that would stop at nothing to crush this new religion of Christianity – a religion of love and compassion and forgiveness, instead of force, suppression and violence. Revelation declares to a Christian community under threat that with the Lord God, there is always more – more transformation to come than the earth has yet seen, more power and authority than that claimed by earthly rulers and more dignity for God’s people than earthly rulers recognize. So it is through our worship life and our serving life that the Christian community becomes part of that work through which God is continuing to transform the world.
We know violence. We see oppression. Sometimes it is hard for us to see and feel the love and the compassion and the forgiveness. Sometimes it is hard for us to show the love and the compassion and the forgiveness – it makes us vulnerable doesn’t it? And after the terrorist attacks last week we are feeling very vulnerable. But if we need an example of what the Kingdom of God, what the Reign of Christ should be like and look like, we only have to look at our servant king. What kind of power does Jesus have – only the power to love us so much as to give up his life for us so that we are free – free from sin and free to show that love and mercy in return.
How do we live under the reign of Christ our King? We follow Christ’s example as a faithful witness. We seek ardently to understand his will for us, to deny ourselves, and take up our crosses and serve others sacrificially. And we make it our life’s goal to bring others into his reign of love and praise which will last forever. In doing so, we can with confidence in a few weeks sing the song, “Joy to the World, the Lord is come, let earth receive her king.”
Christ is not a tyrant; he is a lover. He is not a power-mad despot we are forced to serve or else; he is a servant witness to what the Kingdom of God looks like. And he calls us to be the same sort of loving and serving witnesses to each other. When we grasp that calling, our lives can become sources and avenues of praise for “the Alpha and the Omega… who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” That is something to be thankful for. Amen!
Resources: With gratitude, I have used words, sentences and complete paragraphs from the following resources.
Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 4, Proper 29 (Reign of Christ), Revelation 1:4b-8.
Texts for Preaching, Year B, Christ the King or Reign of Christ.