Christ the King B
November 22, 2015
John 18:33-38
Grace to you and peace from the one
who is, and who was, and who is to come. Amen.
I am not
from Rochester. If I were from Rochester, then I would say “EL-ementary school”
I am from
Northern California. So much of who am and what I’m interested in results in my
being from a small town in Northern California: I’ve been recycling and turning
off lights my whole life, shopping at local establishments was a given because
for the most part, it was the only option, and almost everything I do, I
consider how it will affect the environment, and look for the most natural,
healthy, earth-safe route possible. Because I’m from Northern California, I
will always be a little bit of a crunchy, earthy hippie.
I don’t need
to tell you: where you’re from plays a huge role in forming who you are, what
you value, and how you behave in the world. And so it is significant when
Pilate asks if Jesus is the King of the Jews, that Jesus responds, “My kingdom
is not from this world.” In telling Pilate that he is from a place that is not
this world, he is also telling Pilate that his behavior is going to be something
other than that of this world. As Jesus says, if he was from this world, his
followers would be fighting for him, and he likely would be putting up a
violent fight as well. In case you didn’t catch it, this scene is a part of
Jesus’ trial, right before he is to be put to death. If ever there was a time
to use violence and put up a fight, this is it!
And yet, Jesus
and his kingdom are not from this world. And so he doesn’t put up a fight, and
neither do his followers. All the way to the end, Jesus lives a life that is
characteristic of the home from which he comes: he lives a life with peace as
its final goal, and a life of obedience to the Father, and a life of self-sacrificial
love.
Jesus’
unwillingness to resort to the violence of this world is at once a gracious and
a difficult word to hear, especially after yet another brutal terrorist attack
on a country similar in culture to our own. When we see violence, it is hard
not to want to respond with violence – and maybe, in some cases, this would be
the most effective way to, finally, put an end to this sort of violence. (I
wish I
Well, I’m
not really equipped to say how we can defeat ISIS or eliminate any number of
other horrific tragedies of our world. But I can speak a little bit, on this
Christ the King Sunday, about how we can work toward that kingdom of love and
peace over which Christ rules, in our more immediate context. Or rather, I can
let you speak to it. As you may know, this past week, on November 20, we had
the 5th anniversary of signing the covenant that brought these two
churches together. So I went back this week and read that document again. I was
not yet here when it was created; calling me as your pastor was the first major
action that Bethlehem and St. Martin took together as a covenanted
congregation. In fact, I read that document as a part of the paperwork that was
given to me as I discerned whether I’d like to serve as your pastor. I felt
then and still feel today that this covenant is a beautiful description of the
kingdom from which Jesus comes, the one he refers to in our Gospel reading
today. It was clear to me as I read it the amount of self-awareness and
humility that went into it, and how the end goal was not only to seek to be
part of God’s peaceable kingdom in this small way, but also to become something
bigger and better by being Christ’s body, Christ’s Church, Christ’s kingdom,
together. So rather than me standing up here and trying to articulate what
Christ’s kingdom might look like here on earth, I’m going to let you describe
it, by reading the words that you signed onto five years ago. As I read this,
consider whether you feel you have upheld this covenant, as an individual and
as a congregation:
“Believing that God has called our two churches together
to common purpose and ministry to the people of the Webster-Penfield area and
beyond, we, the congregations of Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Penfield and St.
Martin Evangelical Lutheran Church, brothers and sisters to one another and of
one Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, covenant and commit ourselves to work
together, while honoring and retaining our unique identities and heritage:
+ to build a stronger, more vital community of faithful
and joyful disciples of Jesus through our congregations;
+ to actively and publicly witness to God’s love in
Jesus;
+ to serve with and for others in the wider community,
seeking the common good, letting Christ’s light shine in and through us
together, that others may see and join us in giving glory and praise to God.
And to these ends, we covenant and commit ourselves
+ to pray for each other and our shared and unique
ministries;
+ to learn together;
+ to worship together;
+ to play and build relationships with each other;
+ to listen to each other’s concerns, fears, hopes, and
dreams;
+ to encourage, inspire, and help one another in
discovering, using, and sharing our unique gifts for the ministry of both
congregations;
+ to share ideas, ministries, and resources of people,
time, facilities, and wealth for outreach with God’s love to the community and
beyond;
+ to develop new shared ministries together;
+ to develop and support shared structures and staff to
support this;
+ to be open to change;
+ to be flexible with ourselves and one another;
+ to be patient, kind, and gentle with ourselves and with
each other;
+ to confess faults and to forgive;
+ to share burdens and disappointments;
+ to be willing to fail, as we try new things; and
+ to celebrate together successes and joys, both shared
and individual.
That, my brothers and sisters in
Christ, is what the kingdom of God looks like. That is what it looks like when
Christ is indeed our king. It is what you describe, how you hope to treat one
another here in this congregation and in our partner congregation. I believe
that is also how you hope to treat one another in the world. And when we do
that, I do believe that we bring a part of Christ’s kingdom here to earth.
In praise and thanksgiving for the work that has
already been done toward becoming Christ’s kingdom, and in the hope of the work
yet to be done, let us pray… Christ, our
King, your kingdom is not of this world, but we do pray that your kingdom might
become more apparent in this world, and that you would use us to make that
happen. We give you thanks for our covenant with St. Martin/Bethlehem, that it
gives us one way to live out your kingdom on a regular basis, and ask that you
continue to strengthen that relationship and show us new and exciting ways that
it might be used to serve you. All this we pray in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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