A Sermon preached on Nov. 24, 2019, Christ the
King (Family Service) at St. Augustine’s, Wiesbaden
Jeremiah 23:1-6, Luke
23:33-43
Today is the feast of Christ the King, and also the last Sunday of the
Church year. Though when you heard the Gospel reading, you might have thought
it we were in Holy Week and that today was Good Friday.
What are the traditional symbols of a king or queen? What do they wear
on their heads? [crown – of gold, laden with jewels]. And what do they usually
hold in their hands? [scepter and orb - scepter is a staff that indicates royal
authority and the orb is a golden sphere, usually with a cross on top
symbolizing kingly power and justice]. They sit on a raised chair – a throne –
so they are above the “normal” people. And they normally have an expensive robe.
These are symbols of power and wealth. They tell us who they are. They show us
that they have power over us.
And what does Christ the King wear or hold? None of those. Well he has
a crown – but his crown is made of thorns. His robe was made of plain cloth,
and now it is bloody and is taken from him: “they cast lots to divide his
clothing.” (Luke 23:34) The evening before his arrest, instead of a scepter and
orb he held a bowl and a towel in his hands. And while his throne is raised
high above the people, it is a cross – which is supposed to shame him, like the
inscription “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38) and ultimately kill him.
These are symbols of service, suffering, sacrifice, and powerlessness. What sort
of a king is that?
According to the theologian Tom Wright[1],
Jesus is a king who stands the meaning of kingship and of kingdom, on its head.
During Jesus’ life and ministry, he has celebrated with the wrong people, with sinners
and tax collectors, he has offered peace and hope to the wrong people, the poor,
the outcasts, the foreigners, and he warned the wrong people that they will be
judged – those in power, those who thought they were God’s favorites. And now
he is hailed as king at last, but in mockery … or so the leaders and the
soldiers think.
The Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers all miss the point when they
say, “Let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God” and “If you are the
King of the Jews, save yourself.” Because that is not what Jesus came for, lived
for, and died for. Sure, I can understand why they think it would be Jesus’
main motivation to save himself. Surely everyone thinks of him- or herself
first. They did. Then – and sadly still today – the main motivation of too many
rulers is to amass and retain power and wealth.
But not our king. Our king did not come to save himself but to save
others. His first concern is for others, even on his way to the cross. Kings often
promise a place of honor and advancement on their way to their enthronement,
Jesus promises forgiveness. One of the two criminals – these will have been
rebels, terrorists we might call them, people who attacked or threatened Roman
authority – one of them recognizing Jesus as the true king says: “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.” To which Jesus replies, “Truly I
tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43) Jesus is Messiah
and King and he has the power to save – but not as expected.
In the first reading from Jeremiah we already heard a contrast between
two types of leadership. Israel’s leaders – kings and priests - had scattered God’s
flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. God promises to raise up a
different type of leader, a servant leader, a just and righteous leader, someone
who brings God’s justice, God’s saving presence and action into the world.
This is Jesus, our king and savior and our example. Like him we are
called to celebrate with the “wrong people,” to reach out to the homeless and
the refugee. We are called to offer peace and hope to the “wrong people,” those
who are persecuted or rejected simply for their difference. And we are called
to warn the “wrong people” that they will be judged – those who abuse power,
those who do not serve their people, those who sow division and hate. You see
in God’s eyes, and in Jesus’ upside-down kingdom these are the right people to
be saved and the right ones to be warned that, in Jeremiah’s words, “I will
attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:2)
I’ll finish with one of the short daily reflections I get sent from the Society of
Saint John the Evangelist.
“We live in a world where Me is king. But our citizenship is not of
this world. We are citizens of another country, whose king is a servant, whose
orb is a towel, whose scepter a wash basin, whose crown is humility, and whose
motto is service. As citizens and subjects of that kingdom, we cannot swear
ultimate allegiance in any other way than taking up our towels, holding our
basins, and getting down on our knees.”[2]
Amen.
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