Sunday, November 26, 2017

Both King and Common Man / Based on Matthew 25:31-49 / Delivered November 26, 2017 to CCH

Both King and Common Man / Based on Matthew 25:31-49 / Delivered November 26, 2017 to CCH
Hymns: Crown Him with Many Crowns, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, They’ll Know We Are Christians


Matthew 25:31-46
25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
25:34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
25:35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
25:38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
25:39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?'
25:40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
25:41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
25:42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
25:43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
25:44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?'
25:45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'
25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."


Happy Sunday to you.  My name is Darci Strutt McQuiston and I am one of the Lay Speakers of the United Methodist Church just up the hill from here.  It’s my honor to be with you.  Today is known as “Christ the King” Sunday.  It is the final Sunday of the church year.  Next Sunday we enter in to Advent season and welcome Christ as a tiny babe.  I’m going to pull a few verses from the companion lectionary scripture in Ezekiel and Ephesians, and read the Matthew lesson as our main focus.

Today’s lesson from Matthew reminds us he is our Lord, one who has the right to judge us.  He is also our shepherd, one who protects us.  He is also that human baby we will begin to wait for next week, one who fully understands what it is to be a common man.

The three ideas I hope to bring out from our lessons today are:
The kind of King Jesus is
How to respond
Be faithful

The kind of King Jesus is
Paul spells out the power of Christ as King in his letter to the Ephesians.
1:20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
1:22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

In our lesson from Matthew he is both King and shepherd.
25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
25:33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

He is truly a servant King, and that is God’s expectation for all who are in leadership.  A righteous leader uses his power and might to care for all of those under them.  Jesus is above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and he reached out to heal and care for those who were searching for help.  King of kings, and yet put on a towel to wash the feet of his disciples.  A righteous king doesn’t judge his success by the size of his wealth, but by the health of his kingdom. 



How to respond
Jesus is clear about what behavior is appropriate toward one another.
25:34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
25:35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

We are instructed to love as Jesus loved.   Based on the laws of the Old Testament, the expectation is to share from your abundance. 
Lev 23:22 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’”

Gardeners know that part of the harvest is based on their own labor, and part is based on the sun, wind, and rain which is out of our hands.  When a year is particularly good it tends to be a gift.  God is saying we are to share the gifts He gives us with those in need.

This scripture reaches me on both sides.  I see it as instructing me how to help others, and I also have memories of when I depended on others to help me.  When I became a single mother of three small children I was in very rough shape financially.  My brothers reached out to loan me money.  They weren’t wealthy either, but they offered what they could and trusted me to repay them.  My parents gave me a gift of money.  Without their aide I most likely would have lost our home.  Most in my church family embraced me in love.  People helped by picking up my kids after their school activities and brought them to youth group for me while I was still at work.  They helped them feel loved and welcomed.

I also am a believer that we are called to see each other as one body.  Would you cut off blood supply to your foot because you didn’t feel like sharing?  Of course not.  Jesus said we are to think of our interdependence with one another as tightly as the workings of our body.  Cells don’t take extra just in case they decide they want seconds later.  They take what they need from the flow of nutrition and the flow moves on to the next cell.  However, there are times of serious infection that we do remove a part of the body to protect the rest.  I know any analogy breaks down eventually, but it helps me to think in this way.  We are connected.

We look forward to being reunited with God when we leave this earthly life, but God is within us now.
25:40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Jesus didn’t say, “it’s LIKE you did it to me.”  He said, “you did it to me.”

Jesus promised he would send the spirit.  We understand that to be God within us, but this scripture makes it a two-way street.  We also have been made part of God.

Be faithful
I don’t know about you but I have a hard time with scripture like this.
25:41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;

There are some scholars that say the sheep represent those who confess faith in Jesus and the goats are those who do not believe, but surely God isn’t basing our salvation on works after Jesus won our souls by grace!

I can hear the spirit within me saying, “Darci you are missing the point!  Focus on the behavior that is desired, not on the discipline.”  I didn’t appreciate the times my parents disciplined me as a child, but looking back can see that they were teaching me through those uncomfortable times to be a better person.  I am grateful to have that mentoring.  The lesson for today is that type of mentoring. 

I believe we are in eternity now.  We are making each moment a part of heaven’s peace or part of hell’s torment by the choices we are making.  We find peace and joy in our lives when we serve others.  We find pain when we hoard wealth over relationships.  This parable serves as our warning and our instruction on right behavior.  We are to remain faithful to God’s call to serve one another following Jesus example of serving those around him.

Thanksgiving dinner was just a few days ago.  When I was handed a serving plate from the kitchen I didn’t fill my plate and then let it sit in front of me, but instead I picked what I thought I could eat and I passed it on.  God is asking the same of us.  He gives us a serving plate and invites us to take what we need, but then expects us to pass on the plate to others.  It is poetic that some of those at our table filled their plate with more than their body needed and as a result they felt over-full and were miserable.  That is a lesson to remember.

Focus on the instruction within this lesson today.  Jesus, as king and shepherd, loves us all.  God’s gifts are meant for his entire flock.  Sometimes the gifts we are given are meant to be a serving plate.  We are blessed to be a channel for His love to flow to others.  I know I have work to do here.  I am grateful for God’s grace and patience as I work to be faithful.

I’m closing with a ukulele song based on today’s scripture.
https://soundcloud.com/darci-strutt/im-really-hungry





This is the way we’re supposed to be
To love like Jesus loved
He’ll thank such folk and welcome them
To his heavenly home above

I’m really hungry – Here have a snack
I’m thirsty too - There’s some water in my pack
I’m new around here – Please come on in
It’s a little cold – Here’s a sweater from the bin

A way to act that makes him sad
Is to be unkind you see
I sure hope I don’t run into them
If the person that’s hungry is me

I’m really hungry – I’m too busy for you
I’m thirsty too – What’cha want me to do
I’m new around here – Ya, you don’t look like me
It’s a little cold – So move to the south sea

If Jesus was the one who asked
For clothes, friends, drink, or food
You’d sure jump to help him out
Otherwise you’d sure feel rude

I’m really hungry – Here have a snack
I’m thirsty too - There’s some water in my pack
I’m new around here – Please come on in
It’s a little cold – Here’s a sweater from the bin


No comments:

Post a Comment