Sunday, November 24, 2019

Lord of All / Based on Luke 23:33-43 / Delivered on November 24, 2019 to CCH



Lord of All / Based on Luke 23:33-43 / Delivered on November 24, 2019 to CCH
Hymns: Fairest Lord Jesus, All Glory Laud and Honor, In Christ Alone

Luke 23:33-43
23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"
23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,
23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."
23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."
23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
23:43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."


Good morning and Happy Sunday to you!  I am Darci Strutt McQuiston, one of the Lay Servants of the United Methodist Church up on the hill from here.  It is my joy to be with you on this day.  Today is set apart as Christ the King Sunday.  I’m going to be blending the recommended scripture selected to honor this Sunday, so you’ll hear from both the Old and New Testaments this morning.  It is the final Sunday of the Christian year.  Next week we begin a new cycle as we prepare to welcome Christ as Mary’s little boy during Advent.

The passage from Luke seems out of place on this Sunday before the beginning of Advent.  Yet, it has three different social orders calling Jesus King or Messiah; the religious leaders, the soldiers, and his cross companions.  That helped me decide what three ideas to pull out this morning.

The three ideas are that Christ is:
Lord of religion
Lord of government
Lord of all

Lord of religion
23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!"

One of the speakers I listened to as I researched this scripture pointed out that at the beginning of Jesus ministry, he was tempted by the devil to take action to prove he was the Son of God.  Here he is at the close of his ministry once again being tempted to prove who he was by a miraculous sign.

The religious leaders were more concerned about protecting the Jewish people from the anger of the Romans than they were about recognizing the Messiah.  Their faith had them waiting for his coming yet couldn’t see he had arrived.

The Old Testament reading for today was from the book of Jeremiah.  Within that passage there are these verses which given our eyes of the future seems to point to Christ.

23:5 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.

The religious leaders had lost their view of God’s promises and instead focused their religious leadership on keeping the peace themselves.  They trusted in their own power instead of God’s.

Lord of government
23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,
23:37 and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"
23:38 There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

The inscription was provided by Pilot, the Roman leader that had the legal ability to execute enemies of the State.  After meeting Jesus he was afraid Jesus was who he claimed to be.

John 19:19-22
Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

In the Old Testament the kings were considered the shepherds of God.  God, speaking through Jeremiah, outlined the consequences of forgetting who the true leader was.

Jeremiah
23:1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.
23:2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD.
23:3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
23:4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

Jeremiah was speaking to the kings of Israel who forgot who was truly in charge.  The Roman leaders thought they were in control, but their rule was temporary.

Lord of all
23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"
23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

All throughout this moment captured in Luke we see there were some that recognized Christ as King.  Jesus had power to forgive sin.  He did it in the beginning of his time on the cross.

23:34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

He also offered his saving power to the thief.

23:42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
23:43 He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

The conversation with the criminals provides the final temptation.  It also provides evidence of the power of faith and forgiveness.  The first thief did name Jesus as Messiah but was looking for saving here and now.  The second thief held the longer-term view.

Christ the King Sunday is a somewhat new addition to our Christian year.  It was added in 1925 because of the rise in nationalism after World War I.  We’re just 5 years away from it’s 100th year and it feels just as important today.

Pope Pius XI was hoping for these effects to occur when he established the Feast of Christ the King:

1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state.
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ.
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.
(http://www.churchyear.net/ctksunday.html)

Religious policy makers still get caught up in current issues of society and protecting themselves from being judged by others by acting in ways that meet public approval.  Jesus taught forgiveness instead of judgement.  I pray for my own church denomination and believe we have a way to go to follow Jesus more closely.  In the back of my mind there is a quote – “I like Jesus.  It’s his followers I can’t stand.”  I can’t find a reference, but it provides clear caution.  The focus of the church was to make disciples and teach them all Jesus taught.  We must center ourselves on that commandment.  Jesus is the leader we must follow not society.

Political leaders still forget that they are there to be good shepherds.  They are only servants who are entrusted with caring for others for a time.  I am grateful to live in this country.  The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders, but we and they need to remember they are hired hands.  We are God’s people.  The citizens of other countries are God’s people too.  They just have a different shepherd.   Ultimately Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.  He is our lead shepherd

Lord of all means Lord of ALL, sinner and saint alike.  It’s hard to fully embrace.  This is the part that you and I can struggle with and grow to understand more clearly as we work toward being the loving people God calls us to be.  There’s probably more than one thief in heaven, but we know from this scripture that there is at least one that admitted his behavior was worthy of being executed.  Jesus looked at him with love and forgiveness.  Can we learn to do the same?

Paul’s letter to the Colossians was also assigned this Sunday.  It contained beautiful words of praise to Christ.
 
Colossians 1:15-20
1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.
1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
1:20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

As odd as it seems to be reading a passage from Jesus crucifixion on this Sunday before Advent, it is perfect for recognizing Christ as King.  He passed the test of temptation in the beginning of his ministry and he passed it again in the end.  Dying on the cross proved he was King.  Instead of saving himself he saved us; ALL of us.

We pause this day to remember Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.  I pray it is so for us all.

Amen



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