Christ the King [Pr. 29] November 23, 2008 “Series A”
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray: Dear Heavenly Father, we give you thanks that through your Son, Jesus the Christ, you have revealed your will for our lives, and have redeemed us from sin and death. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to your Word and the Sacraments, that we might come to gain a deeper appreciation for all that our Lord has done for us, and come to embrace him as our redeemer. This we ask in his holy name. Amen.
This morning, we celebrate the last Sunday of the church year, a Sunday in which we honor Jesus the Christ as King. It is a day to remember that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God calls us to acknowledge that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is worthy to be our Lord, who will judge the world in righteousness.
Our Gospel lesson for this morning is one of two of Christ’s teachings on the subject of his future judging of the world, recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. The first occurs at the end of what has become known as “The Sermon on the Mount,” where Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’”
In this passage, the judgement of condemnation seems to fall upon those who use Jesus’ name in a casual manner, as if they really didn’t know and understand Jesus from their hearts. Simply engaging in acts of ministry is not what Jesus wants. He wants us to know him in such an intimate way, that our actions, and the way that we live our lives, naturally flow from our relationship with him.
And in our Gospel lesson for this morning, the emphasis of our Lord’s judgement again seems to fall upon truly knowing Jesus from the heart, in such an intimate way, that as we encounter persons in need, we respond to them as Jesus would have responded. Just listen to how personal and intimate, Jesus makes his judgement.
“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, 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…” 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.”
And the interesting thing about our lesson for this morning, is the fact that those who did what Jesus would have expected, did so without trying to earn our Lord’s good favor. Because they knew Jesus so intimately, so
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personally, they didn’t even realize that they were acting the way that Jesus desired. From knowing Jesus, their life had been changed in such a way that they just naturally responded to care for those in need.
It was not as if they knowingly set out and acted in such a way to earn brownie points from our Lord come judgement day. The fact that those whom our Lord blessed and invited into the kingdom of God, did not even know that they had done these things, is a clear statement that it is not our deeds that make us righteous, but our intimate relationship with Jesus.
In a large Christian University, two persons were called upon to recite the 23rd Psalm of David, in a study group that was focusing on how hearing the Word of God proclaimed, can effect us in various ways, even change the meaning of a certain text. One of those chosen to recite the psalm was a professor trained in the techniques of speech, drama and music. As a result, he intoned the psalm with great beauty and power.
When he had finished, those in the class applauded with enthusiasm, and asked him to repeat those verses, that they again might hear the beauty of his performance. Then the second person was asked to recite the text. She was a first year student, who had yet to pick a major. With no musical talent, she chose to simply recite the psalm from memory. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
But when this first year student finished reciting that psalm, not a sound came from the class. Instead, the students sat quietly, in a deep mood of prayer and devotion. Finally, the professor stood and addressed the class. “I have a confession to make,” he said. “The difference between what you have just heard from my student, and what you have heard from me, is that I may know the psalm, but she knows the shepherd.
Now I share this illustration with you, not to point to the merits of reciting the psalms versus intoning the psalms. I personally enjoy intoning the psalms, because that is how they were intended to be heard. They were ancient hymns. But what is important to me, is that we intone or say the psalms with conviction, as if we realize that they are written by persons who knew the Shepherd, to convey their relationship with God, so that we might come to know God, as did they.
And I believe that this is where these lessons of Jesus about the final judgment ask us to focus our attention. It is not so important to know a lot of facts about Jesus, as it is to know Jesus. Of course, the fact that I have just said this, may give ammunition to my confirmation students to question why I have them learn so many facts about the Bible and Jesus. But through learning those facts, it is my hope and prayer that they might come to know God, and begin to relate to Jesus as their redeemer.
It is for that reason, that I have stressed to my kids that doing their daily devotions is more important than scoring aces on their quizzes. Even if they miss a few points here or there, I can always tell, through their participation in class if they understand the facts. And I can teach a lot of facts. But I can’t teach them to enter into a relationship with Christ. That is something that I have to prayerfully hand over to God, and the power of his Spirit, to bring to fruition.
I think Luther put it as well as it can be stated, when he said: “I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or effort believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and kept me in true faith.
What a marvelous insight, for here Luther is insisting that even our belief in Christ is not something that we can take credit in. For if it wouldn’t be for the love of God working through the church, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t even have the opportunity to have heard of Jesus the Christ, let alone come into relationship with him.
But thanks be to God that he has given us the gift of his Spirit, which has inspired his church to proclaim his Word, and celebrate the Sacraments, that we might all come to know Jesus, and allow him to become, not only a part of our lives, but through our intimate relationship with him, the direction by which we live our lives.
I remember this story from years past. During the French revolution, a mother of two children wondered through the woods for three days, trying to survive on roots and leaves. On the third day, she heard some soldiers approaching and quickly hid herself and the children behind some bushes. One of the soldiers prodded the bushes with his bayonet, to see what a slight rustling noise.
When he saw the starving woman and her two children, he immediately gave them a loaf of brown bread. The mother took it eagerly, broke it into two pieces and gave one piece to each of her children. “Is she not hungry,” said the soldier’s comrade. “No,” he said, “It is because she is a mother and loves her children more than her self.”
Well, on the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took a loaf of bread, broke it and shared it with us all. And then he gave up his all he had on the cross, wearing a crown of thorns, and was mocked as being the King of the Jews. Well, today, we celebrate that he is the King, not only of the Jews, but of the world.
And that bread which he broke and shared with his disciples, that night before his death, and words that he spoke, recorded in the pages of the Scriptures, continue to feed us, and nourish us, that we might come to truly know Jesus, and his redeeming grace. May God’s Spirit continue to work within the church and within our congregation, that we might grow in our relationship with God and his Son, that we might live as our Lord’s disciples, and be surprised to be counted among the elect. Amen.
