Who is Christ the King?



 Gate Pa –Christ the King Sunday, 2013
Readings:
Hebrew Scripture:                 Jer 23:1-6                        
Psalm:                                     Luke 1:68-79                                       NZPB Page 39
Epistle:                                    Col 1:11-20
Gospel:                                    Luke 23:33-43

What I want to say:
We need to be really careful about how we talk about and live out “Christ the King.” It is too easy to just replicate what the rest of society expects and look no different.
One way we can do that is to approach Christmas as a time of good news for all people, and to prepare in that vein, rather than as a family time

What I want to happen:
I want people to engage in a Fairtrade animal friendly giving kind of Christmas

The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

 What images, words, phrases come to mind when hear phrase – “Christ the King”?
It is a tricky phrase
comes with a lot cultural and religious baggage
show pictures
resurrected Jesus the Christ
enthroned in heaven
all powerful
Lord of all
so why have we this reading from Luke about crucifixion?

       2.     Luke

purpose of gospels –s answer very basic questions
            who is Jesus?
from our year reading Luke – how is Luke answering that question?
for writers of our lectionary
and for Luke
crucifixion where Christ “kingship” is fully revealed

       3.     Crucifixion

most of us not so keen on whole crucifixion thing
either way too much suffering
and for many we skip past singing happy songs about how Jesus died for our sins
            whatever we mean by that
significant number of scholars and theologians suggest that this is the point of it all.
certainly for Francis – crucifixion with nativity are two pivotal points of gospels
where the one who had broken down boundaries that exclude so many people was himself declared ultimate outcast
death cross brutally painful and utterly demeaning – designed to be
            warning to not cross Rome
            declaration that all stood for was without meaning
            if you believe anything this person has told you – this is where it leads
            this way leads only to death      
            clear statement that truth and certainty was only found in Rome
through resurrection that is all turned on its head
all else is declared meaningless
life is found only in way Jesus
habit of looking to wider world for truth is declared bankrupt
pulled again back into story gospel find out who Jesus is
            and who we are
            and in doing so reminded that we are beloved of God whether we like it or not
invited to live that out
so why is it we then use images and titles from world declared bankrupt in crucifixion to understand kingship of Christ
how we see Jesus as king is some ways shapes how we live our lives
here is an example

       4.     Elizabeth of Hungary

Francis was someone who saw himself as follower of great King
troubadour
lived his life in service to great king
unlike images of king seen this morning
for him Jesus is king on cross
sought to emulate the king in his own life
            living amongst poorest as one poorest
            breaking down barriers
            honouring and blessing and making visible all he met.
Tuesday remembered one early and great Franciscan third order saints
Elizabeth of Hungary
talked about her two months ago
she is someone who was expected to live like a king with all trappings
but influenced by early Franciscans
sought to follow example of great king
sought to live simply
                       dressed simply
            gave extravagantly
            personally cared for poorest lepers and beggars
            when learnt food served came two sources
-         food grown on property
-         food extorted from poor surrounding area
ð confined eating what she knew came from own property
for her
to live in honour great king was to live in way honoured the claim of poor of the world on her
            sought to live in way – did not add to their poverty
-         alleviated consequences of that poverty
-         addressed some of cause of their poverty
-         central to all this recognising risen Christ in face poor.

       5.     Christmas

WE are about to end the church year and enter season Advent
            time preparation for Christmas
I wonder how understanding of Christ the King shapes was we are preparing for?
in light we take our images of Christ the king into that preparation
how do we prepare for Christmas in a way that does not add to the poverty of others
that does not add to the misery of animals
offers others hope?
to engage in a Fairtrade animal friendly giving kind of Christmas

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