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