Good Shepherd United Church of Christ

"The Reign of Christ"              John 18:33-37
Nov. 22, 2009                         Rev. 1:4-8
Metairie

On this final Sunday of our Church calendar, we hear much of kings and kingdoms.  From "Revelation" we hear that the kingdom of Jesus is not a place- not like England or Saudi Arabia , which still boast kings and queens- rather the kingdom of Jesus is a people, a population not boundaried as a geographical location.

From John's gospel we overhear a dueling dialogue in a courtroom setting where the words "king' and "kingdom" are repeated 6 times in 4 sentences.  This legal repartee will result in mortal and immortal consequences for one man and through that man for all humanity.

I wish we had set up a reader's theatre to present the gospel story, to heighten the dramatic impact.  Can you imagine the room with all its imperial trappings?  The royal standard, the royal insignia, all the trappings of power and regal authority.  Pilate embodies imperial Rome , dressed magnificently, impeccably turned out in his official uniform.  Jesus appears, stage left.  See him in peasant garb, dusty feet, crudely crafted sandals- the apparition of a country bumpkin.

Dripping with sarcasm, Pilate interrogates:  "Are you the King of the Jews?"

With quiet craft, Jesus counter-questions:  "Where did you hear this, out on the streets?"

Insulted, defensive, Pilate responds haughtily:  "Surely you cannot think that I hang around that low-class rabble?"  And then sharply, "Your own religious leaders are your accusers.  What is your crime?"

Then Jesus begins his gracious and seditious soliloquy.  Jesus has no interest in Roman territory;  his kingdom is not Palestine or Rome .  His kingdom is a kin-dom, not a place, but rather a people, a people bound by truth.  A strange kingdom, not a geographical location, not an historical succession of fathers and sons...not an accumulation of lands or castles, nor wealth nor military might.  Not a time-determined monarchy like Babylon or Rome or England .  Rather a commonwealth unboundaried by decades or even millennia.  A "forever and ever" commonwealth.

A strange kingdom, defended not by military equipment nor stockpiles of missiles, but rather defended by an army of citizens who hear the truth from their king and who testify to that truth and who witness in word and deed to that truth.

The word "witness" carries a variety of meanings.  A witness in a court of law puts his hand on the Bible and promises to "tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth., so help me God".  The witness is both an observer to an incident and a truthful reporter of what has been observed.  In many churches you would hear:  "Can I get a witness?"  And then we do NOT hear from an impersonal observer but rather we hear testimony to a very very personal experience that points to a truth that Jesus lived and died for:  The truth that God's domain, God's commonwealth, God's realm is unrestricted by any worldly constraints.  The many doors and many rooms of God's castle are open to those who seek the truth, who testify to the truth, who live by the truth.

Historical empires may last a decade or even a century.  The Assyrian Empire, the Incan Empire, the Chinese Empire...But God's commonwealth is eternal, time before time, time beyond time, time even beyond the time of death.

Today on Totenfest we remember those people we have cherished here in earthly time for a set number of years.  Their time in the Common Era is complete and we mourn the loss of them.  And we also celebrate that for them suffering and even death are past.  More than that, we trust in God's kingdom which has no end, neither time nor space.  God's realm includes the dead, the goners.  Pilate and his gang think its over when THEY say, "Its over, the game is up."  But we live by the word of God, even Jesus Christ, who proclaims that love is stronger than death.  (Can I get an Amen?)

So we have established:  God's kingdom is like no other;  Gods' commonwealth is unimaginable, truly beyond comprehension.

Strange kingdom- this dominion of God.  And strange king, this man whose soldiers are drafted to witness to the truth.  A man from a hick town, of humble birth from a despised race;  no wealth, little education, no trappings of power.  This is our king.

Of major world religions, Jesus is the only figure of such unpretentious origins.  Abraham was a wealthy man and Moses grew up in the palace of Pharoah ;  Buddha was well educated and high class;  Mohammed was an affluent merchant and literary scholar before he became a prophet warrior.

We Christians have a strange king indeed:  a Lord whose life will end in derision with a crown of thorns, a tattered robe that is ripped to rags, and  Roman cross for a throne.  "Crown him with many crowns," we sing, "a lamb upon the throne".  Our four-star general is a lamb who has, instead of a sword, a tongue that speaks truth.  The weapons of his army, according to "Ephesians" (6:10 ff) are almost entirely defensive.  Listen:

"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God...For our struggle is against the rulers, the authorities, the cosmic powers of the present darkness...Stand therefore and fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness;  to cover your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.  With all these take the shield of faith...the helmet of salvation"...all defensive armor:  a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a shield.  Only one offensive weapon is mentioned and that is the sword of the Spirit.  And that sword is the word of God.

What strange weapons for a King's army:  truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word.  And we believe, with Brother Martin Luther, that the one little word will triumph over any contender, over the assault of any evil empire.

A strange kingdom, a strange king, and a strange army he gathers.  A telling illustration is the last hymn we sing today.  The tune comes from an early American composer, Oliver Holden, 1793, who was a carpenter, a legislator, and a musician, an everyday soul.  Not a person recruited to the courts of Europe to compose pieces that glorify the earthly King or the Pope.  And the writer of the verses, Edward Perronet, is a religious vagabond- first associated with English Methodism and later a Congregationalist, both an affront to the English King.

If you remember your history, you'd be executed in Roman days when you declared Christ King.  Claiming Christ King was dangerous, unpatriotic, even traitorous because it interfered with a citizen's allegiance to Caesar.  To claim Jesus as King was a radical political act with deathly consequences.

Back to our last hymn of today-  in our New Century Hymnal there are alterations which remind us that Christ is a strange King.  Instead of the triumphal refrain, "Crown Him Lord of All" this coronation hymn shifts ironically and truthfully.  The revised version reads:  "Crown Christ Servant of all...Crown Christ bearer of all...Crown Christ healer of all...Crown Christ Savior of all."

A strange King indeed- one who serves all, bears all, heals all, saves all.  Nothing like other kings.

On the final Sunday of Stewardship season we dedicate our pledges.  The church calendar (not the bank calendar, not the commercial calendar or the tax calendar or the election calendar)...The church calendar, at least for an hour or two, dictates our activities.  This is a great day to ask:  to whom do we pledge our allegiance?  In what Kingdom do we hold our citizenship?  In which army do we serve?  In whose fields do we labor?

I will end with a story to underscore today's examination of ourselves in light of scripture:

As he was walking in the neighborhood one night, a rabbi met another solitary figure.  The two walked in  silence for awhile and, curious, the rabbi asked his companion, "Who do you work for?"  "I work for the village," the person replied.  "I am the night watchman."

The two continued in silence for awhile and then the watchman turned to the rabbi and asked the same question:  "Who do you work for?"  With scrupulous honesty the rabbi responded that he was not always sure who he worked for and then he offered to double the salary of the night watchman, if only he would walk alongside from time to time and ask, "Who do you work for?"

Good question: who do you work for?  Where do you hold your citizenship?  Who is your King?

Amen