The Upload
Posted on Nov 21, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week.
Can you believe how fast this year is going? Next week is Thanksgiving! This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, which, in the Church calendar, is the last Sunday of the church year. This year has certainly flown by.
You know, though, as I have been preparing for worship this Sunday, I have been wondering if the image of Christ as our King is really a good image. I mean, in today’s world when we think of kings, or royalty in general, don’t we think of people like The Queen of England or Prince Charles? These are people with wealth, prestige, power, and fame. Or, if that is not the kind of royalty that comes to mind, maybe Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll comes to mind? Or maybe when you think of a king you think of Burger King. No matter what comes to mind, none of these images represents the kingship that scripture proclaims and intends for us to imagine when it speaks of Christ’s kingship.
For the ancient people of Israel, God’s people, the concept of “kingship,” at least in its purest and most prophetic form, had little to do with either the pomp, circumstance or chivalry we associate with the great houses of Europe or the images we’ve picked up from fairy tales or the celebrity foolishness of the present-day royalty. Biblical kingship had to do with justice and righteousness and a compassionate God.
From a biblical perspective, the favorite image for the king was a shepherd. Other nations and peoples saw their kings as gods or as fierce creatures, as powerful and destructive people who sought conquest and domination. For the Israelites, a shepherd could be fierce and war-like when protecting the flock from predators, but the shepherd’s main job was to protect the sheep from harm and to provide for their growth and happiness. A shepherd had to think of his or her own needs last and the needs of the herd first. This is the image Israel chose for their king.
In our Gospel lesson for this Sunday (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus tells a story of what will happen when the Son of Man, the descendant of David, comes “in his glory.” The vision is of all people of all time being gathered before the “judgment seat.” The king, the Good Shepherd, will separate the people into the sheep and the goats – sheep on the right, goats on the left. As this good king explains his actions, I find it fascinating that the situations mentioned aren’t extraordinary, and none of them are at all religious.
One neither has to believe in God nor believe anything in particular about God in order to pass muster. There is no mention of either theology or liturgy in this list. These are realities all of us confront on a regular basis: Hunger, thirst, homelessness, nakedness, sickness and imprisonment. We are not asked to solve these problems; we are only invited to respond to the human need right in front of us. Feed people, give them water, give them shelter, give them clothing, provide decent healthcare, visit and console them in prison.
Brothers and sisters, our king is not one that commands us to think or believe in any one way. We are called and empowered to act on his behalf. We care for others and the world because we are the church, and as we are reminded in the book of Ephesians, we are the body of Christ. We are the activity of God in the world. We are the ones who are fulfilling the role of “king/shepherd,” tending to God’s beloved children.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave