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The Last Sunday after Pentecost: Christ the King
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in thy well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 29)
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Scripture citation(s): John 18:33-37; Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1:4b-8
A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
on
John 18:33-37; Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1:4b-8
✛
Christ the Redeemer King
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Today is the Feast of Christ the King, and it is Commitment Sunday for our Every Member Canvass – when we offer the pledges so far received towards the mission and upkeep of our parish church and choir school to God. In offering them to him on the feast of Christ to King we are challenged to think not just about how we are living stones of this place but how our mission furthers the Kingdom of God.
Our first two readings, today, give an apocalyptic vision of the end of time. Each of them uses images that are powerful and majestic. Books are to be opened; the court sits in judgment; the king comes in the clouds and will rule all earthly kings.
At Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in Westminster Abbey over 60 years ago, the Queen was presented and vested with many symbols of her role, but before she was given the Crown of St Edward she had to hold two ancient symbols: the scepter with the cross – a symbol of kingly power and justice, and the rod with the dove – which represents equity and mercy. This balance between power, and equity and mercy is significant. As she held those symbols, the Archbishop only then placed the crown on her head.
When the Queen left Westminster Abbey, she carried the scepter but, significantly, changed the rod with the dove for the orb. The orb is a golden ball, which represents the earth and it is surmounted by a cross. When first presented, these words are used: “Receive this orb set under the Cross, and remember that the whole world is subject to the Power and the Empire of Christ our Redeemer.”
Christ our Redeemer.
“Are you the King of the Jews?” said Pilate to Jesus.
Pilate represented the magisterial authority of the Roman Empire; he was a judge and had symbols of his office. In front of him was Jesus, whose symbols of office were soon to be given to him – but not the symbols of a human empire. Before he could reign as King, Jesus was to be crowned with thorns, be stripped of even his underclothes and enthroned on a cross. And as he stretched out his arms on the cross in a loving embrace, he drew the entire world to himself. We recall the words he spoke shortly before he was tried by Pilate who sat in judgment:
“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12: 31-33
On the cross we see true judgment, equity and mercy that afforded hope to all people because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his Ascension to the right hand of the Father… ‘from which he will come to judge both the living and the dead.’ (The Nicene Creed)
When Archbishop Oscar Romero preached his last homily – the day he was shot at the altar – he said these words, quoting from the Vatican 2 document ‘Gaudium et spes’: “ ‘God’s reign is already present on our earth in mystery. When the Lord comes, it will be brought to perfection.’ That is the hope that inspires Christians. We know that every effort to better society, especially when injustice and sin are so ingrained, is an effort that God blesses, that God wants, that God demands of us.”
If we look at the Reredos of our Church, there, high above the empty cross is an image of the Ascended Christ who is also Christ the King. He wears the trappings of kingly state – the royal robes, the crown itself and, in his left hand he hold the orb. Thus, surrounded by the saints and the angels he rules over his creation. If we look closely, we will see that he is also wearing a chasuble – the priestly garment which reminds us of the his self-offering on the cross and his command to ‘do this in remembrance of me’ in the mass. But if we look even more closely, we will see that he is wearing something else under the chasuble – the dalmatic. The dalmatic is the ancient garment of the deacon and the role of the deacon is to serve – the first deacons of the church served the poor and the widows long before they ever had a liturgical function.
It is very significant to me that, with all the human trappings of kingly power, the image of the ascended Christ wears the garment of service to the poor. You will also notice that he does not have a scepter; instead, his right hand is raised in blessing…or is it in judgment? My friends, if we look even more closely, we see that this hand of judgment and blessing is still pierced – the wounds of love still fresh and which consecrated the universe rather than dominated it.
So that takes us back to Pilate. There is no dialogue between Pilate and Jesus – Pilate is simply interrogating him. Significantly, Jesus ignores Pilate’s second question about wrongdoing and continues to respond to the question on kingship. Here we see human power meeting the justice of God; “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” And there our reading stops. Whenever I read this passage I think of the few times that I had to make statements in court as a witness – and the oath that I had to swear: “I swear by Almighty God that the evidence I shall give shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Jesus did not stand before Pilate – Pilate stood before his creator: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” Now the words, missing from this reading, become chilling: “Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”
Our journey to discover the Kingdom of God is through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. As St Paul said to Timothy: “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.” (2 Tim 2:11-12)
My friends, the truth does, indeed, set us free.
Some words of my predecessor, Father Mead: “Christ’s rule and service are perfect freedom. Growing up is a life’s work. But in the end, on the other side of death (for death is sin’s wages paid in full), having died with Christ the firstborn, we will be with him in paradise.”
