Sermon preached at St. Alban's on November 22, 2015
The Last Sunday After Pentecost, Christ the King,
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
by the Rev. Carl D. Mann
“If I were the King of the Forest…I’d command each thing, be it fish or fowl…As I’d click my heel, all the trees would kneel…the mountains bow and the bulls kowtow…Each rabbit would show respect for me. The chipmunks genuflect to me…If I...if I…were King.”
Now some of you may recognize those lyrical excerpts of the cowardly lion from the musical, The Wizard of Oz. They came to mind when I read that L. Frank Baum, an Episcopalian and author of the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, patterned his vision of the Emerald City after the Heavenly City in the Revelation to John.
But rather than the city part, I want to focus on the King part, because although America, a Representative Republic, rebelled against and won her independence from the English Crown, she has always had a fascination with monarchy, royalty and the divine right of kings. Indeed, after the War of Independence, there was a faction of people in the colonies that wished to make George Washington the first King of America, a position that he politely, but correctly, declined.
But I would suggest that the idea never completely faded away. The Kennedy administration was nicknamed “Camelot,” after another fictitious kingdom; there has been an attraction to the Royal Family of England which has been on-going for at least the last three generations; and who can forget the real King, Elvis Presley. Thank you very much!
Our imaginations appear to be constantly drawn to the majesty of the Court, but we really have limited-to-no experience of what it means to be subjects to a monarch, except for Vera, John and Frankie (Editor’s note: members of St. Alban’s who grew up in England).
In some respects we are no different than the Israelites of old when they first wanted a king. They had been governed by a series of Judges, of which Samuel was the last, but they wanted a king like all of the countries that surrounded them. God acquiesced to their request, but instructed Samuel to tell them what the kings of the earth were like. In short, they would become despots; demanding and taking the best of everything from their subjects including their sons and daughters, not to mention their crops and livestock.
Establishing a monarchy was all quite legal and reasonable; generally a suzerainty treaty or a covenant was created between the citizenry and the local strongman, which essentially stated that the people of a specific geographical area desired his protection from outside forces, and for that they would sustain his family with a portion of what they produced.
It sounded good in theory, and this what the Israelites thought they were going to get, but God warned the people through Samuel that because their king would be a human king, and therefore a product of the fallen nature of man, the relationship would end up being lop-sided at best, and oh, by the way, saith the Lord, “When everything goes south, which it will, don’t coming crying to Me!”
So you see, the suzerainty treaty was the basic concept of what people expected of their king and a king is what the followers of Jesus thought that he was and would be when he finally arrived in Jerusalem. Not just any old king, but the long awaited Messiah; a warrior King that would free Israel from Roman occupation, and raise her up as an independent nation to the former glory of the Kingdom of David of whom Jesus was an heir.
But something totally unexpected happened and the next thing you know, Jesus is being tried as a common criminal before the Roman Governor, which is the subject of our Gospel passage this morning. What follows is an amplified version of that interrogation:
Pilate says: “I was wondering; am I correct in saying that you are the King of the Jews?”
Jesus replies: “Did you come up with that idea on your own or are you just repeating what you heard from my accusers?”
Pilates says: “Look; here’s the way I see it. I’m not one of you, am I? But your people
handed you over to me, a Roman. That’s pretty serious business. I know they hate me, but they hate you even more for them to do this. What have you done to cause them to do something that I know they find very distasteful?”
Jesus answers: “You’re very astute. So here’s a clue. My kingdom does not consist of
what you see around you. If it were, the very riot that you fear might happen, would be going on right now and my disciples would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me from being handed over to the Sanhedrin or the Roman government. But you see, that is the human concept of what it means to be a king, and I am not that kind of a king.”
Pilate says: “Quit speaking in riddles! Are you a king or not?”
Jesus replies: “You’re a sharp guy, you tell me. You have already called me a king, but I
tell you this; it was for this reason that I was born and came into this world; to testify to the truth! And everyone who hears this truth, acknowledges this truth, believes this truth, and acts on this truth will recognize who it is that is speaking and will understand! Do you/sermon---20151122.html understand?”
You see, Christ Jesus, the Eternal Word of God, was most glorious before he ever became incarnate! The extent of his majesty is way beyond our comprehension! He is the Lord of all creation! Through him all things were made! To him has been given dominion and glory and kingship; that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him! His is an eternal kingdom, and remember that eternity goes in both directions. His throne has been established since before the world began and his dominion will last forever and his kingship shall never be destroyed. To use the language of John the Evangelist, he has always been, is now, and will be for ever.
And this Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and King, is calling us to join him in a new covenant; not enslaved under the earthly suzerainty treaties of old, but to live freely under his most gracious and sovereign rule! That is the Kingdom of God!
But you see, Jesus’ offer is a paradox, especially for us as Americans. We know from our own history that monarchies have the tendency to drift into tyranny. And we have pursued our God-given rights of liberty by escaping tyranny. Therefore it is difficult for us to even consider putting ourselves into subjection under any lord, temporal or divine. But the truth is this: it is only by entering into this covenant with Christ Jesus and putting ourselves under his subjection, which enables us to fully experience the very God-given freedoms that we are trying to pursue! It is only when we become totally dependent upon our Lord and our God that we become more independent to live our lives in this world in a way that more closely resembles that which He intended for us, but will not be completely realized until the day of resurrection.
Brothers and sisters in Christ; today is the Last Sunday after Pentecost, a day on which we celebrate Christ the King. It is the beginning of the end of the Church calendar. It is the day that reminds us that we will soon be entering into the season of Advent; a time of reflection and preparation in which we anticipate the celebration of the anniversary of the Incarnation, which prompts us to reflect and prepare for that day of resurrection when our King returns and will manifest himself in all of his majesty and glory! And to that I say, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20) In Nomine Patris
Now some of you may recognize those lyrical excerpts of the cowardly lion from the musical, The Wizard of Oz. They came to mind when I read that L. Frank Baum, an Episcopalian and author of the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, patterned his vision of the Emerald City after the Heavenly City in the Revelation to John.
But rather than the city part, I want to focus on the King part, because although America, a Representative Republic, rebelled against and won her independence from the English Crown, she has always had a fascination with monarchy, royalty and the divine right of kings. Indeed, after the War of Independence, there was a faction of people in the colonies that wished to make George Washington the first King of America, a position that he politely, but correctly, declined.
But I would suggest that the idea never completely faded away. The Kennedy administration was nicknamed “Camelot,” after another fictitious kingdom; there has been an attraction to the Royal Family of England which has been on-going for at least the last three generations; and who can forget the real King, Elvis Presley. Thank you very much!
Our imaginations appear to be constantly drawn to the majesty of the Court, but we really have limited-to-no experience of what it means to be subjects to a monarch, except for Vera, John and Frankie (Editor’s note: members of St. Alban’s who grew up in England).
In some respects we are no different than the Israelites of old when they first wanted a king. They had been governed by a series of Judges, of which Samuel was the last, but they wanted a king like all of the countries that surrounded them. God acquiesced to their request, but instructed Samuel to tell them what the kings of the earth were like. In short, they would become despots; demanding and taking the best of everything from their subjects including their sons and daughters, not to mention their crops and livestock.
Establishing a monarchy was all quite legal and reasonable; generally a suzerainty treaty or a covenant was created between the citizenry and the local strongman, which essentially stated that the people of a specific geographical area desired his protection from outside forces, and for that they would sustain his family with a portion of what they produced.
It sounded good in theory, and this what the Israelites thought they were going to get, but God warned the people through Samuel that because their king would be a human king, and therefore a product of the fallen nature of man, the relationship would end up being lop-sided at best, and oh, by the way, saith the Lord, “When everything goes south, which it will, don’t coming crying to Me!”
So you see, the suzerainty treaty was the basic concept of what people expected of their king and a king is what the followers of Jesus thought that he was and would be when he finally arrived in Jerusalem. Not just any old king, but the long awaited Messiah; a warrior King that would free Israel from Roman occupation, and raise her up as an independent nation to the former glory of the Kingdom of David of whom Jesus was an heir.
But something totally unexpected happened and the next thing you know, Jesus is being tried as a common criminal before the Roman Governor, which is the subject of our Gospel passage this morning. What follows is an amplified version of that interrogation:
Pilate says: “I was wondering; am I correct in saying that you are the King of the Jews?”
Jesus replies: “Did you come up with that idea on your own or are you just repeating what you heard from my accusers?”
Pilates says: “Look; here’s the way I see it. I’m not one of you, am I? But your people
handed you over to me, a Roman. That’s pretty serious business. I know they hate me, but they hate you even more for them to do this. What have you done to cause them to do something that I know they find very distasteful?”
Jesus answers: “You’re very astute. So here’s a clue. My kingdom does not consist of
what you see around you. If it were, the very riot that you fear might happen, would be going on right now and my disciples would be fighting tooth and nail to keep me from being handed over to the Sanhedrin or the Roman government. But you see, that is the human concept of what it means to be a king, and I am not that kind of a king.”
Pilate says: “Quit speaking in riddles! Are you a king or not?”
Jesus replies: “You’re a sharp guy, you tell me. You have already called me a king, but I
tell you this; it was for this reason that I was born and came into this world; to testify to the truth! And everyone who hears this truth, acknowledges this truth, believes this truth, and acts on this truth will recognize who it is that is speaking and will understand! Do you/sermon---20151122.html understand?”
You see, Christ Jesus, the Eternal Word of God, was most glorious before he ever became incarnate! The extent of his majesty is way beyond our comprehension! He is the Lord of all creation! Through him all things were made! To him has been given dominion and glory and kingship; that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him! His is an eternal kingdom, and remember that eternity goes in both directions. His throne has been established since before the world began and his dominion will last forever and his kingship shall never be destroyed. To use the language of John the Evangelist, he has always been, is now, and will be for ever.
And this Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and King, is calling us to join him in a new covenant; not enslaved under the earthly suzerainty treaties of old, but to live freely under his most gracious and sovereign rule! That is the Kingdom of God!
But you see, Jesus’ offer is a paradox, especially for us as Americans. We know from our own history that monarchies have the tendency to drift into tyranny. And we have pursued our God-given rights of liberty by escaping tyranny. Therefore it is difficult for us to even consider putting ourselves into subjection under any lord, temporal or divine. But the truth is this: it is only by entering into this covenant with Christ Jesus and putting ourselves under his subjection, which enables us to fully experience the very God-given freedoms that we are trying to pursue! It is only when we become totally dependent upon our Lord and our God that we become more independent to live our lives in this world in a way that more closely resembles that which He intended for us, but will not be completely realized until the day of resurrection.
Brothers and sisters in Christ; today is the Last Sunday after Pentecost, a day on which we celebrate Christ the King. It is the beginning of the end of the Church calendar. It is the day that reminds us that we will soon be entering into the season of Advent; a time of reflection and preparation in which we anticipate the celebration of the anniversary of the Incarnation, which prompts us to reflect and prepare for that day of resurrection when our King returns and will manifest himself in all of his majesty and glory! And to that I say, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20) In Nomine Patris