“Are You The
King?”
Al
Hocutt
November 26, 2006
Today brings a close to
the Christian year. Christ the King Sunday
ends the year and we began afresh and anew with the season of Advent. For
most of us it is a mere passing of another Sunday after Thanksgiving and
we are still eating leftovers or finding a reason to eat out. What does it
mean for us? Our new year begins in January filled with New Year
resolutions and new plans for the new year. This time of the year keeps us
confused. Christmas carols are being played on the radio; Christmas
decorations are put in their place and we make those last dashes to find
the last minute presents that we have not bought. The church begins to
talk about the coming of Jesus and even some
people celebrate with a birthday cake for the birth of
Jesus. Advent is difficult because we are not
supposed to sing Christmas carols until after December 25th,
but we just don’t know the hymns for Advent. And today is
Christ the King Sunday, what’s all this talk
about a king? Christ the King Sunday brings
to a close all that we have heard and learned about
Jesus for the whole year and we say “amen” and recognize him as
king of kings and lord of lords in history and our personal lives.
Kings are not something
we talk about every day. Our history is dotted with the American
Revolution and the overthrow of the rule of the King of England over the
early colonies. That is usually our only thought process about kingship.
Jesus in his conversation with Pilate gives
us some understanding of the purpose of kingship in our walk with
Christ. Jesus
was brought before Pilate in the hope that Pilate would believe that
Jesus was a king that could possibly
overthrow Pilate. Pilate saw kingship as a political power, someone to
rule over the people of a kingdom. Pilate ruled by fear and oppression, to
exercise control by any means possible-even death. Jesus
would not proclaim himself as king but asked Pilate to define his identity
and authority. Jesus defined kingship not
with power but compassion, shaped by love. A love that is willing to
forgive and seek reconciliation with a goal of fellowship and redemption.
Let’s take a quick
journey through the thirty-three years of Jesus’
life. Jesus was born in humble beginnings in a cattle feed trough with
only strips of cloth to cover his body. The first persons told about the
birth were the lowest of lowly, shepherds watching their flocks in the
night. Eight days later he was circumcised in the temple. Simeon and Anna
were there led by the Holy Spirit to see the redemption of Israel and they
praised God. Two years later
Jesus was visited by three Magi bringing
gifts fit for a king. Herod was afraid and killed all the first born
children to preserve his rule in Jerusalem. At twelve years old we see
Jesus again in the temple teaching from the
scroll of Isaiah. The next time we see Jesus
he is thirty years old and being baptized by John. Jesus
goes out and begins to teach and preach throughout the region of Israel
and Judah. We see the miracles and how Jesus
reaches out to all people in ministry. At thirty-three he is brought
before Pilate and then nailed to a cross and dies. Three days later he is
raised from the dead. Jesus appears to the
women and the disciples and after forty days he ascends into heaven.
Somebody needs to say “AMEN!”
As we look back over
this story of hope, love, forgiveness, and salvation are we ready to
accept it and begin to live the story? We stand on the threshold of
beginning a new year in Christ. Where will
our journey take us? Jesus’ kingship is
rooted in our faith and our spiritual understanding. Is
Jesus the king of our lives? Do we follow our
king as he leads us out of our comfort zones into the world that still
needs to know that he is the savior?
Jesus’
response to Pilate on kingship is not addressing a place (kingdom on
earth) but refers to his origin (not from here). Jesus’
reign is from the kingdom of God and his
authority is the truth. God has been revealed
in Jesus for all the world and the world will
be judged by our response of our witness to Jesus
as Lord of Lord and King of Kings.
Our witness is how we
treat each other here on earth. It is easy for us to reach out to others
during Thanksgiving and Christmas. As the seasons change our hearts
changes toward others. Why not 365 days of the year? If we proclaim
Christ as our King and he reigns in our
hearts then our witness should reflect the imitation of
Christ—to love, have compassion, to
sacrifice, to speak the truth, to live a life worthy of
Christ! We are confronted today by the end
of the story which is truly the beginning. This is a story that we know
the beginning and the end and all the characters in between. We are able
to tell our favorite story within the parameters of the larger story.
Stories about Noah, Moses, Ruth, David and Goliath, Jonah and the fish,
Jesus’ birth and the story of Mary and
Joseph, Jesus feeding the five thousand on and on. We tell the story-do we
live the story? Our question this morning can not be the same as Pilate,
“Are you a King” our statement of faith should be you are the king of my
life.
As we begin a new year
with Advent let us be determined and committed to live a life that
represents the power and authority of Christ
in our lives. O the King is coming I have heard the trumpet sounding and
now his face I see. Sing the songs of praise to the king who laid down his
life for our sins so we might have life. AMEN
