Christ the King 1998 & 2007

Luke 19:29-38 Christ Church – Warwick, NY

"Jesus – remember me when you come into your kingdom."

-Luke 23:42

This morning we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The feast is placed on the last Sunday before Advent every year ... fixed on our Church calendar as the final Sunday celebration of the twelve month cycle of our liturgical annum. It is the culmination - in some sense - of the entire cycle of Christian feasts. A reminder - after months of recollecting every conceivable event in Jesus' life - that finally what is most vital about Christ for us are the possibilities that lie in our relationship with him. This is a feast about our relationship with Christ. A feast about who he is for us. Christ the King.

One of my all time favorite movies is The Madness of King George. It is a portrayal of the true story of a famous and beloved English King who was - at least temporarily - mentally ill during the time of his reign as monarch of the British Empire. What I loved most about the movie were all the strange little customs it portrayed about life in the royal court. In a favorite scene, one of the King's ministers has to leave the room while in the King's presence. Because one has to bow when entering or departing from the presence of the royal personage - and because one can never turn one's back on the king - this guy exits the king by walking down this impossibly long castle hallway, backwards, bowing to the ground, so as not to break any of the rules of royal etiquette.

The behavior of that royal servant seemed so over the top ... and foolish ... and weird! Especially to a person like me, who has never lived in a place where human beings were designated queens or kings.

Christ is our King. That is part of our proclamation as Christian people. That is what today's feast is all about. Christ is our King. But I am left wondering this day if I really treat him as such. With consistency. And dedication. And passion. If I really believe that Christ is my King, shouldn't I act like it all the time? Even if it seems over the top ... and foolish ... and weird?

Years ago I was part of a panel that was supposed to talk about religious institutions and their influence in the community. The panel was for a city-wide leadership training event and people of faith from a wide variety of religious traditions sat on the panel. I remember the conversation that panel lead even now almost ten years later. And that's because something happened there that made me really uncomfortable ... something that hooks up with this proclamation we make together this day that Christ is our King.

Of the six people who sat on the panel that day, five of us talked about religious institutions and their influence on the community. But one guy - Pastor Ty was his name - talked about nothing but Jesus.

- When the other panelists told about their academic credentials, Ty talked about the high school conversion experience that brought him to Christ.

- When the other panelists talked about what their congregations did to serve the community, Ty talked about what Christ did to change people's lives.

- When the other panelists talked about their hopes or concerns regarding the future, Ty talked about Jesus' vision for the community he serves.

Five of the six people on that panel were playing by "the rules." The rules - that is - that everybody knows about polite discourse in ecumenical company. The people who came to be educated by that panel didn't sign up to be preached at or converted ... they just wanted to learn more about their town. And so five of the six panelists told them about religion in the community. But old Ty - he was playing by a different set of rules. Ty still had on his "servant of Christ the King" hat, even in "mixed company." He wouldn't allow the dictates of "good manners" or "polite discourse" or the expectations of the event organizers to sway him from his fervor for sharing the Gospel ... his commitment to serve his King.

I must tell you that his faithfulness for the Lord in that setting really spoke to me. One could argue the point – but I believe that on that day, Ty was a more faithful subject of Jesus than I.

How often do you suppose we allow "the rules" to sway us from our course as servants of Christ the King? How often do we put away our "servants of Christ the King" hats, and put on instead some other hat that seems more appropriate to the occasion?

- Our "in the business world it's do unto others before they do unto you" hat;

- Our "I don't want to offend my friends with different religious beliefs" hat;

- Our "I'll be good out in public but I can do whatever I want when I'm behind closed doors at home" hat.

How often do we allow ourselves to be swayed from our calling as servants to Christ our King?

I am sure it was inconvenient for that guy in the King George movie to walk down that hallway backwards all bent over at the waist. But he was servant of a king ... and his commitment to his king did not waiver just because of an inconvenient moment. I am sure that more than a few folks who watched that leadership Omaha panel were offended or bemused by Pastor Ty's singular commitment to Jesus. But Pastor Ty is servant of a King ... and his commitment to his king did not waiver just because of an inconvenient moment.

Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, and so we officially begin our season of preparation for the coming of the baby Jesus, and Jesus the King who will judge and rule at the end of time. It's good to remember when we're speaking of Jesus as "King," just what sort of king we're talking about:

- A king born in a stable;

- A king who never lived in a palace, or commanded armies, or knew great wealth;

- A king who grew, learned, ate, sleet, laughed, loved, cried and died like all of us.

Keith Herron said of Jesus' kingship:

This is good news. If Jesus is King not just once a year and on a throne but throughout all of time and in every place, then we don't have to be king, or seek another king. We no longer have to judge one another. We don't have to control what other people think and feel or force them to fit our expectations.

When that happens the kingdom of God is here, here in our hearts, here among us – and out there wherever we carry it.

I invite you to make this coming season of Advent a time of serious and deliberate preparation to enrich your relationship with Jesus – to let him be your King - in the most powerful and authentic way. Pray every day. Read your Bible's. Celebrate less and give more. Spend more time making Jesus real for your kids than Santa Claus. Give, share and show love ... like you mean it.

And be bold to demonstrate - be bold to proclaim - that you have a special calling in this life. That you have a unique and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That you are servant of a great sovereign…the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Jesus!

Amen.

J.S. Barker +