This sermon was heard at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Sunday January 27, 2008, the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Isaiah 9:1-4
Psalm 27:1, 4-9
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Matthew 4:12-23
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
A myth, a legend, Camelot is these things and more. Camelot is the mythical kingdom and court of Arthur, King of the Britons. As an actual kingdom, most modern scholars regard Camelot as being entirely fictional, its vague geography and bold philosophy perfect for romance writers. Its location, if it even existed, is unknown. As a realm Camelot is associated with ideals like justice, bravery and truth; the virtues romantic literature embodies in Arthur and his knights.
The tales of Arthur and Camelot as we know them are generally taken from the stories collectively known as Le Morte d’Arthur. This work from the mid-1400’s is a collection and editing of predominately French stories of Arthur. Among the stories that make up the collection, one of the most familiar is “The Noble Tale of the Sangreal.” From this story, we receive the legend of Arthur and his knights as they seek the Holy Grail.[1]
In a radical retelling of this tale, British filmmaker John Boorman re-envisions the quest for the grail reflecting an ancient Celtic belief about kingship and kingdom. In this version, Merlin speaks the words which show the connection between Arthur and his kingdom:[2]
You will be the land,
And the land will be you.
If you fail, the land will perish;
As you thrive, the land will blossom.[3]
In this retelling, after much trial and tribulation, as death makes its slow and sure way to his body, one of Arthur’s knights, Percival, comes to discern this truth and who it is about in a vision. When he does, he is allowed to take the grail and drink from it escaping death and revitalizing himself. He then takes the grail to Arthur with the secret that Arthur and the land are one; as he fails Camelot perishes, and as he thrives the land blossoms. Arthur drinks from the cup and knowing the truth; Arthur is revitalized and prepares for final battle. Arthur turns from his previous ways of grief, anger and despair and the kingdom is renewed.
Through all of these stories, Camelot is more than just a place, it’s an ideal; an ideal of justice, bravery, and truth. Matthew presents us with an ideal in this scripture reading too, but this kingdom is not the work of romantic fiction; it is the Word of God. Matthew’s presentation of the kingdom of heaven is prefaced by an imperative command. Matthew commands listeners to repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Where Le Morte d’Arthur is a collection of French stories, the inspiration for Matthew’s language of repentance and kingdom comes from where we would expect Matthew to take it. As the apostle whose mission was to Jewish believers in Christ, Matthew takes his theology and his wording from the Old Testament. When he calls the people to repent, the Greek word used literally means change one’s mind, but the Hebrew listener would hear more. So the members of Matthew’s congregation not only hear the command to change their mind, they would also hear the Hebrew equivalent, turn or return. This word, this call, was the standard Jewish means of reconciling with God.
As the stiff necked people of the Exodus strayed from God; the children of Israel were called to turn from graven images and idol worship and return to worshiping the Lord.
As many of Israel’s ancient Judges and Kings did what scripture called detestable things, worshiping other gods like the goat god Baal and making places of worship like Asherah poles; these rulers were constantly called to return to worshiping the one true Lord; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The people were being called to turn from their old ways and return to the ways of God.
From these examples, the word repent, turn, and return do not paint a picture of confession or remorse. The command to repent does not mean that we are to feel bad about our past behavior so that we may feel better now as we move toward the Lord. It doesn’t call us to feel at all. This is an action verb; Matthew tells the people that Jesus wants them to change their behavior, not simply their attitude.
It is a call to change direction. It is a call to stop doing what is being done; and discern, find out what is to be done for the glory of the Lord and the inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven. The passage commands us, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come hear.”
“The single most encompassing image within which Matthew’s theological affirmations take place is that of the kingdom of heaven. It unites the message of John, Jesus, and the disciples, pre- and post-Easter. The message the church continues to preach is the ‘good news of the kingdom.’”[4]
And when Jesus speaks the words of the kingdom of heaven, he speaks of a new way God is working in the world, a way which the kingdom of heaven has come near. This new orientation of the lives of the people of God is the response to the kingdom’s having come near. [5]
Another connection to the Old Testament is Matthew’s affinity for kingdom language. This is because the people Matthew wrote for used kingdom language as a part of their everyday lives.[6] Through Caesar, through their religious lives, and through the history of Israel and Judah kingship and kingdom language predominate their mindset as much as a democratic ideal dominates ours. And in the ancient and not so ancient world it is important for anyone who wishes to make a claim to the throne to establish royal heritage.
Matthew’s first chapter presentation of the genealogy of Jesus is important to establish his kingship. Beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and rising through King David; Matthew establishes Jesus’ royal lineage. Through these words, Matthew acknowledges how important kingdom language is to the nation of Israel. Also in this lineage, Matthew says that Jesus is the Messiah and establishes him as the King of the Jews, a title Pilate will later discern on his own.
So we have learned a little about the Israelite concept of kingdom invoked by Jesus and again by Matthew. We have even noted that Pilate would come to know Jesus as the King of the Jews, so now we ask what does this kingship and kingdom mean to us?
A very important thing we can take from scripture is that the kingdom of heaven does not exist in time and space; it is a happening, an event. In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Jesus says the kingdom has come near. This is different from other translations. The New International Version says the kingdom is near and the Revised Standard Version says the kingdom is at hand. Both of these translations point toward a kingdom that exists in time and space. The kingdom is near, proximate, close to us. The New Revised Standard Version differs. By saying the kingdom has come near, we are challenged to perceive that the kingdom is coming, not that we are coming to the kingdom.
Where the other versions I mentioned point toward a static thing of a kingdom, the New Revised Standard Version describes the kingdom of heaven as an event, an occurrence, not a physical place. It is an announcement that in the Messiah, in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of heaven has come near. In the Messiah, the kingdom has come so close we can touch it. And in his person and work, the kingdom continues to come in the lives of the people. It continues to come as long as the Church, as long as the body of Christ, the church, continues the work of the kingdom.
This Christian message about Jesus connects the church to the message of John the Baptist when he says “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”[7] John’s cry comes to us even before the Baptist sees Jesus at the Jordan. It also connects the church to the mission of the Messiah when Jesus charges his disciples “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’”[8]
Through this simple sentence, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” Jesus calls all who will be his disciples of every time and age to stop, turn from what does not support and further his work; turn to him and follow who he is and what he does. The kingdom of heaven represents the triumph of God over all that resists God’s will and disrupts God’s creation.[9] Through the Body of Christ, we are called to represent God and participate in this triumph.
Arthurian scholar Norris J. Lacy commented that “Camelot, located nowhere in particular, can be anywhere.” [10] Is the kingdom of heaven anything like Camelot? Both of them are founded on the being and work of a great king. Both are bound by justice, bravery, and truth. But where Camelot is located nowhere in particular, the kingdom of heaven rests in its king, our risen Lord Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven exists wherever the church of Jesus Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit lives and moves.
Where Merlin says Arthur will be the land, the Christ will never be the land. As Merlin says the land will be Arthur, the land will never be the Christ. The Christ is the creator and Lord over the land. The kingdom of heaven is the triumph of God and through this truth, the Christ cannot fail. The work of Christ begun on earth as a weak child laid in a pile of straw, seemingly ended on the tree by a power hungry Governor, explodes from the tomb to make all things new.
So where Camelot is located nowhere in particular, the kingdom of heaven is located in the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and exists anywhere the Body of Christ continues to hear the word, celebrate the sacraments, and follow Christ in the world.
I would be remiss if I did not note that we Americans have a Camelot of our own, the 1,000 day presidency of John F. Kennedy. During these very few days, there was a great hope and optimism that was sorely lacking after his assassination. Did this optimism come from Kennedy’s work? Did this optimism come from Kennedy’s charisma? Opinions vary. But it is true, as the king was assassinated, so too the promise of the new kingdom faded with him.
In an interview with Life magazine, President Kennedy’s widow Jacqueline was quoted saying that President Kennedy’s favorite song in the score of the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot was:
Don't let it be forgot,
that once there was a spot,
for one brief shining moment,
that was known as Camelot.
She continued “There'll be great Presidents again,” she added, “but there'll never be another Camelot again … it will never be that way again.”[11]
As true as this is in human terms, Camelot is not the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven has come near and continues to come near in the person of Jesus Christ in the work of His holy Church. Let this be our clarion call, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Let us turn away from our wants and desires and return to the ways of God, for in that way, the kingdom He initiates will continue to come nearer and nearer through his person and the work of his eternal body.
[1] Le Morte d’Arthur, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Morte_d%27Arthur, retrieved January 26, 2008.
[2] Excalibur (film), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur_%28film%29, retrieved January 25, 2008.
[3] Excalibur, Orion Pictures/Warner Brothers,1981
[4] The New Interpreter’s Bible, Leander E. Keck, Convener and Senior New Testament Editor, Volume 8, page 289.
[5] Ibid, page 167.
[6] Ibid, page 289.
[7] Matthew 3:2
[8] Matthew 10:7
[9] The Confession of 1967, Part III, The Fulfillment of Reconciliation.
[10] “Camelot” The Arthurian Encyclopedia. Norris J. Lacy, Editor. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1986, pp 75-6.
[11] Jacqueline Kennedy, interview with Theodore H. White, Life Magazine, Dec. 6, 1963.
Showing posts with label King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label King. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday, April 01, 2007
All the Best Cowboys...
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 19:28-40
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
As a congregation, we have been together for nearly two years. In that time I am sure you have noticed that I tend to look at life a little differently. When I was a kid, I used to thumb through the encyclopedia. When I had my first apartment I didn’t keep magazines in the bathroom, I kept an almanac. I never had the time to read an entire article in the bathroom, so I would just scope out some facts. Today I still cruise an online encyclopedia to find new little mental diversions.
This has never been particularly useful, but it does add spice to conversation. Once, my older sister and I were heading to Downtown Kansas City from her house north of the river. We were crossing the Armor-Swift-and-Burlington bridge, the ASB as it’s known in KC, and she pointed over to an old rail bridge and asked me, “Do you believe they are putting a piece of that in the Smithsonian?” “Sure,” I replied, “After all it is the oldest swing type rail drawbridge in America.” This is my sister, she’s known me all my life, she knows me well, and she was dumbstruck. “How in the world do you know that?” I was a little embarrassed to tell her, “Well, it’s in the almanac.”[1]
So you won’t be too amazed that when reading today’s gospel, I was reminded of the name of a 1982 record album by Pete Townshend, the lead guitar player for a British Invasion rock band called “The Who.”
Reading the gospel, I just get this image of Jesus riding into town on a colt that hadn’t been broken. If you have ever tried to ride or even seen someone try to ride an unbroken colt, you would know that nothing will throw you faster, especially bareback. Throw in the spectacle of people shouting and throwing their cloaks in their path and the degree of difficulty and danger increases drastically. Yet scripture tells us Jesus is placed on the colt and it’s calm, cool, and collected. Together they ride into town.
Anyway, I remember hearing an interview with Pete Townshend on the radio in the early 1980’s.[2] When asked about the title of his new album, he says in his British accent, “When you watch these old Western pictures, you see John Wayne (now imagine if you will a man with a British accent going into a John Wayne imitation), and he’s riding out on the range, and he looks like a bloke, just like any other man. Well, it figured that if you spent all this time out on the range looking off into the sunset like the Western heroes do, you’d spend a lot of time squinting, so I always thought (and here’s the name of the album) ‘All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes’.”
So here’s Jesus, riding into town, on the back of a colt that had never been ridden. He’s working it like all the best cowboys. He has spent a lot of time on the roads between villages, spending time in the fields and plains with the people, and he doesn’t have a big Stetson hat, or Oakley sunglasses, so, for some unknown reason, I sort of wonder if Jesus has “Chinese Eyes,” you know, just like all the best cowboys. Or is it just me?
The striking thing about this text is that it is so simple yet so lush. There is so very little written here, but it is so full of detail and imagery. Listen to the word of the Lord…verse 31 reads, “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying this colt?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it’.” This is so simple. The Lord needs it. Is there any more subtle piece of scripture?
With a simplicity and richness Jesus brings to the event, he rides into town on the back of a colt. The people are expecting a king. They want a king. They cry, “Blessed is the king!” Putting cloaks in his path is one way kings are greeted,[3] but Jesus does not enter like the political or military king the people wanted to end Roman oppression. He does not enter Jerusalem on the back of a war horse leading an army and bringing the conquered and vanquished enemy to his capital. He does not come in a chariot like the Egyptian Pharaohs, Assyrian Kings, and Roman Caesars of Israel’s past and present. He comes on a colt. The colt is nimble. The colt is sturdy. These qualities make the colt the preferred mount of the Jewish kings since it could move through the hill country far better than a war horse or a chariot could.[4]
So this simple gesture reveals Jesus comes humbly. He is a Jew come to his people during their most important celebration, not a conquering hero. He comes as one who serves, not one who is served. He comes with humility, but he also comes with knowledge. He comes knowing his place in the past, the present, and the future.
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” The Pharisees knew if the crowd did not, there would be consequences. The Romans want order in the territories, and this would not do. Jesus knew better. He knew “if the people were silent, the stones would shout out.” Nothing was going to stop Jesus. Nothing was going to stop his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Nothing was going to stop the Word of the Lord, his Word, from being shouted out to a world desperately needing to hear it.
The Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said, “The Word became flesh—and then through theologians it became words again.”[5] It’s all right to laugh. This may not be very funny, but it’s pretty funny. After more than three years of seminary, nearly two years of sermons, and countless reports to various Presbytery groups and agencies, I can say with no reservation that I am able to make the Word become flesh become word again. After looking at the Book of Confessions and reading such truly wonderful statements as, “I ought properly to acknowledge the only true God, trust in him alone, in humility and patience expect all good from him only, and love, fear and honor him with my whole heart.”[6] And as wonderful and glorious as this is, next to “The Lord needs it,” and “the stones would shout out,” it just seems so very wordy.
Jesus comes simply. He comes knowing who he is and what he has come to do. He comes with integrity, something sorely lacking in our world today. There has been a lot of talk about the circumstances surrounding former pro football player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan; and how the government has chosen to handle what happened to him on that fateful day. Former Arizona State University head football coach Bruce Snyder was Tillman’s coach from 1994 to 1997. Coach Snyder summed up the government's handling of Tillman’s death perfectly. In a recent interview, he said that things like war and religion are complicated, but accountability is not. He was very upset with the way the military and the government have handled things and thought Tillman would be too.[7]
Integrity forces us to tell the truth. Integrity allows us to say war is hell and horrible things happen in war and in war time. Integrity makes us face the fact that this is especially true in wars that need to be fought. Integrity does not let us cover up the harsh parts of reality with a glossy sheen that looks pretty but hides flaws. With this same integrity, we are called to know who we are and find our place in the world. We are called to tell the truth. We are called to tell the truth in business. We are called to tell the truth at home. And we are called to tell the truth to the world.
Jesus comes on a colt as the Lord and Messiah. He is more than a victorious military leader. He is more than a skilled politician. He is the anointed one who comes in power, and in authority, and in humility. He comes to lead us and all of creation into Jerusalem. But humanity can be just as unruly as a colt that has never been ridden. But the Lord does not lead by force or coercion. He calls us with a whisper we hear at a level we don’t understand from a place we cannot deny. The colt can give us insight to these whispers. This description comes from the movie The Horse Whisperer:[8]
“A million years before man, [horses] grazed the vast and empty plains, living by voices only they could hear. They first came to know man as the hunted knows the hunter, for long before he used horses for his labors, he killed them for meat. The alliance with man would forever be fragile, for the fear he’d struck into their hearts…was too deep to be dislodged. Since that Neolithic moment, when a horse was first haltered, there were those among men who understood this. They could see into the creature’s soul…and soothe the wounds they found there. The secrets uttered softly into troubled ears. These men were known as the whisperers.”
Jesus will not be deterred. What he does he does for one of us and for all of us. His disciples cry out “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Yet, even if they were not able to cry out, the stones would cry out in their stead. Today we celebrate the triumphant entry of the King of the Jews into Jerusalem. Today we celebrate His triumphant entry into a kingship the people did not understand. We are called to cry "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.” We are called to do this because the Lord sees into our souls and soothes the wounds he finds. We are called to do this because the Lord needs it.
[1] The World Almanac and Book of Facts, I believe I am referring to the 1987 edition.
[2] I believe this was from Redbeard’s radio show probably from 1982.
[3] http://homileticsonline.com/subscriber/printer_friendly_installment.asp?installment_id=3237, accessed March 26, 2007, and see 2 Kings 9:6-16, the inauguration of Jehu
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://homileticsonline.com/subscriber/printer_friendly_installment.asp?installment_id=93000055, accessed March 26, 2006.
[6] Office of the General Assembly, The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Part I, The Book of Confessions. The Heidelberg Catechism, Question 94. Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 1996, page 30.
[7] http://www.jimrome.com/home/jungle/interview.html, Bruce Snyder Interview, accessed March 28, 2007.
[8] Touchstone Pictures presents, The Horse Whisperer. Written by Eric Roth based on the novel by Nick Evans. 1998.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 19:28-40
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
As a congregation, we have been together for nearly two years. In that time I am sure you have noticed that I tend to look at life a little differently. When I was a kid, I used to thumb through the encyclopedia. When I had my first apartment I didn’t keep magazines in the bathroom, I kept an almanac. I never had the time to read an entire article in the bathroom, so I would just scope out some facts. Today I still cruise an online encyclopedia to find new little mental diversions.
This has never been particularly useful, but it does add spice to conversation. Once, my older sister and I were heading to Downtown Kansas City from her house north of the river. We were crossing the Armor-Swift-and-Burlington bridge, the ASB as it’s known in KC, and she pointed over to an old rail bridge and asked me, “Do you believe they are putting a piece of that in the Smithsonian?” “Sure,” I replied, “After all it is the oldest swing type rail drawbridge in America.” This is my sister, she’s known me all my life, she knows me well, and she was dumbstruck. “How in the world do you know that?” I was a little embarrassed to tell her, “Well, it’s in the almanac.”[1]
So you won’t be too amazed that when reading today’s gospel, I was reminded of the name of a 1982 record album by Pete Townshend, the lead guitar player for a British Invasion rock band called “The Who.”
Reading the gospel, I just get this image of Jesus riding into town on a colt that hadn’t been broken. If you have ever tried to ride or even seen someone try to ride an unbroken colt, you would know that nothing will throw you faster, especially bareback. Throw in the spectacle of people shouting and throwing their cloaks in their path and the degree of difficulty and danger increases drastically. Yet scripture tells us Jesus is placed on the colt and it’s calm, cool, and collected. Together they ride into town.
Anyway, I remember hearing an interview with Pete Townshend on the radio in the early 1980’s.[2] When asked about the title of his new album, he says in his British accent, “When you watch these old Western pictures, you see John Wayne (now imagine if you will a man with a British accent going into a John Wayne imitation), and he’s riding out on the range, and he looks like a bloke, just like any other man. Well, it figured that if you spent all this time out on the range looking off into the sunset like the Western heroes do, you’d spend a lot of time squinting, so I always thought (and here’s the name of the album) ‘All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes’.”
So here’s Jesus, riding into town, on the back of a colt that had never been ridden. He’s working it like all the best cowboys. He has spent a lot of time on the roads between villages, spending time in the fields and plains with the people, and he doesn’t have a big Stetson hat, or Oakley sunglasses, so, for some unknown reason, I sort of wonder if Jesus has “Chinese Eyes,” you know, just like all the best cowboys. Or is it just me?
The striking thing about this text is that it is so simple yet so lush. There is so very little written here, but it is so full of detail and imagery. Listen to the word of the Lord…verse 31 reads, “If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying this colt?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it’.” This is so simple. The Lord needs it. Is there any more subtle piece of scripture?
With a simplicity and richness Jesus brings to the event, he rides into town on the back of a colt. The people are expecting a king. They want a king. They cry, “Blessed is the king!” Putting cloaks in his path is one way kings are greeted,[3] but Jesus does not enter like the political or military king the people wanted to end Roman oppression. He does not enter Jerusalem on the back of a war horse leading an army and bringing the conquered and vanquished enemy to his capital. He does not come in a chariot like the Egyptian Pharaohs, Assyrian Kings, and Roman Caesars of Israel’s past and present. He comes on a colt. The colt is nimble. The colt is sturdy. These qualities make the colt the preferred mount of the Jewish kings since it could move through the hill country far better than a war horse or a chariot could.[4]
So this simple gesture reveals Jesus comes humbly. He is a Jew come to his people during their most important celebration, not a conquering hero. He comes as one who serves, not one who is served. He comes with humility, but he also comes with knowledge. He comes knowing his place in the past, the present, and the future.
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” The Pharisees knew if the crowd did not, there would be consequences. The Romans want order in the territories, and this would not do. Jesus knew better. He knew “if the people were silent, the stones would shout out.” Nothing was going to stop Jesus. Nothing was going to stop his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Nothing was going to stop the Word of the Lord, his Word, from being shouted out to a world desperately needing to hear it.
The Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said, “The Word became flesh—and then through theologians it became words again.”[5] It’s all right to laugh. This may not be very funny, but it’s pretty funny. After more than three years of seminary, nearly two years of sermons, and countless reports to various Presbytery groups and agencies, I can say with no reservation that I am able to make the Word become flesh become word again. After looking at the Book of Confessions and reading such truly wonderful statements as, “I ought properly to acknowledge the only true God, trust in him alone, in humility and patience expect all good from him only, and love, fear and honor him with my whole heart.”[6] And as wonderful and glorious as this is, next to “The Lord needs it,” and “the stones would shout out,” it just seems so very wordy.
Jesus comes simply. He comes knowing who he is and what he has come to do. He comes with integrity, something sorely lacking in our world today. There has been a lot of talk about the circumstances surrounding former pro football player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan; and how the government has chosen to handle what happened to him on that fateful day. Former Arizona State University head football coach Bruce Snyder was Tillman’s coach from 1994 to 1997. Coach Snyder summed up the government's handling of Tillman’s death perfectly. In a recent interview, he said that things like war and religion are complicated, but accountability is not. He was very upset with the way the military and the government have handled things and thought Tillman would be too.[7]
Integrity forces us to tell the truth. Integrity allows us to say war is hell and horrible things happen in war and in war time. Integrity makes us face the fact that this is especially true in wars that need to be fought. Integrity does not let us cover up the harsh parts of reality with a glossy sheen that looks pretty but hides flaws. With this same integrity, we are called to know who we are and find our place in the world. We are called to tell the truth. We are called to tell the truth in business. We are called to tell the truth at home. And we are called to tell the truth to the world.
Jesus comes on a colt as the Lord and Messiah. He is more than a victorious military leader. He is more than a skilled politician. He is the anointed one who comes in power, and in authority, and in humility. He comes to lead us and all of creation into Jerusalem. But humanity can be just as unruly as a colt that has never been ridden. But the Lord does not lead by force or coercion. He calls us with a whisper we hear at a level we don’t understand from a place we cannot deny. The colt can give us insight to these whispers. This description comes from the movie The Horse Whisperer:[8]
“A million years before man, [horses] grazed the vast and empty plains, living by voices only they could hear. They first came to know man as the hunted knows the hunter, for long before he used horses for his labors, he killed them for meat. The alliance with man would forever be fragile, for the fear he’d struck into their hearts…was too deep to be dislodged. Since that Neolithic moment, when a horse was first haltered, there were those among men who understood this. They could see into the creature’s soul…and soothe the wounds they found there. The secrets uttered softly into troubled ears. These men were known as the whisperers.”
Jesus will not be deterred. What he does he does for one of us and for all of us. His disciples cry out “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Yet, even if they were not able to cry out, the stones would cry out in their stead. Today we celebrate the triumphant entry of the King of the Jews into Jerusalem. Today we celebrate His triumphant entry into a kingship the people did not understand. We are called to cry "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven.” We are called to do this because the Lord sees into our souls and soothes the wounds he finds. We are called to do this because the Lord needs it.
[1] The World Almanac and Book of Facts, I believe I am referring to the 1987 edition.
[2] I believe this was from Redbeard’s radio show probably from 1982.
[3] http://homileticsonline.com/subscriber/printer_friendly_installment.asp?installment_id=3237, accessed March 26, 2007, and see 2 Kings 9:6-16, the inauguration of Jehu
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://homileticsonline.com/subscriber/printer_friendly_installment.asp?installment_id=93000055, accessed March 26, 2006.
[6] Office of the General Assembly, The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Part I, The Book of Confessions. The Heidelberg Catechism, Question 94. Louisville, KY: Geneva Press, 1996, page 30.
[7] http://www.jimrome.com/home/jungle/interview.html, Bruce Snyder Interview, accessed March 28, 2007.
[8] Touchstone Pictures presents, The Horse Whisperer. Written by Eric Roth based on the novel by Nick Evans. 1998.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Kingdom Come
This sermon was preached at the First Presbyterian Church in Berryville, Arkansas on Christ the King Sunday, November 26, 2006.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Psalm 132:1-12
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
In 1972, a man named David McCall noticed that his sons could remember the lyrics to songs on the radio, but could not remember their multiplication tables. So he wrote a song about multiplying by threes called “Three Is a Magic Number.” It tested well with kids and ended up on a children’s album. At the same time, a man named Tom Yohe heard the song and began making doodles that fit the music.[1] This is how Multiplication Rock! began. With the addition of Grammar Rock! in 1974, Multiplication Rock! evolved into Schoolhouse Rock! In 1975 America Rock! was born with the coming of the American Bicentennial celebration.
From 1973-1986, these three minute educational programs were shown on Saturday mornings after cartoons on ABC. As people my age became parents, a nostalgia kick began and the entire Schoolhouse Rock! collection became available on CD, VHS, and now on a Collector’s edition DVD.
All of the Rock! series exposed kids to more than Super Friends, Scooby Doo, and commercials for sugary cereal. It exposed them to multiplication, grammar, science, government and more. If you are around my age, you can probably sing one or two of these songs. Some of us may be able to rattle off the hits like “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction” today.
One of the songs from America Rock! was called “No More Kings.” It was a ditty about American Independence from the English Monarchy. It was overly simplistic, but in three minutes it tried to chronicle American History from the pilgrim landing of 1620 through the Boston Tea Party of 1773. It portrayed King George first as a benevolent protector of the colonies and later as an uncaring, oppressive tyrant. The clarion call of the song was found in its final verses:
They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had comeFor them to take command.
It's very clear you're being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won't obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,
And we're gonna run it all our way
With no more kings...
We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do![2]
No more kings, has been our call for over 230 years. No more kings! We are very serious about this, and we should be. We don’t want a government that doesn’t respond to the people. As the song says, “[The President]'s gonna do what the people want!” With over 230 years without a king, monarchy is little more than a concept to us. This doesn’t upset me, but it doesn’t leave me with much of a context for what a king or kingdom is. And that is important in today’s gospel reading. It is important on this, Christ the King Sunday.
Today we enter the drama between Pilate and Jesus. It begins as the Sanhedrin, the temple leadership, has finally been able to bring Jesus before the Roman Governor Pilate. The Scribes and the Pharisees accuse Jesus of calling himself a King. In the Roman Empire this is a treasonous offence; because there is no other King aside from Caesar. Debate raged between the leaders of the temple and the governor of the state. “Why do you bring him to me?” Pilate asks. “Because he’s guilty!” they answer. Realizing that the temple leaders would see Jesus killed, Pilate goes to Jesus himself and asks “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Pilate asks Jesus a political question, “Are you their King?” It is the question Pilate needs answered if he is going to execute Jesus. If Jesus is a rival king, then he is guilty of treason and subject to execution by the hand of the empire he rebels against. It’s the law of the land. If Jesus is of no earthly political threat, there is no reason that he should be held by Rome. If he is a threat to the temple, that is a matter for the Sanhedrin, not Pilate. Oh and how I imagine Pilate hoped this would be their matter instead of his.
Pilate asks, “Are you their King?”
As with most tests, Jesus does not answer directly. He answers by asking, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate confirms that no Roman authority delivers Jesus to Roman law; it is his own nation and the chief priests. Then Pilate asks the question of all questions: “What have you done?”
What have you done? What have you done to deserve this fate? What have you done to cause such an uproar? What have you done that the chief priests of your own people will bring you to me to be executed?
So Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not from this world.”
In a back handed way, Jesus affirms the rule of Caesar over the earth, over the kingdom of the world. After all we are told if Jesus’ kingdom were from here, on this earth, his followers would be fighting to keep him from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, his kingdom is not from here.
This is Pilate’s “A-ha!” moment. “So you are a king?” But Pilate doesn’t declare this; he asks it as a question. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king.” This too is less a statement of fact than it is prophecy, one that comes true when Pilate ratifies the crucifixion of Jesus. One that is affirmed with the sign Pilate places over Jesus’ head; “This is the king of the Jews.” Yes Jesus is a king, and even Pilate says so.
We have no concept of kings, kingship, and kingdoms. To the Greeks, the king was the lawful and usually priestly ruler of the people, in a good sense[3] (whatever that means). In the Old Testament, it represented the national or civil monarchy.[4] The books of Kings and Chronicles show the varying success of these earthly kingdoms. The word is also used for the Redeemer King.[5] These are the kings of the Psalms. While this king points to the civil kings, it is also the fertile soil of the Messiah to come. This is the king we speak of when we speak of Christ the King.
Every week we pray “thy kingdom come.” Scripture tells us Jesus’ kingdom is not from this world, his is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of a world lost in the fall. He is the king, the regent of the world we see dimly as in a mirror. So what does it mean for us to pray “thy kingdom come?”
The Presbyterian confessions speak about this. The Heidelberg Catechism tells us when we pray “thy kingdom come” we pray that “we may be governed by the Word and the Spirit of God so that we may submit ourselves more and more unto God.”[6] We pray that we may be governed by the Lord that we may submit ourselves to his kingship. This is real kingdom language. We say this with reverence giving glory to God, but this is a foreign concept to us. Our political and cultural climate does not honor kingship or submission to anybody. The way we want our government is more like the song:
We're gonna elect a president!
He's gonna do what the people want!
We're gonna run things our way!
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do!
This is true and all well and good, but it does not prepare us for Christ as King.
We need to be refocused about our polity and governance. We need to be aware that when we say “thy kingdom come” we pray to “uphold and increase the church.”[7] The church is a signpost, a marker of the inbreaking of the Kingdom of heaven to come here on earth. By that token, Christ is the king of the church. It’s not me, the pastor at the pulpit. It’s not the Session, though they administer the work of the church. Christ is the king, the sovereign, and over him there is no other ruler. Contrary to our best earthly intentions, we have a king, a king to honor and celebrate.
As Americans, democracy, the voice of the people, and self governance are ingrained upon us. This kingship is foreign to us, and a little frightening. We are called to give up control over our destiny to someone else and that doesn’t always set well. We know the slogan “God is my co-pilot.” Unfortunately while this keeps our personal sense of control in order, it is a poor substitute for the kingdom to come. It affirms our self control and denies the Kingship of Christ. Honestly, if God is not our pilot we are going the wrong way. God is sovereign, God is in control, and this is the way of the kingdom to come.
To paraphrase again, Pilate asks: What have you done? What have you done to deserve this fate? What have you done to cause such an uproar? What have you done that the chief priests of your own faith will bring you to me to be executed?
The joy of the gospel is that the answers are before us. They are found in the scripture we read and the gospel we live. Jesus is God; He is the way, the truth, and the light. John 21:25 gives us the most wonderful answer to these questions. “There are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
What has Jesus done? What is Jesus doing! We are called to live the answer to these questions everyday. We are called to live as the subjects of Christ the King writing new chapters of the book of the kingdom every day. We are called to live as subjects in the kingdom of Christ as the church and in the world. May the exploits of our King be written by the works of our hands in his service now and forever.
[1] Schoolhouse Rock, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock
[2] Ahern, Lynn, “No More Kings.” Lyrics found at http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/No.html
[3] Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. I, page 564.
[4] Ibid. page 565.
[5] Ibid. page 566.
[6] The Book of Confessions, Part One of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer 123.
[7] Ibid.
2 Samuel 23:1-7
Psalm 132:1-12
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.
In 1972, a man named David McCall noticed that his sons could remember the lyrics to songs on the radio, but could not remember their multiplication tables. So he wrote a song about multiplying by threes called “Three Is a Magic Number.” It tested well with kids and ended up on a children’s album. At the same time, a man named Tom Yohe heard the song and began making doodles that fit the music.[1] This is how Multiplication Rock! began. With the addition of Grammar Rock! in 1974, Multiplication Rock! evolved into Schoolhouse Rock! In 1975 America Rock! was born with the coming of the American Bicentennial celebration.
From 1973-1986, these three minute educational programs were shown on Saturday mornings after cartoons on ABC. As people my age became parents, a nostalgia kick began and the entire Schoolhouse Rock! collection became available on CD, VHS, and now on a Collector’s edition DVD.
All of the Rock! series exposed kids to more than Super Friends, Scooby Doo, and commercials for sugary cereal. It exposed them to multiplication, grammar, science, government and more. If you are around my age, you can probably sing one or two of these songs. Some of us may be able to rattle off the hits like “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction” today.
One of the songs from America Rock! was called “No More Kings.” It was a ditty about American Independence from the English Monarchy. It was overly simplistic, but in three minutes it tried to chronicle American History from the pilgrim landing of 1620 through the Boston Tea Party of 1773. It portrayed King George first as a benevolent protector of the colonies and later as an uncaring, oppressive tyrant. The clarion call of the song was found in its final verses:
They wanted no more Mother England.
They knew the time had comeFor them to take command.
It's very clear you're being unfair, King,
No matter what you say, we won't obey.
Gonna hold a revolution now, King,
And we're gonna run it all our way
With no more kings...
We're gonna elect a president! (No more kings)
He's gonna do what the people want! (No more kings)
We're gonna run things our way! (No more kings)
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do![2]
No more kings, has been our call for over 230 years. No more kings! We are very serious about this, and we should be. We don’t want a government that doesn’t respond to the people. As the song says, “[The President]'s gonna do what the people want!” With over 230 years without a king, monarchy is little more than a concept to us. This doesn’t upset me, but it doesn’t leave me with much of a context for what a king or kingdom is. And that is important in today’s gospel reading. It is important on this, Christ the King Sunday.
Today we enter the drama between Pilate and Jesus. It begins as the Sanhedrin, the temple leadership, has finally been able to bring Jesus before the Roman Governor Pilate. The Scribes and the Pharisees accuse Jesus of calling himself a King. In the Roman Empire this is a treasonous offence; because there is no other King aside from Caesar. Debate raged between the leaders of the temple and the governor of the state. “Why do you bring him to me?” Pilate asks. “Because he’s guilty!” they answer. Realizing that the temple leaders would see Jesus killed, Pilate goes to Jesus himself and asks “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Pilate asks Jesus a political question, “Are you their King?” It is the question Pilate needs answered if he is going to execute Jesus. If Jesus is a rival king, then he is guilty of treason and subject to execution by the hand of the empire he rebels against. It’s the law of the land. If Jesus is of no earthly political threat, there is no reason that he should be held by Rome. If he is a threat to the temple, that is a matter for the Sanhedrin, not Pilate. Oh and how I imagine Pilate hoped this would be their matter instead of his.
Pilate asks, “Are you their King?”
As with most tests, Jesus does not answer directly. He answers by asking, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate confirms that no Roman authority delivers Jesus to Roman law; it is his own nation and the chief priests. Then Pilate asks the question of all questions: “What have you done?”
What have you done? What have you done to deserve this fate? What have you done to cause such an uproar? What have you done that the chief priests of your own people will bring you to me to be executed?
So Jesus answers, “My kingdom is not from this world.”
In a back handed way, Jesus affirms the rule of Caesar over the earth, over the kingdom of the world. After all we are told if Jesus’ kingdom were from here, on this earth, his followers would be fighting to keep him from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, his kingdom is not from here.
This is Pilate’s “A-ha!” moment. “So you are a king?” But Pilate doesn’t declare this; he asks it as a question. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king.” This too is less a statement of fact than it is prophecy, one that comes true when Pilate ratifies the crucifixion of Jesus. One that is affirmed with the sign Pilate places over Jesus’ head; “This is the king of the Jews.” Yes Jesus is a king, and even Pilate says so.
We have no concept of kings, kingship, and kingdoms. To the Greeks, the king was the lawful and usually priestly ruler of the people, in a good sense[3] (whatever that means). In the Old Testament, it represented the national or civil monarchy.[4] The books of Kings and Chronicles show the varying success of these earthly kingdoms. The word is also used for the Redeemer King.[5] These are the kings of the Psalms. While this king points to the civil kings, it is also the fertile soil of the Messiah to come. This is the king we speak of when we speak of Christ the King.
Every week we pray “thy kingdom come.” Scripture tells us Jesus’ kingdom is not from this world, his is the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of a world lost in the fall. He is the king, the regent of the world we see dimly as in a mirror. So what does it mean for us to pray “thy kingdom come?”
The Presbyterian confessions speak about this. The Heidelberg Catechism tells us when we pray “thy kingdom come” we pray that “we may be governed by the Word and the Spirit of God so that we may submit ourselves more and more unto God.”[6] We pray that we may be governed by the Lord that we may submit ourselves to his kingship. This is real kingdom language. We say this with reverence giving glory to God, but this is a foreign concept to us. Our political and cultural climate does not honor kingship or submission to anybody. The way we want our government is more like the song:
We're gonna elect a president!
He's gonna do what the people want!
We're gonna run things our way!
Nobody's gonna tell us what to do!
This is true and all well and good, but it does not prepare us for Christ as King.
We need to be refocused about our polity and governance. We need to be aware that when we say “thy kingdom come” we pray to “uphold and increase the church.”[7] The church is a signpost, a marker of the inbreaking of the Kingdom of heaven to come here on earth. By that token, Christ is the king of the church. It’s not me, the pastor at the pulpit. It’s not the Session, though they administer the work of the church. Christ is the king, the sovereign, and over him there is no other ruler. Contrary to our best earthly intentions, we have a king, a king to honor and celebrate.
As Americans, democracy, the voice of the people, and self governance are ingrained upon us. This kingship is foreign to us, and a little frightening. We are called to give up control over our destiny to someone else and that doesn’t always set well. We know the slogan “God is my co-pilot.” Unfortunately while this keeps our personal sense of control in order, it is a poor substitute for the kingdom to come. It affirms our self control and denies the Kingship of Christ. Honestly, if God is not our pilot we are going the wrong way. God is sovereign, God is in control, and this is the way of the kingdom to come.
To paraphrase again, Pilate asks: What have you done? What have you done to deserve this fate? What have you done to cause such an uproar? What have you done that the chief priests of your own faith will bring you to me to be executed?
The joy of the gospel is that the answers are before us. They are found in the scripture we read and the gospel we live. Jesus is God; He is the way, the truth, and the light. John 21:25 gives us the most wonderful answer to these questions. “There are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
What has Jesus done? What is Jesus doing! We are called to live the answer to these questions everyday. We are called to live as the subjects of Christ the King writing new chapters of the book of the kingdom every day. We are called to live as subjects in the kingdom of Christ as the church and in the world. May the exploits of our King be written by the works of our hands in his service now and forever.
[1] Schoolhouse Rock, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock
[2] Ahern, Lynn, “No More Kings.” Lyrics found at http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/No.html
[3] Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. I, page 564.
[4] Ibid. page 565.
[5] Ibid. page 566.
[6] The Book of Confessions, Part One of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer 123.
[7] Ibid.
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