Sunday, November 23, 2014 (full size gallery)
This is a "summing up" Sunday as well as the last Sunday in Year A. Since last advent we have encountered Christ in many forms in the lectionary. Jesus as Good Shepherd, Jesus as Human and Divine, Jesus as King/Judge, Jesus as Teacher/Rabbi, Jesus as Sacrificial Victim, Jesus as Savior /Redeemer. King Eternal, Rule of the Jews and Gentiles, King of Kings, King of the Ages, King of the Earth.
We call this Sunday, "Last Pentecost" or "Christ the King."Christ the King Sunday was a Catholic idea. Pope Pius XI wanted to specifically commemorate Christ as king, and instituted the feast in the Western calendar in 1925. Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. Secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ’s authority, as well as the Church’s, and even doubting Christ’s existence. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Ironically today in Adult Ed we concluded the "History of Christianity" which mentioned him.
We had 42 in church on a day that started out with a mixture of sun and clouds and then turned sunny by the end of the service. It was decidedly warmer than a week ago.
We also began Advent one week early with Christian Ed at 10am study of "Singing Mary’s Song." Written by a methodist minister, it focuses on the essential pieces of the Mary story. We looked at the Annunciation of the birth in art and in music. Catherine traced the Mary story back to Old Testament parallels Miriam during Moses time and Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel. Her notes for Week 1 are here. We had 16 attend for this week.
This Sunday we concluded part of our season of giving with the collection of the Samaritan Purse shoeboxes. We had approximately 10 shoeboxes turned in. We celebrated Toni Faibisys birthday today.
The sermon and bulletin both looked back to the beginning of the Village Harvest food distribution this past Wednesday with 20 families assisted for a total of 60 people. The sermon used Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to emphasize “Glory to God, whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.” Paul uses several different Greek words to convey the rich context of God’s power working in us.
"It is not just because we feel good at doing these things "Here at St Peter’s, we are feeding people, and visiting prisoners and helping with clothing distributions because these things are God’s calling, and not just our own wishes to be do-gooders so that we can feel good about ourselves. We are doing these things because God asks us to, and when God asks us to do something, God also gives us the power to carry out what we’ve been given to do."
The sermon touched on Christ the King in Matthew’s Gospel which emphasizes the difference between sheep and the goats, those blessed and those damned. "The very best thing for those of us who were present for the food distribution on Wednesday was that we met Jesus over and over and over again in the people who came to collect their bags of food—we met Jesus in our hungry brothers and sisters…"We have already met Jesus, our judge, in the least of these. "
Lectionary commentary by Canon Lance Ousley of the Diocese of Olympia"
The Kingdom of God is active in right-making in the world, establishing justice for all, especially those who are in any kind of distress. If our stewardship is about proclaiming and establishing the Kingdom of God here in our midst as a grateful and loving response in relationship with God (and therefore, all whom God has made), then our stewardship should be active in supporting the Church’s ministry of humble and merciful right-making in the world. Our readings this week for Christ the King Sunday seek to establish what real kingship is about in caring for those under one’s "rule" as stewards of their well-being and of God’s kingdom.
The prophet Ezekiel wrote to a people oppressed under their self-rule and then oppressed under Babylonian rule. The "shepherds" who had been entrusted to care for these people through their leadership had taken advantage of them, taking the best for themselves and leaving little for the people. Exploitation under earthly rule was the norm for them, whether they were self-ruled or ruled by foreign captors. Ezekiel proclaims how people are to be shepherded rightly, through the image of God as shepherd. Exploitation through misuse of resources exhibits a lack of faithful stewardship of those in power ("the fat and the strong") neglecting to care for the people at large. Ezekiel’s words call us into accountability today for how we are faithful with the resources given into our care as Christians called to be Christ’s Body in the world establishing his kingdom as a visible reality through mercy, justice and righteousness.
Both options from the Psalms reflect the joy of a people living in the reality of God’s kingdom reign in their lives, and offering themselves and their resources in praise and service for thanksgiving for the goodness of God.
Paul’s opening words in his letter to the Ephesians, proclaims Christ’s kingdom reign as a reality in the world. But this is a different kind of kingdom than they have experienced before. In Christ’s benevolence and his sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead, no longer are they subject to the oppression of earthly powers. In light of this heavenly reign ruling in their hearts, they are to live in grateful responsiveness to the needs of others as the Body of Christ in the world sharing the "riches of this glorious inheritance." Paul is telling them to live a stewards of Christ love in the world with the whole of their lives.
Jesus gives a clear imperative to the Church in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. While a parable is always simply a parable and not a one-to-one literal analogy, Jesus paints a vivid picture of how an integrated life of Christian faith is lived in the world. Those who respond openly to the needs of others (both as individuals and as congregations), active in right-making in the world are living into the present reality of God’s kingdom being established on earth. We should not be confused with any form of work-righteousness theology here, but understand that faithful stewardship of our lives and resources open the threshold of our hearts to live into this reality that awaits us. [Think of it this way: You can’t drive your car, if you never put it in gear.] The kingdom of God is ours for the living, but we must live into it to experience the joy in our lives. Outside of this, in a world wrought with unmitigated hunger, thirst, alienation, nakedness, disease, loneliness, and oppression, there are many tears and headaches from anxious grinding of teeth – disconnected from right-relationship in the world. Note, this is not about the King doling out punishment, but it is the eventual reality of a life lived without compassion for one’s fellow humanity. Jesus clearly connects the lives of those marginalized with being a part of the community of God’s beloved. Therefore, Jesus connects those given the responsibility of proclaiming and establishing God’s kingdom (the Baptized) with the relationship of meeting the needs of all whom God loves (read as, every person), especially "the least of these," stewarding our lives and resources for this kingdom work. Jesus simply is telling us, if we love him we will love everyone, even and especially "the least of these."