We Episcopalians are at the end of our liturgical year
and about to begin a new liturgical year with Advent 1.
The theme for this last Sunday in the Pentecost Season
in each of the three years in our lectionary cycle
is always Jesus as the King, the Messiah, the Christ.
This comes as the climax to the annual recitation of the story of Jesus
that we go through Sunday by Sunday over the course of the year.
King Jesus
reigning eternally in the Kingdom of God.
This appears to have wonderful and important implications for all of us here,
for all who have been marked as Christ’s own forever in Baptism.
As the letter to the Colossians, today’s Epistle reading, tells us,
“God has rescued us and transferred us into the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col. 1:13
But this is a topsy turvy kingdom with the cross instead of a throne
that the Gospel reading today accosts us with:
It is a part of the Good Friday reading,
a portion of the story of the crucifixion
What kind of a Christ the King choice for a Gospel reading is this?
We hear about a Messiah who does not save himself;
who is this?
The epistle reading from Colossians is a beautiful hymn
putting words to the Mystery of this wonder
that we have been drawn into;
it is a hymn unfolding a description of Jesus.
We have been transferred into the Kingdom of the Son of God’s agaph Love
which is that unitive Love
This passage goes on to say that
Jesus is an eikwn of the God who cannot be seen,
God made visual, made visible through Jesus;
the firstborn of creation.
In him all things were created,
were called into being, called into individual existence.
All things – the sky above us and all the stars in it,
mother earth and everything on earth,
whether visible or too small or too great to be seen,
all the invisible yet comprehended phenomena:
wind, sound, energy
and all the various constructs of power, both human and spiritual:
thrones, lordships, rulers, authorities
through Jesus and for him, or literally into him, were they all created.
Well, we’re not talking about not the earthly Jesus
limited to a span of years 2 millennia ago,
but the One whom John’s Gospel calls the Word.
But also the Jesus of human form is the firstborn from the dead,
the pioneer of Resurrection
for all to follow in the Way.
Jesus was to make clearly manifest all the fullness of God
to show us the whole breadth and depth and height
to open the eyes of the heart
to the realization of the truth of all being.
And now the Gospel for this year’s Christ the King Sunday
is this portion of the Passion, the Crucifixion,
in which the title is nailed to the cross:
“This is the King of the Jews.”
“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” the crowds jeer.
But Jesus wasn’t going to do that.
This is why he was here this day on the cross:
to pour himself out completely like this.
But here at the end, in his last hours,
pressing upon him even as his body weakens and is dying,
people are either railing against him
or seeking something from him.
As at all the other times during Jesus’ ministry
people were reacting to him
either rejecting
or responding.
They, and we, have had fixed expectations about Jesus
that are limited and focused on solving a problem immediately
to our own liking;
that’s one response.
Or people were opening to a radically different kind of Kingdom of God,
a Kingdom that exercises power by serving
where the principle at work is to give away life
instead of clinging to it
and thus paradoxically one finds life opening to Paradise.
Always we are called to a radical and fearless trust,
even in the face of death itself.
Christ the King, nailed to a cross,
and hanging between two criminals.
You know, the Romans put him there between the criminals
as another way to degrade him
and to mock the “King of the Jews.”
But as usual Jesus does not shrink from association with sinners,
and even as he dies, he responds in utmost love
to whatever need it is that is being expressed.
So one of the criminals recognized that Jesus,
even in the midst of crucifixion, was innocent,
maybe he even recognized that he was righteous, holy.
He knew just enough about Jesus in this extraordinary encounter
to have a sense that this Kingdom that Jesus was King of
was not a temporal realm,
but a spiritual reality that transcended death.
I don’t think it was to humor Jesus about delusions of being a King
that this dying man said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And even while in the process of dying Jesus ministers
life and the opening of awareness
to this man.
The penitent criminal is promised a walk in the garden of Paradise with Jesus.
This is a privilege that a king would bestow,
the highly prized place of honor and close companionship
with the sovereign.
Jesus wouldn’t tell James and John
whether they could sit at his right hand and his left,
but he said to the criminal hanging next to him,
“Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
In all the Gospels this is one specific place
where Jesus intentionally says to a particular individual
that they were assured, promised, guaranteed
to be with Jesus beyond death.
Well, apparently it’s never too late to repent, to turn to Jesus.
We may not necessarily be desperate criminals,
but what is it that we wish we had done differently during our lifetime?
What do we remember about ourselves that leaves us feeling regret?
or embarrassment? or shame?
Where do we fear for our souls?
Confess it to this King; bring it to Jesus.
It’s never too late, apparently.
It’s always the right time.
The criminal companion of the cross with a last minute conversion
received a precious promise from our Lord.
Who knows if this might not be our last moments, our own end of life.
So may this be our prayer also,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
No comments:
Post a Comment