Dennis M. Campbell - "The Paradox of Kingship" (November 25, 1984)
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| - | There are certain people, often poor, | 0:05 |
| and unable to support themselves, | 0:08 | |
| to whom the queen | 0:10 | |
| provides grace and favor | 0:13 | |
| and free living for life. | 0:16 | |
| There is about monarchy, you see, | 0:19 | |
| inherent the idea of grace | 0:22 | |
| and favor. | 0:25 | |
| It is part of the job, if you will, | 0:27 | |
| of monarchy, the king or queen, | 0:30 | |
| to give grace and favor. | 0:32 | |
| And so it is in the great hymn, | 0:35 | |
| praise my soul, the King of heaven, | 0:37 | |
| where God is lifted up as King. | 0:41 | |
| One of the stanzas begins, | 0:46 | |
| praise him for his grace | 0:50 | |
| and favor. | 0:54 | |
| It is the nature of God and Jesus Christ | 0:56 | |
| to be gracious unto us. | 1:00 | |
| This, of course, is the paradox of kingship. | 1:03 | |
| The paradox of the Kingship of Christ | 1:07 | |
| is that precisely in the reign, | 1:11 | |
| comes also the service and love | 1:16 | |
| and of course with Christ, the passion and crucifixion. | 1:20 | |
| This text about Christ is King and judge, | 1:23 | |
| Matthew places just before the passion narratives, | 1:28 | |
| leading to the crucifixion and death of Christ. | 1:32 | |
| Christ the King becomes one who gives himself | 1:37 | |
| for those who need him | 1:43 | |
| in love and service. | 1:47 | |
| Thus, there is a paradox of Kingship. | 1:50 | |
| A paradox of death turns to victory. | 1:54 | |
| We don't know what the future will be. | 1:59 | |
| Here, on the last Sunday of the Christian year, | 2:03 | |
| the festival of Christ the King, | 2:05 | |
| we ponder the future and don't know it | 2:07 | |
| and it's probably a good thing that we don't. | 2:10 | |
| Oh, but then we do. | 2:15 | |
| Because this is the festival of Christ the King | 2:18 | |
| and we know that as Christians | 2:21 | |
| that the future is in the hands of God | 2:23 | |
| and the truth of the very creation, | 2:27 | |
| the whole world, the truth is that | 2:31 | |
| Christ's resurrection has given us | 2:35 | |
| the sign of truth and victory for God. | 2:40 | |
| So this text of judgment surprises us | 2:46 | |
| with its grace and favor. | 2:51 | |
| And causes us, in response, | 2:56 | |
| to do acts of love and service | 2:59 | |
| to all persons everywhere, | 3:03 | |
| without calculation | 3:07 | |
| or prior thinking. | 3:10 | |
| That's the good news of the festival of Christ the King. | 3:14 | |
| Amen. | 3:20 | |
| - | Let us stand, as we affirm our faith together. | 3:30 |
| I believe in God, the Father Almighty, | 3:40 | |
| maker of heaven and earth, | 3:43 | |
| and of all things visible and invisible. | 3:45 | |
| And in one Lord Jesus Christ, | 3:49 | |
| the Only Begotten Son of God, | 3:51 | |
| begotten of the Father before all worlds. | 3:53 | |
| God of God, Light of Light, | 3:56 | |
| very God of very God, | 4:00 | |
| begotten, not made, | 4:02 | |
| being of one substance with the Father, | 4:04 | |
| through whom all things were made. | 4:07 | |
| Who, for us men and for our salvation | 4:09 | |
| came down from heaven, | 4:12 | |
| and was crucified -- | 4:14 | |
| (congregation continues speaking in unison) | 4:16 | |
| under Pontius Pilate, | 4:22 | |
| he suffered and was buried, | 4:24 | |
| and the third day he rose again | 4:26 | |
| according to the Scriptures. | 4:28 | |
| And ascended into heaven | 4:30 | |
| and seated on the right hand of the Father. | 4:32 | |
| And he shall come again with glory | 4:35 | |
| to judge both quick and the dead | 4:37 | |
| whose kingdom shall have no end. | 4:40 | |
| And I believe in the Holy Ghost, | 4:43 | |
| the Lord, the giver of life, | 4:45 | |
| who proceeded from the Father and the Son, | 4:47 | |
| who with the Father and the Son together | 4:50 | |
| is worshiped and glorified, | 4:53 | |
| who spake by the prophets. | 4:55 | |
| And I believe in one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. | 4:57 | |
| I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins | 5:01 | |
| and I look for the resurrection of the dead | 5:05 | |
| and the life of the world to come. Amen. | 5:08 | |
| (uplifting organ music) | 5:14 | |
| (chorus singing) | 6:36 | |
| - | The Lord be with you. | 8:44 |
| - | And also with you. | 8:45 |
| - | Let us pray. | 8:47 |
| Eternal God, | 8:59 | |
| architect and ruler of the universe, | 9:02 | |
| the instigator of life's paradoxes. | 9:06 | |
| We bow in prayer before thee, | 9:10 | |
| seeking a fresh awareness of thy reality | 9:14 | |
| and thy life-giving presence. | 9:17 | |
| In so doing, we offer these prayers for others | 9:21 | |
| that in our remembering of their needs, | 9:25 | |
| we may be reminded of our own neediness. | 9:27 | |
| While we stand and utter dependency upon thee, | 9:31 | |
| alongside and amongst the least of these. | 9:34 | |
| Let us pray for those who suffer in our world. | 9:39 | |
| For the masses of starving people | 9:44 | |
| in Ethiopia and Chad and Mozambique or any other nation | 9:46 | |
| that whatever language they may speak, | 9:52 | |
| their cries of anguish will be heard. | 9:54 | |
| For homeless people everywhere. | 9:59 | |
| For those who dwell in the streets of our nation's cities. | 10:02 | |
| For the thousands of refugees who roam the earth, | 10:06 | |
| searching for home. | 10:09 | |
| For runaway children who feel home | 10:12 | |
| is a hindrance to growth, more than a help. | 10:15 | |
| That they each may find a place of rest and understanding. | 10:19 | |
| For those who are bereaved over the loss of a loved one, | 10:26 | |
| over news of a debilitating illness, | 10:31 | |
| over memories of happier days gone by, | 10:34 | |
| that thy healing presence | 10:38 | |
| may restore them to fullness of life. | 10:40 | |
| Let us pray for those | 10:45 | |
| caught in the struggles of discernment. | 10:46 | |
| For those contemplating life changing decisions, | 10:50 | |
| grant them wisdom | 10:54 | |
| and a true sense of thy presence in their lives. | 10:55 | |
| For those who see to know thee, | 10:59 | |
| yet struggle to believe, | 11:01 | |
| grant them the courage necessary to take the leap of faith. | 11:03 | |
| For leaders of all nations, | 11:09 | |
| that they may understand and respond to the needs | 11:11 | |
| of all the world's people | 11:15 | |
| and lead us in the pathway of peace. | 11:17 | |
| Let us pray for all who feel unloved or unwanted. | 11:21 | |
| For those who seek to injure themselves or others. | 11:27 | |
| For those who indulge in material excesses, | 11:33 | |
| attempting to fill an interior void. | 11:36 | |
| For those who live within institutions, | 11:40 | |
| surrounded by people, | 11:43 | |
| yet lonely in unspeakable proportion. | 11:46 | |
| Heal these thy children, O God | 11:49 | |
| with an appreciation of the unique worth | 11:53 | |
| which thou hast bestowed upon them. | 11:56 | |
| These and the many unspoken concerns of this congregation, | 12:01 | |
| we lift unto thee, forgiving God, | 12:04 | |
| trusting in thy goodness, | 12:09 | |
| confident in thy power to heal, | 12:11 | |
| grateful that thou art love for all eternity. | 12:14 | |
| In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. | 12:20 | |
| And now, let us offer our gifts | 12:29 | |
| and ourselves to God. | 12:31 | |
| (lively organ music) | 13:00 | |
| (chorus singing in a foreign language) | 13:34 | |
| - | Gracious God and King, | 20:48 |
| for the in-breaking of your Kingdom, | 20:51 | |
| for the sign of your rein among us, | 20:53 | |
| we give thanks. | 20:55 | |
| For the joy and exuberance of this time of worship, | 20:57 | |
| for the opportunity to give of ourselves and our gifts, | 21:02 | |
| to minister with you to the suffering of the world, | 21:06 | |
| we give thanks. | 21:10 | |
| Our Father, who art in Heaven, | 21:12 | |
| hallowed be thy name. | 21:15 | |
| Thy Kingdom come, | 21:17 | |
| thy will be done | 21:18 | |
| on earth as it is in Heaven. | 21:20 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread, | 21:23 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses | 21:26 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us | 21:28 | |
| and lead us not into temptation, | 21:32 | |
| but deliver us from evil. | 21:34 | |
| For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, | 21:36 | |
| forever. | 21:40 | |
| Amen. | 21:41 | |
| (upbeat organ music) | 21:44 | |
| (chorus joins in singing) | 22:13 | |
| - | Now may the grace of our Lord and Savior, | 24:50 |
| Jesus Christ, | 24:53 | |
| the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, | 24:54 | |
| go forth with you. | 24:57 | |
| (chorus singing) | 25:03 | |
| (upbeat organ music) | 26:17 |
| (choir sings majestic music) | 0:04 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 0:47 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 0:49 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 0:51 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 0:56 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 0:59 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:02 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:04 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:09 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:16 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:22 | |
| (pipe organ playing regal music) | 1:38 | |
| (choir sings accompanied by pipe organ) | 1:53 | |
| (choir sings a variation of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God") | 5:18 | |
| ♪ All creatures of our God and King ♪ | 6:14 | |
| ♪ Lift up your voice and with us sing, ♪ | 6:19 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 6:23 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 6:25 | |
| ♪ Now praise the Father, praise the Son ♪ | 6:28 | |
| ♪ Now praise the Spirit, three in one ♪ | 6:32 | |
| ♪ Oh praise him, oh praise him ♪ | 6:36 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 6:40 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 6:42 | |
| ♪ Alleluia ♪ | 6:44 | |
| (group shuffling pages) | 6:53 | |
| (choir sings an upbeat song) | 7:10 | |
| (many footsteps walking) | 9:01 | |
| (pipe organ playing music) | 9:06 | |
| (footsteps walking) | 9:44 | |
| (congregation murmuring while pipe pipe organ plays music) | 9:47 | |
| - | Welcome to all of you who worship with us | 10:12 |
| this festival of Christ the King. | 10:14 | |
| You have been listening to the music of the | 10:19 | |
| Bralton High School Vocal Ensemble, | 10:23 | |
| Mr. Craig McBroom, director. | 10:26 | |
| We are delighted to have this group with us | 10:29 | |
| once again, leading us in our music in the chapel today. | 10:31 | |
| Our preacher for this hour of worship | 10:37 | |
| is Dean Dennis M. Campbell, | 10:41 | |
| Dean of the very fine Divinity School here at Duke. | 10:45 | |
| Dean Campbell is a | 10:50 | |
| widely renowned thinker and writer, | 10:54 | |
| scholar, and a good friend. | 10:57 | |
| And it is our pleasure to welcome him | 11:00 | |
| to our pulpit once again. | 11:03 | |
| He and his family are frequent worshipers here in the chapel | 11:06 | |
| and we appreciate his ministry | 11:09 | |
| and his lively leadership at the Divinity School. | 11:12 | |
| Whatever you're in store for today in the sermon, | 11:16 | |
| it will not be dull, | 11:19 | |
| because he is not. | 11:21 | |
| Let us continue our worship as we prepare ourselves | 11:24 | |
| for worship. | 11:28 | |
| (congregation murmuring) | 11:29 | |
| (pipe organ playing reverent music) | 11:37 | |
| (congregation sings with pipe organ) | 12:17 | |
| - | When we gather to praise God, | 14:24 |
| we remember that we are God's people | 14:26 | |
| and yet we are people who have preferred our wills | 14:28 | |
| to God's will. | 14:32 | |
| Therefore, let us confess our sin | 14:34 | |
| before God and one another. | 14:38 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 14:40 | |
| Eternal and ever merciful God, | 14:54 | |
| (congregation joins officiant in prayer) we confess | 14:57 | |
| that often we have failed to be an obedient church. | 14:59 | |
| We have not done your will. | 15:03 | |
| We have broken your law. | 15:06 | |
| We have rebelled against your love. | 15:08 | |
| We have not loved our neighbors. | 15:11 | |
| We have not heard the cry of the needy. | 15:14 | |
| Forgive us, we pray. | 15:17 | |
| Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ, | 15:20 | |
| our Lord, amen. | 15:24 | |
| Hear the good news. | 15:29 | |
| Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. | 15:31 | |
| That is God's own proof of his love toward us. | 15:35 | |
| In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. | 15:40 | |
| - | In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. | 15:44 |
| (pipe organ playing music) | 15:50 | |
| (congregation singing with pipe organ) | 16:00 | |
| - | Let us pray together the prayer of illumination. | 16:55 |
| Open our hearts and minds, (congregation joins officiant) | 16:59 | |
| oh God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 17:01 | |
| so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 17:06 | |
| we might hear with joy what you say to us this day. | 17:10 | |
| Amen. | 17:15 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 17:15 | |
| The first lesson comes to us | 17:16 | |
| from the prophetic Book of Ezekiel, | 17:18 | |
| the 34th chapter, verses 11 through 17, and 23 through 24. | 17:21 | |
| "For thus says the Lord God: | 17:30 | |
| "behold I, I myself will search for my sheep | 17:33 | |
| "and will seek them out. | 17:38 | |
| "As a shepherd seeks out his flock | 17:40 | |
| "when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, | 17:42 | |
| "so will I seek out my sheep, | 17:46 | |
| "and I will rescue them from all places | 17:49 | |
| "where they have been scattered | 17:52 | |
| "on a day of clouds and thick darkness. | 17:54 | |
| "And I will bring them out from the peoples | 17:58 | |
| "and gather them from the countries, | 18:01 | |
| "and will bring them into their own land. | 18:04 | |
| "And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, | 18:07 | |
| "by the fountains, | 18:10 | |
| "and in all the inhabited places of the country. | 18:12 | |
| "I will feed them with good pasture, | 18:16 | |
| "and upon the mountain heights of Israel | 18:19 | |
| "shall be their pasture there. | 18:23 | |
| "They shall lie down in good grazing land, | 18:25 | |
| "and on fat pasture they shall feed | 18:29 | |
| "on the mountains of Israel. | 18:31 | |
| "I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, | 18:34 | |
| "and I will make them lie down, | 18:38 | |
| "says the Lord God. | 18:40 | |
| "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, | 18:42 | |
| "and I will bind up the crippled, | 18:47 | |
| "and I will strengthen the weak, | 18:49 | |
| "and the fat and the strong I will watch over. | 18:52 | |
| "I will feed them in justice. | 18:55 | |
| "As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: | 18:59 | |
| "Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, | 19:03 | |
| "rams and he-goats. | 19:07 | |
| "And I will set up over them one shepherd, | 19:10 | |
| "my servant David, | 19:13 | |
| "and he shall feed them: | 19:15 | |
| "he shall feed them and be their shepherd. | 19:17 | |
| "And I, the Lord, will be their God, | 19:22 | |
| "and my servant David shall be prince among them. | 19:26 | |
| "I the Lord have spoken." | 19:30 | |
| This is the reading of the first lesson. | 19:33 | |
| Praise be to God. | 19:36 | |
| (pipe organ playing music) | 19:41 | |
| ♪ The earth is the Lord's for he made it ♪ | 19:52 | |
| ♪ Oh, come let us adore him ♪ | 19:57 | |
| ♪ Come, let us sing to the Lord ♪ | 20:04 | |
| ♪ Let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation ♪ | 20:08 | |
| ♪ Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving ♪ | 20:14 | |
| ♪ And raise a loud shout to him with psalm ♪ | 20:19 | |
| ♪ The earth is the Lord's for he made it ♪ | 20:25 | |
| ♪ Oh, come let us adore him ♪ | 20:29 | |
| ♪ For the Lord is a great God ♪ | 20:37 | |
| ♪ And a great King above all gods ♪ | 20:41 | |
| ♪ In his hands are the caverns of the earth ♪ | 20:46 | |
| ♪ And the heights of the hills are his also ♪ | 20:50 | |
| ♪ The earth is the Lord's for he made it ♪ | 20:57 | |
| ♪ Oh, come let us adore him ♪ | 21:01 | |
| ♪ The sea is his, for he made it ♪ | 21:09 | |
| ♪ And his hands have molded the dry land ♪ | 21:13 | |
| ♪ Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee ♪ | 21:19 | |
| ♪ And kneel before the Lord our Maker ♪ | 21:24 | |
| ♪ The earth is the Lord's for he made it ♪ | 21:30 | |
| ♪ Oh, come let us adore him ♪ | 21:34 | |
| ♪ For he is our God ♪ | 21:42 | |
| ♪ And we are the people of his pasture ♪ | 21:45 | |
| ♪ And the sheep of his hand ♪ | 21:48 | |
| ♪ Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice ♪ | 21:52 | |
| ♪ The earth is the Lord's for he made it ♪ | 21:59 | |
| ♪ Oh, come let us adore him ♪ | 22:04 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 22:14 | |
| - | The second reading comes from | 22:22 |
| Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. | 22:23 | |
| The text is 1st Corinthians, chapter 15, | 22:26 | |
| verses 20 through 28. | 22:30 | |
| "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, | 22:33 | |
| "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. | 22:37 | |
| "For as by a man came death, | 22:42 | |
| "by a Man has come also the resurrection of the dead. | 22:44 | |
| "For as in Adam all die, | 22:50 | |
| "so also in Christ shall all be made alive. | 22:53 | |
| "But each in his own order: | 22:57 | |
| "Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming, | 23:00 | |
| "those who belong to Christ. | 23:03 | |
| "Then comes the end, | 23:07 | |
| "when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, | 23:09 | |
| "after destroying every rule and every authority and power. | 23:12 | |
| "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies | 23:17 | |
| "under his feet. | 23:21 | |
| "The last enemy to be destroyed is death. | 23:23 | |
| "For God has put all things in subjection under his feet. | 23:27 | |
| "But when it says | 23:32 | |
| "all things are put in subjection under him, | 23:34 | |
| "it is plain | 23:37 | |
| "that he is excepted who put all things under him. | 23:38 | |
| "When all things are subjected to him, | 23:43 | |
| "then the Son himself will also be subjected to him | 23:45 | |
| "who put all things under him, | 23:51 | |
| "that God may be everything to everyone." | 23:53 | |
| Thus ends the second lesson. | 23:58 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 24:01 | |
| (footsteps walking) | 24:07 | |
| (pipe organ, drums, and chimes play) | 24:24 | |
| (choir sings triumphant music accompanied by instruments) | 24:27 | |
| - | The gospel lesson for this festival day of Christ the King | 26:27 |
| comes from Saint Matthew in the 25th chapter, | 26:35 | |
| verses 31 through 46. | 26:39 | |
| "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, | 26:45 | |
| "and all the angels with him, | 26:49 | |
| "then he will sit on his glorious throne. | 26:52 | |
| "Before him will be gathered all the nations, | 26:56 | |
| "and he will separate them from one another, | 27:00 | |
| "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. | 27:03 | |
| "And he will place the sheep at his right hand, | 27:08 | |
| "but the goats at his left. | 27:12 | |
| "Then the King shall say to those at his right hand, | 27:16 | |
| "Come, O blessed of my Father, | 27:19 | |
| "inherit the kingdom prepared for you | 27:22 | |
| "from the foundation of the world: | 27:25 | |
| "for I was hungry and you gave me food; | 27:29 | |
| "I was thirsty and you gave me drink; | 27:34 | |
| "I was a stranger and you welcomed me; | 27:39 | |
| "I was naked and you clothed me; | 27:43 | |
| "I was sick and you visited me; | 27:45 | |
| "I was in prison and you came to me. | 27:49 | |
| "Then the righteous will answer him, | 27:54 | |
| "Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, | 27:57 | |
| "or thirsty and give thee drink? | 28:02 | |
| "And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, | 28:06 | |
| "or naked and clothe thee? | 28:10 | |
| "And when did we see thee sick, or in prison, | 28:13 | |
| "and visit thee? | 28:17 | |
| "And the King will answer them, | 28:19 | |
| "Truly, I say to you, | 28:22 | |
| "as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, | 28:24 | |
| "you did it to me. | 28:28 | |
| "Then he will say to those at his left hand, | 28:31 | |
| "depart from me, you cursed, | 28:34 | |
| "into the eternal fire prepared | 28:37 | |
| "for the devil and his angels: | 28:40 | |
| "for I was hungry and you gave me no food; | 28:42 | |
| "and I was thirsty and you gave me no drink; | 28:47 | |
| "and I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, | 28:52 | |
| "naked and you did not clothe me, | 28:57 | |
| "sick and in prison and you did not visit me. | 29:00 | |
| "Then they also will answer, | 29:07 | |
| "Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger | 29:09 | |
| "or naked or sick or in prison, | 29:14 | |
| "and did not minister to thee? | 29:18 | |
| "Then he will answer them, | 29:22 | |
| "Truly, I say to you, as you did it not | 29:24 | |
| "to one of the least of these, | 29:29 | |
| "you did it not to me. | 29:31 | |
| "And they will go away into eternal punishment, | 29:35 | |
| "but the righteous into eternal life." | 29:40 | |
| Thus endeth the reading from the holy gospel. | 29:47 | |
| May God's blessing be unto us, | 29:51 | |
| that we may rightly hear and understand | 29:54 | |
| this holy word. | 29:58 | |
| Let us pray. | 30:00 | |
| Come, Holy Spirit, | 30:04 | |
| heavenly dove, | 30:05 | |
| with all thy quickening powers. | 30:08 | |
| Kindle a flame of sacred love | 30:11 | |
| in these cold hearts of ours. | 30:16 | |
| Amen. | 30:22 | |
| I welcome you to this great service of worship | 30:26 | |
| and the last Sunday of the Christian year. | 30:31 | |
| This is the last Sunday in the season of Pentecost. | 30:36 | |
| And it is also the Sunday known to the Christian church | 30:41 | |
| as the festival of Christ the King. | 30:46 | |
| Now, it may not, | 30:50 | |
| indeed, it probably has not occurred to you | 30:52 | |
| that this is the last Sunday of the year. | 30:55 | |
| But for the Christian church, | 31:00 | |
| there is a calendar other than that of the civil calendar, | 31:04 | |
| the Julian calendar, | 31:09 | |
| by which we live in our secular life. | 31:11 | |
| There is the calendar of the Christian church. | 31:16 | |
| The church year, which begins at Advent, | 31:19 | |
| and next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. | 31:24 | |
| And in the Christian calendar we in the church | 31:29 | |
| rehearse the saving life, death, and resurrection | 31:33 | |
| of Christ, our Lord. | 31:38 | |
| The elements of that Christian year include anticipation, | 31:40 | |
| birth, life, | 31:45 | |
| passion, | 31:48 | |
| death, resurrection, | 31:49 | |
| the birth of the church, | 31:52 | |
| and the life of the church in this world. | 31:54 | |
| And the celebration of that Christian year | 31:59 | |
| ends today, with the celebration and recognition | 32:02 | |
| of the coming of Christ in his glory, | 32:09 | |
| when, according to the scriptures, | 32:13 | |
| Christ will be enthroned | 32:16 | |
| and will reign in the end times | 32:19 | |
| over all things. | 32:23 | |
| So it is that this festival of Christ the King | 32:25 | |
| celebrates the end times, and thus the end | 32:29 | |
| of the Christian year. | 32:35 | |
| And it causes us to pause and ponder anew | 32:38 | |
| what the future will hold. | 32:42 | |
| Men and women have always been fascinated with eternity. | 32:48 | |
| The question, where will you spend eternity, | 32:54 | |
| jumps out at us from this gospel lesson, | 32:57 | |
| which is the lesson for Christ the King. | 33:00 | |
| Couple of years ago, | 33:04 | |
| I was up at Princeton Theological Seminary | 33:06 | |
| to give some lectures, | 33:09 | |
| and in the foyer as you go into the refectory there, | 33:10 | |
| there is a large bulletin board | 33:15 | |
| on which students and anyone may post notices. | 33:16 | |
| There was a sign tacked up in large letters, | 33:20 | |
| blue on white, | 33:24 | |
| "Where will you spend eternity?" | 33:26 | |
| Now at Princeton Seminary there is a required course | 33:30 | |
| in Greek that all first year students must pass | 33:34 | |
| before they can move on in their training. | 33:38 | |
| And some first year student had penciled in under the sign, | 33:41 | |
| "Where will you spend eternity: | 33:45 | |
| "Right now, it looks like Greek 101." | 33:48 | |
| (congregation laughs) | 33:52 | |
| We are always fascinated with this question of eternity, | 33:54 | |
| and that's what today is about, | 33:59 | |
| and that's what this text is about, | 34:00 | |
| for here is this last judgment | 34:03 | |
| parable that Jesus tells, | 34:06 | |
| and that Matthew puts | 34:08 | |
| just before the beginning of the Passion. | 34:10 | |
| Here is the picture of Christ in his glory enthroned | 34:14 | |
| with all the angels, | 34:19 | |
| and coming before him are all of the nations of the world | 34:21 | |
| to be judged, the scripture tells us, | 34:25 | |
| as a shepherd separating sheep from goats. | 34:28 | |
| It's a difficult text. | 34:34 | |
| It's not one I would have gladly chosen to preach on, | 34:35 | |
| but it's one, the study of which has been profitable to me. | 34:40 | |
| And it's one which deserves our careful attention. | 34:45 | |
| And it includes a number of ideas | 34:49 | |
| appropriate to us on this great festival of Christ the King. | 34:52 | |
| The first is that for the Christian church, | 34:58 | |
| there is the understanding theologically, | 35:01 | |
| which jumps out at us in this text, | 35:04 | |
| that Christ has universal significance. | 35:07 | |
| In the Eastern Church, Eastern Christianity, | 35:12 | |
| one of the favorite icons | 35:16 | |
| is that of Christ Pantocrator. | 35:18 | |
| King of everything, if you will. | 35:23 | |
| Ruler of all. | 35:26 | |
| Christ enthroned with crown and scepter, | 35:29 | |
| and that's one of the images for this day. | 35:32 | |
| It reminds us, of course, | 35:36 | |
| that Christianity has a world vision, | 35:37 | |
| a sense of the wholeness of this world, | 35:41 | |
| and the affirmation that the entirety of this world | 35:44 | |
| and all of the created order | 35:48 | |
| was made by God | 35:51 | |
| and is under God's dominion. | 35:53 | |
| And so all the world is related to Christ. | 35:57 | |
| This is, of course, a Christian theological statement, | 36:01 | |
| and does not imply the imposition of Christ on the world. | 36:05 | |
| It is a vision that all of the world is in fact, | 36:10 | |
| from its beginning, | 36:15 | |
| under the rule of Christ. | 36:18 | |
| Now of course, | 36:22 | |
| the question that comes from this understanding | 36:25 | |
| and from this text, | 36:28 | |
| and that has been one | 36:31 | |
| that's puzzled us through the centuries: | 36:32 | |
| what, then, does it take to inherit eternal life? | 36:35 | |
| I have a friend who's the pastor of a church | 36:41 | |
| where there is a very wealthy elderly man | 36:44 | |
| who's pondering his last days. | 36:48 | |
| And asking this question. | 36:51 | |
| And in response to it, at one point he asked my friend, | 36:54 | |
| "Do you suppose if I leave my entire estate, | 36:58 | |
| and it's a substantial one, | 37:02 | |
| to the church, I'll go directly to heaven?" | 37:04 | |
| My friend thought a minute. | 37:09 | |
| He obviously was well trained as a theologian | 37:11 | |
| and so didn't answer quickly, | 37:14 | |
| but also as an effective pastor, | 37:17 | |
| knew the church could use the money, | 37:19 | |
| and he quickly answered, | 37:21 | |
| "It's worth a try." | 37:22 | |
| (congregation laughs) | 37:24 | |
| What will it take? | 37:30 | |
| What's the criteria of judgment? | 37:32 | |
| What's the criterion of judgment? | 37:36 | |
| And then we see that Jesus answers that question | 37:40 | |
| in this passage as reported by Matthew. | 37:43 | |
| The answer is love and service to all. | 37:47 | |
| Not triumphalism. | 37:52 | |
| This is not the notion of Christ imposed on the world. | 37:54 | |
| It is not the notion of subjection. | 37:59 | |
| Not that kind of rule. | 38:03 | |
| Now we see that the concern for end times | 38:06 | |
| is tied up with Christ's whole program | 38:12 | |
| of love and service to all. | 38:16 | |
| You know this question of end times, | 38:22 | |
| of eternity, of apocalypticism, | 38:25 | |
| or eschatology, | 38:29 | |
| often becomes popularized in ways that are unhappy. | 38:32 | |
| Sometimes it implies horrors. | 38:39 | |
| And sometimes it implies quietism. | 38:44 | |
| We all perhaps remember that this question even | 38:48 | |
| showed its head in the presidential debates this year, | 38:52 | |
| of all places. | 38:56 | |
| What does a vision of end times mean? | 38:59 | |
| Well, it does not mean horrors or quietism. | 39:03 | |
| We see instead that it means love and service. | 39:09 | |
| Christ's kingdom is both now and not yet. | 39:15 | |
| In Genesis there is that wonderful story of Abraham | 39:23 | |
| sitting at the door of his tent under the oaks of Mamre | 39:27 | |
| on a hot day, and from afar off he see three men coming. | 39:31 | |
| He doesn't know them, they're strangers to them, | 39:36 | |
| but as they approach, Abram stands and says, | 39:39 | |
| "Come on. | 39:42 | |
| "It's hot. | 39:44 | |
| "You need to be refreshed and have some hospitality." | 39:45 | |
| And he calls one his servants and sends him out | 39:49 | |
| to slaughter a calf. | 39:52 | |
| And he asks his wife Sarah to take three portions | 39:54 | |
| of the finest grain and make it into cakes. | 39:58 | |
| And those three men are treated in a splendid manner. | 40:03 | |
| The best eastern hospitality. | 40:08 | |
| Later, they come to tell him | 40:13 | |
| the good news that he and his wife Sarah | 40:18 | |
| are to have a son. | 40:22 | |
| In fact, we later learn that they are angels of the Lord, | 40:24 | |
| bringing the news of the Lord | 40:29 | |
| of a great event which is to come, | 40:32 | |
| the birth a son to Abraham, | 40:35 | |
| and the whole future of Israel. | 40:38 | |
| He didn't know who they were, | 40:43 | |
| but he treated them with hospitality. | 40:46 | |
| And of course, Isaac, the son, | 40:50 | |
| is foretold. | 40:55 | |
| This idea of hospitality to strangers, | 40:58 | |
| to the unloved, the unwanted, the outcast, the oppressed, | 41:03 | |
| is deep within western consciousness. | 41:10 | |
| The Grimm Brothers' fairy tales has that marvelous | 41:13 | |
| story of the shriveled up and ugly dwarf | 41:17 | |
| who comes into a town and needs help, | 41:21 | |
| both shelter and food, | 41:25 | |
| and he goes to the mayor and is turned away. | 41:27 | |
| The mayor is above this. | 41:30 | |
| He goes to the church and is turned away. | 41:32 | |
| He is too odd. | 41:35 | |
| And he finally ends up at a very modest dwelling | 41:37 | |
| in a little cottage at the edge of town, | 41:40 | |
| and a very old couple, | 41:43 | |
| who are very poor take him in. | 41:45 | |
| And later, as you perhaps know the story, | 41:48 | |
| when the town is destroyed in terrible earthquake and fire, | 41:51 | |
| that couple is spared because, in fact, | 41:56 | |
| that dwarf was an angel. | 42:00 | |
| William Blake, the great English poet, in his poem | 42:04 | |
| "Holy Thursday" observes, | 42:08 | |
| "Then cherish pity, | 42:11 | |
| lest you drive an angel from your door." | 42:13 | |
| And the New Testament Book of Hebrews: | 42:19 | |
| "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, | 42:22 | |
| for thereby | 42:27 | |
| some have entertained angels unawares." | 42:29 | |
| Angels unawares. | 42:35 | |
| You see, out of our text today, | 42:38 | |
| what the people said to Christ. | 42:40 | |
| "When did we see thee?" | 42:44 | |
| It's a surprise, if you will. | 42:46 | |
| Unawares. | 42:49 | |
| This is love and service without calculation. | 42:51 | |
| That's the point. | 42:56 | |
| No calculation. | 42:57 | |
| One standard of love for all. | 43:00 | |
| Everywhere. | 43:04 | |
| Without regard to status or wealth or fame. | 43:06 | |
| Those are not the matters taken unto account in judgment. | 43:11 | |
| It's easy, isn't it, to be nice to those who are important | 43:17 | |
| or rich, or impressive. | 43:22 | |
| Oh, but the point here is | 43:26 | |
| to be kind to the stranger, | 43:30 | |
| to the oppressed, to the marginal persons. | 43:32 | |
| For we never know. | 43:37 | |
| We don't have to be great, you see, to do heroic acts. | 43:38 | |
| The simple and the simplest. | 43:43 | |
| And, as our text makes clear, | 43:47 | |
| it does not even have to be done in the name of Christ. | 43:50 | |
| There is an important openness in this text. | 43:55 | |
| An openness noted by the commentators on it. | 44:00 | |
| Mercy to the oppressed is not calculated, | 44:05 | |
| and it does not even have to be done | 44:10 | |
| clearly in the name of Christ, | 44:13 | |
| but in fact, it is received by Christ. | 44:17 | |
| "When you did it to the least, | 44:22 | |
| "you did it to me." | 44:24 | |
| Saint Francis of Assisi tells the story of his own youth, | 44:26 | |
| when he was well born and rich, | 44:31 | |
| and comfortable and high-spirited. | 44:36 | |
| He was out riding one day on a horse, | 44:38 | |
| and he came across a leper who in his deformity | 44:41 | |
| and ugliness repulsed Francis. | 44:45 | |
| But suddenly Francis was struck by compassion. | 44:48 | |
| And he got off the horse and put his arms around the leper. | 44:52 | |
| And later Francis tells us that in his mind's eye | 44:58 | |
| that leper's face turned to the face of Christ. | 45:02 | |
| "When you have done it to one of the least of these." | 45:07 | |
| Without calculation. | 45:11 | |
| Oh, then you see the great thing about this text | 45:14 | |
| is the surprise. | 45:18 | |
| We all love a surprise. | 45:19 | |
| And here is the great surprise of Jesus. | 45:21 | |
| Oh, we did not know. | 45:24 | |
| And that's just the point. | 45:26 | |
| There is here a divine reversal of values. | 45:28 | |
| Christ the King brings surprises. | 45:32 | |
| The pious and the religious may be surprised. | 45:37 | |
| Those who unknowingly have done | 45:43 | |
| acts and deeds of love and service | 45:46 | |
| may also be surprised. | 45:49 | |
| Hospitality to strangers. | 45:52 | |
| Suddenly the stranger turns out to be someone else. | 45:56 | |
| That little trick, that surprise, | 46:00 | |
| fascinates us, | 46:04 | |
| doesn't it? | 46:06 | |
| And isn't it a kind of trick or surprise, then, | 46:08 | |
| that in attention to this text, | 46:12 | |
| real attention to this text, | 46:16 | |
| suddenly the word of judgment | 46:18 | |
| turns out to be a word of good news | 46:23 | |
| and grace. | 46:28 | |
| Suddenly the word of judgment | 46:30 | |
| turns out to be good news and grace. | 46:33 | |
| There's a tendency in this text to moralize. | 46:38 | |
| I might've stopped the sermon a little bit ago, | 46:41 | |
| maybe you with I had, | 46:44 | |
| and simply have moralized this. | 46:45 | |
| You'd better be good, because there's going to be judgment. | 46:51 | |
| But the element of surprise enters in. | 46:57 | |
| If I had, I wouldn't have been an adequate interpreter | 47:00 | |
| of the text. | 47:03 | |
| Because in fact, there is good news here, | 47:04 | |
| that in Christ the King, | 47:09 | |
| all are welcomed who love and serve. | 47:13 | |
| It is not then finally what we do, | 47:19 | |
| but it is Christ's grace which precedes. | 47:23 | |
| Few years ago, we were at Hampton Court | 47:30 | |
| in England outside of London. | 47:33 | |
| And we noticed some apartments, | 47:36 | |
| lovely old buildings adjacent-- | 47:38 |