The Reign of Christ (24th after Pentecost, 24 November 2019)

 The Reign of Christ (Pentecost 24)
November 24, 2019 © Wolf Kirchmeir

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79: Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

O Holy Spirit, assist us we contemplate your word, that we may be enlightened by your truth. Amen.

Dear Friends in Christ,
     Today we celebrate the Reign of Christ. So why is our Gospel reading from Luke's account of the Crucifixion?
     There is a simple answer to this: Here Luke tells us that Jesus's reign begins on the Cross. The soldiers have fastened a poster above Jesus's head proclaiming that THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  One of the criminals executed with Jesus asks to be remembered when Jesus comes into his kingdom. So the conclusion is a no-brainer: Jesus will reign in his kingdom.
     But as always, the simple answer doesn't take us far enough. Here are a few thoughts that occurred to me when I read this Gospel.

     In another version of the Crucifixion, the temple authorities object to the poster.
Write, He said he was King of the Jews they ask. But Pilate says, What I have written, I have written. But Jesus did not claim to be King of the Jews. Both the Temple authorities and Pilate were wrong about that. In fact, Jesus doesn't claim to be a King at all. All he ever says is that the Kingdom of God is at hand.
     When Pilate asks Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answers So you say. Even here, he tells the penitent criminal Today you will be with me in paradise. He does not say I will remember you when I return to my throne.

     So why do we keep talking about Jesus as King? Why do we think about the End of Days as the beginning of Christ's reign on Earth? Why do we think about the Kingdom as something that will happen in the future?

     Listen again: Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
     Paradise. An ancient Greek word that originally referred to an orchard or a garden. Early in Christian history, the word was used to refer to the Garden of Eden. About 900 years ago, Christians began to use it to refer to heaven, the dwelling place of the dead, who will live in the presence of God forever.
     It seems to me that here Jesus is talking about his and the penitent's immediate personal future. He's not even talking about the Kingdom, let alone about himself as King.

     Well, then, how do we make sense of the Kingdom of God, and of Christ as the King?
     I think we have to let go of notions of royalty. I think we have to let go of notions of a future age when Christ will reign on Earth. I think we have to let go of notions of Jesus being a king like the kings we have known in our history. They're a sorry lot. They're weak, cruel, ambitious, power hungry. That's not Jesus.
     I think we have to think again about Jesus as King. I think so mostly because Jesus said over and over again The Kingdom of God is at hand. Any notion of the Reign of Christ has to work with this claim. The Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom is here, now. The Kingdom has been here since the beginning of time. The Kingdom will endure to the End of Creation.

     Where, then is the Kingdom? Where is "here"?
     The Kingdom is in our hearts and minds. The Kingdom is in our relationships with each other. The Kingdom is  in our communities, our churches, our families. The hymn says
Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His Kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

     The Kingdom is eternal, it has no beginning and no end. Yet the Kingdom exists in time, it exists in us. That's a mystery. It's a mystery whose meaning we work out whenever we contemplate Jesus's reminder that we exist to love God and our neighbour. It's a mystery whose meaning we work out whenever we contemplate the promise of the Crucifixion, Today you will be with me in paradise. It's a mystery whose meaning we begin to understand when we see Jesus as the embodiment of God's love.

Let us pray.

Lord God, who reigns over all Creation, take up your throne in our hearts, that we may in our words and deeds show the fulfillment of your promise that you will be with us forever. We pray in the name Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen