The Arrival of the King

Text: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” -

We’re shifting gears slightly today. But we’re ending up in the same place.

The message of Ash Wednesday rings out, as it normally does: You are dust and, to dust you shall return because the wages of sin is death. Repent!

Over the next 6 weeks, however, we’ll be focused on the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew’s Gospel has a lot to say about that Kingdom. You’ll be reading about it in our lenten devotional and each Wednesday’s readings and theme will connect to what you’re reading there.

So we’re starting, as Matthew does, with the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is here because your King has arrived. As I say, we’ve shifted gears. But we’ve shifted gears to find that we’ve ended up in the same place, with the exact same message. The messenger, John the Baptizer, who was sent to announce the arrival of the King, goes forth declaring, in a word, “Repent!”

Repent because the King has arrived. As John the Baptizer emphasized, "10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ...12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

"10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ...12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

...12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Fire is the natural destiny of every descendant of Adam. The wages of sin is death. Dust you are and dust you shall return— ashes to ashes, dust to dust. And the King has arrived, laying the axe to the root of every tree that does not bear fruit and casting it into the fire, clearing His threshing floor and burning the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Fire is the natural destiny of every descendant of Adam. And the King has come to bring that fire. But, thankfully, your King comes first to be a second Adam. “47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” ()

“ 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.” ()

His flesh was laid in a tomb, but did not return to the dust because it was not His own death that He died— it was not the wages of His own sin that He paid— it was yours. He became a child of Adam, but because He was without sin, He did not return to the dust. Death had no power over Him.

He has joined that indestructible flesh to yours.

Repent! Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Repent and believe that the tree of the cross will stand forever. Because it is the life-giving tree. He invites you to eat of the ‘fruit’ of that tree: His very body and blood that were given and shed for you on that tree. And, through that eating and drinking, He gives you life.

He invites you to eat of the ‘fruit’ of that tree: His very body and blood that were given and shed for you on that tree. And, through that eating and drinking, you live.

“Now don't be grossed out. But we often hide from our eyes the fact that we can only sustain our natural life by the death of other living things, but it is absolutely true. Even if the other living thing is only broccoli. For you to live, other beings have to die. And you have to take into your body their life (usually rather quickly, before it rots and flies away). Your fridge, after all, is really a morgue, a place where the dead are stored and kept cool to hold off the inevitable rot which is the sign that all the life has fled from the food and so you dare not eat it anymore.

“Our Lord looked this reality in the face when He warned us: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life which the Son of God will give you. ().

“...He sacrifice[d] Himself upon Calvary's tree to supply you with food, the food that is His flesh and blood. And unlike the other food that you take into yourself. This is spiritual food. This food doesn't rot. Doesn't decay. And even more, it imparts to you an eternal life when received in faith. Luther once said: Other food that we eat, we change into ourselves, but this food changes us into itself. We become one body because we all eat of the one body! It imparts to us a life that death simply cannot take from us. And because it is the body and blood of Jesus, it gives us forgiveness. For that is why He went to the cross, offering up His body and pouring out His blood, "for the forgiveness of sins."

“So as often as you present yourself [before this altar, at this communion rail], He gives to you the gift that He died to win for you and lives to impart to you: His very body and blood as FOOD so that you may eat it and not die, but live in Him forevermore.

“...Indeed, the cup of blessing (the blessing promised to Abraham) which we bless (with the words of Jesus) is koinonia – common participation – in His blood. The bread which we bread is koinonia—common participation—in His body. And thus you share His life: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven…whoever feeds on this bread will live…FOREVER."

“Indeed, the cup of blessing (the blessing promised to Abraham) which we bless (with the words of Jesus) is koinonia – common participation – in His blood. The bread which we bread is koinonia—common participation—in His body. And thus you share His life: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me will also live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven…whoever feeds on this bread will live…FOREVER."

“Unlike the rest of your food, THIS food, Christ's true body and blood under the bread and wine, isn't rotting and decaying; it gives you a life in Christ, a life that is forever. And for that, all glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.”

(“Today’s Catechesis,” October 27, 2016. https://weedon.blogspot.com/2016/10/todays-catechesis.html

Begin the fast, because there is, within you, a sinful nature— the Old Adam that is dust and is returning to the dust. And, unfortunately, between now and that day, it needs to be put to death every single day along with all sin and evil desires. As St. Athanasius said, “Devils take great delight in fullness and drunkenness and bodily comfort. Fasting possesses great power and it works glorious things. To fast is to banquet with angels.” As one of the Eastern Church Fathers put it, “Let thy mind fast from vain thoughts; let thy memory fast from remembering evil; let thy will fast from evil desire; let thine eyes fast from bad sights.”

Begin the fast today. Begin it in anticipation of Easter joy; in the knowledge that Christ has joined His flesh to yours so that, like branches attached to a vine, you can not help but produce bountiful fruit; that you live in Him today and tomorrow and forevermore; that the grave has no more power over you than it has over Him. Begin the fast in anticipation of the day that your sinful flesh will be left in the grave where it belongs as you are finally and fully raised to new life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Begin the fast yearning for that day when you will join the marriage feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom, which has no end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ— fellow People of the Kingdom— the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.