Proper 29 (Last Sunday of Church Year)
Notes
Transcript
A walk backwards
A walk backwards
Distractions
All Saints Day (Blessed Beatitudes)
Parable of the Virgins (Readiness/Idle)
Parable of the Talents (Investment/Complacency)
Today final Judgement
Opening
Opening
The arrival scene in MT 25 makes woodstock, the womens march and the million maga march look like a stay at home order. Hartsfield Atlanta and every cruise ship have no arrival like Jesus. It’s not U2, Biden or Rolo that is coming. The King is coming. The shepherd King ascends His throne by coming to His creation once again.
This depiction is not a parable it is a direct teaching, the only thing parabolic is v. 32
Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
The rest of this is about how the end of time will unfold-
The Blessed life
The Blessed life
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Remember the declarative aspect of blessing from the beatitudes (Judge decision made but not announced?)
The significance of this passage is that the state of blessing is already in existence!
From the foundation of the world. Our waiting for the coming king is a time ‘in-between’ - This inheritance has always been yours.
The great ‘now and not yet’ - a life of longing for His coming.
What is it you long for? If we desire that our schools would open up or that we could sit on a sandy beach more than we long for Jesus then today is the day to turn our hearts before the hearse arrives. Greater riches await.
You and I did nothing to deserve the kingdom. We inherit this BEFORE we even know that we are righteous.
All those other promises are things we think we deserve. Eternity w/ JESUS is unearned.
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
The righteous don’t even assume any works of their own. They have no clue about their own self sufficiency or even who they are serving.
Just get after whatever is next ($30k to PCN, Raking leaves, Visiting the homebound) CLC Quietly serves - NO Shirts, no merch, no marketing. Just a constant readiness for the king.
Working retail I developed this terrible habit of constantly checking for outdates (handfuls of expired coconut milk at registers) I don’t even drink the stuff - Doesn’t help me in particular
Christianity is both an institution and movement through people that brings good to the world without seeking credit.
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
This should force us to consider who Jesus calls His brothers and sisters:
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
To be in the family of Jesus is to care for the body of Christ.
Some interpreters believe it is even about caring for the disciples and then Pastors - Why preach on this? Because you will some day have another Pastor.
We cannot be careless because Christ, the great shepherd, is not cavalier about us.
This has some implications about how we apply these passages
We’re about 10 minutes away from a sarah mcglaughlin song and an ask to provide a cup of cool water. Those are fine ideas and you should still do them- but don’t quote this passage because to do so actually moves you in the direction of those goats (not the Tom Brady - who has also fallen)
Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
See they are counting the works! They’re hoping you’ve noticed the good deeds and can get the above the line tax deduction. (See look at my shirt/mask with my church name!!)
The whole of the Christian life is about turning away from the man in the mirror, the decay of creation and instead looking for the coming King.
The next 4 weeks are advent- a season of repentance and longing. I’ll invite you to deeply stir your soul and identify the things in your life that you rely upon that are not Jesus. This exploration of the heart is perilous and unnerving but important. We don’t know what tomorrow brings but we do know what our shepherd brings.
Are you ready to meet your the Shepherd King Jesus?
We have a prayer for this in our Hymnal on pg 311.
Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Closing
Closing
You know this season is one of looking and longing. If you have felt the perils of life unknown be of courage because the church has been here before. Nothing is unprecedented for the eternal church of Christ. We have seen everything before and our Shepherd has secured our hope.
St. John - the beloved disciple was exiled on the island of Patmos during the persecution of the church when He wrote the book of Revelations. His entire life was spent looking for the coming of Jesus. Do you remember how he ends the apocalypse? It is a prayer the church used for hundreds of years in one word. Through distractions of exile and famine, persecution and pestilence, this prayer has been on the lips of God’s people. Maranatha - come lord Jesus in aramaic.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
May this be your prayer as you await His coming in glory. Maranatha - Come quickly Lord.