Christ the King B

Christ the King Sunday, Year B

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Again today I greet you in the words of St. John: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. Amen.

Christ the King Sunday. This is the day when we celebrate the entire church year coming to a close. Let’s take a quick look at how we’ve celebrated throughout the past year.

We began on the first Sunday of Advent last year, and we journeyed through that season as we looked forward to the coming of Messiah. Advent is a time of waiting and watching, when we turn ourselves back to God as we hope for Him to come to us. It is a solemn time, but it is hopeful. The solemn feel of this season of the church year can be heard in the music of Setting 2, which we use during Advent. We use Blue as the color of the season, because it is the color of the sky. Our faith in Christ rests on the hope that Christ will return on the last day from that same blue sky into which he ascended on a cloud so long ago.

We then celebrated the arrival of the Christ child at Christmas, and his being revealed to the world at Epiphany…and we celebrated this for a few weeks, looking back to the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. For Christmas and the Feast of Epiphany, we use the color white, which is the color of purity and completeness. In Messiah’s birth, God’s promise is completed - He has sent his Messiah to save us.

Following the celebration of Christ’s own Baptism, we have a period of weeks to reflect on what Christ’s arrival means. “Epiphany's message of Christ's revelation to the Gentiles along with the season's traditional emphasis on extending Christ's kingdom through missions, calls for the use of green-the color symbolic of growth.” (Rev. Douglas K. Escue, LCMS, ‘The Colors of the Liturgical Seasons’)

From there we moved into the season of Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday. Just as in ancient times, when a people would mourn and lament they would put ashes on themselves, we too put ashes on our foreheads to mourn our inability to resist sin. But we do so in the shape of the cross of Christ - the cross that renders our sins “paid for”. We acknowledge our sins and spend the season repenting of them, but we are again hopeful, because we know that they *will be* forgiven. As with Advent, this is a somber time, and that is reflected in the music of the liturgy. Ash Wednesday uses black as its color; black is the absence of light. Black is only used twice in the year…the first time being Ash Wednesday.

Lent’s color is purple, which is a penitential color. It represents somberness and solemnity, penitence, and prayer. In ancient times, purple was an expensive dye, so it could only be afforded by the rich and worn most exclusively by royalty. Jesus - king of the Jews - wore purple only once. As the soldiers mocked and tormented him, the Scriptures record they placed on him a “purple garment” in order to ridicule him and belittle the claim that he was a monarch. Therefore, purple is used during this penitential season of Lent as a vivid reminder of the contempt and scorn he endured, and the subsequent sacrifice he made for our eternal salvation. (Escue)

At the end of the 40 days of Lent, we come to the climax of the Church Year - Jesus’ death and resurrection. Beginning with Palm Sunday (a.k.a. the Sunday of the Passion), we take a week to tell the story of Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, to the Last Supper; his betrayal, arrest, and trial; his crucifixion and death; and finally his resurrection on the third day. This is the very heart of our faith. On the day of his death - Good Friday - the color is black - the second time this color has been used. This color calls for sober reflection on the cost of our redemption. We are reminded of the day the sky turned dark. But the story did not end in darkness, but rather in light - the new life of the resurrected Messiah on Easter Sunday. It is this event which shows us the plan that God has for all of us, to reflect the light of the resurrection, we change the black on the altar to white (remember it is the color of purity and completeness, and now God’s ultimate promise is fulfilled - our redemption) - and we celebrate this for a “week of weeks” - 49 days, and on the 50th day, we move into the next season, which bears the title of the day that begins it: “Pentecost”.

We use red for the Day of Pentecost, because red is the color of the Holy Spirit, and we recognize the work of the Spirit on that day that birthed the Christian Church on earth. "The color red communicates the motif of strength ... strength and power the Holy Spirit gives in order for God's people to call on the name of Jesus Christ and share that powerful name with others.” (Escue)

For the season following this Day of Pentecost, we change the color back to green, again to symbolize growth. During this time - the longest season of the year, we disciples are called to grow and mature in our lives of faith. The best way to do that is to make regular and constant use of the means of God’s grace: hearing the Gospel and participating in the Sacraments.

And so now today we come to the finale of the church year - Christ the King. And how fitting that we celebrate BOTH Sacraments today! The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, in which we receive God’s free gift of grace and salvation and are *sealed* by the Holy Spirit; and the Sacrament of the Altar, in which we take Jesus’ own body and blood into our very selves and remember what he did to set us free from our sin.

The lectionary texts for today give us a glimpse of what God’s plan is - what the end of the story will look like. Isaiah tells us to do what we do in Advent - look to the heavens…but with the warning that even the heavens themselves will not last. But God’s salvation - which is promised to us - WILL last forever…thanks be to God!

In the Revelation to St. John, we are told exactly who God is: the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father - who was and who is and who is to come - has always been, and always will be. The Spirit - represented by the “seven spirits” here is still one Holy Spirit - but this number represents completeness, just as the week of creation was finished on the seventh day, so this number of spirits is complete (and it references other verses that use this number to represent completeness). And here John names the Son last - but with good reason: it’s all about HIM.

There’s a lot of symbolism in Revelation, and I think a couple of things from this passage that we should think deeply about…beginning with the greeting: “Grace” is the unmerited favor of God in Christ Jesus together with all the blessings this favor bestows upon us as unworthy sinners. “Peace,” shalom, ... is the gift of peace, the objective condition when all is well with us in our relation to God through Christ. ... Placed in the condition of peace, our hearts are to feel and enjoy this peace and, whenever they become disturbed, are to recover the serenity, the feeling of safety that belongs to those who have received objective peace from God… This greeting calls upon them so to receive and to possess what God sends them. [R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Columbus, OH: Lutheran Book Concern, 1935), 35-36.]

Then we have this Triune description…and it’s found only in Revelation: “him who is and who was and who is to come...” (v 4) It’s not the same as the name of God in Exodus (“I AM WHO I AM”, which can also be translated in the future tense). Here’s what John is saying about God here: “the One who Is,” means, “Who Is timelessly from eternity to eternity.” … “and the One who Was,” means, “Who Was before time and the world began.” … “and the One who is Coming” when time shall be no more, when he shall come for the final judgment. [Lenski, 39.]

The Father (and Christ) is coming to bring the kingdom to its glorious consummation. A thousand signs proclaim that presently he will be here to fulfill his last promise. Our whole hope is in “the One who is Coming.” [Lenski, 40.] I prefer the translation “who *is coming*” better than “who is to come” because it conveys a sense that the process has already begun…and that’s absolutely the case.

John also calls Christ “the firstborn of the dead” - Jesus died, and he rose again, breaking the power of death for all of us. Since we are joined to him in Baptism, he will raise us from the dead to share his glory. And that brings us to “his eternal enthronement: ‘The Ruler of the kings of the earth.’” … “All nations to the uttermost parts of the earth are his inheritance and his possession.” [Lenski, 44.]

The key part of this passage for today is what comes next: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Through his blood, he made us a kingdom, which he did because he loves us. “His blood” is more than “his death,” for one may die without pouring out his blood; blood is shed in sacrifice for expiation. Here belong all the other “blood” passages. Such a price Christ paid in his love to make us his own who are freed from all sin. [Lenski, 45.]

This King of Kings has now paid the price for us, and has - as a kingly act - declared us free by royal verdict. It is his authority to do so…and he does. And this king establishes his own kingdom. This is not like any earthly kingdom; Christ cannot be dethroned. Where he is and rules with his power and his grace there he produces his kingdom, and this is not merely a mass of subjects ... but recipients of his kingdom, partakers of it, children, sons, heirs of God, joint heirs of their King, royal like himself, all kings, who reign with their King on the earth and shall reign with him in glory forever. [Lenski, 46.]

Now, he did not make us all kings, but rather a kingdom. He is the King. But it is a holy kingdom and therefore we are priests. Our priestly function, as the author of Hebrews tells us, is “to offer the sacrifice of praise unto God continually, that is fruit of lips confessing his name,” Heb. 13:15. [Lenski, 47.]

In Mark’s Gospel account, Jesus is explaining to his disciples what the last day will look like. It’s not going to be a fun day at all. There will be a lot of destruction and disaster. Like the day of Jesus’ death, the sun will go dark. Even the stars will fall from heaven. The measure of this disaster is simply beyond human understanding.

But Jesus tells us exactly how he will return - coming in the clouds, just as we are told he will in Acts at his ascension. Clouds are God’s chariot, the symbol of his heavenly majesty for us mere mortals. [Lenski] And even though this scene is depicted as scary and tragic, it ultimately is wrapped in hope for those of us who will be saved. Or, as Jesus calls them “his elect”. They *will* be gathered.

The rest of Christ’s message is about what to do until that time comes. And we don’t know when that will be. My favorite scholar had this to say: “Many have tried to know more concerning the end and its exact date than Jesus knew in his humiliation. That date has been often set, and yet when it arrived, the world went on, and no end came.” [Lenski, 591.] Yeah…no one knows; not even Christ himself.

So what do we do until then? Well, the head of the house has put his servants in charge. We are stewards of his house and his property until he comes back. What *should* we be doing with it? Keeping it neat and tidy? Making sure everything is used appropriately? Making sure the business is operating the way he wants it to operate? Jesus doesn’t really spell that out does he? What we *do* know is that we are to be alert and in tune with the Words of Christ, which will not pass away. That is the best guidance we have.

And we are doing the *business* of Christ. We are helping the poor and feeding the hungry… next week we’ll have our annual business meeting, and we’ll talk about that in more detail. As we vote on things for that meeting, I hope you’ll remember this passage. If Jesus walked in the door during that meeting, as the King of Kings returning, would he be pleased with what we’re doing?

Christ our King is unlike any other king. He spilled his own blood for us…to ensure that the judgment we deserve does not actually fall on our shoulders. And because he did, we are set to enjoy eternity with him. To call him “King” is to acknowledge his rule in our lives - also called “dominion”. To say “Christ is King” is the same as saying “Christ is *my* King”. That is to subject yourself to him, to recognize his authority over your life. That does not look like disobedience. That looks like enthusiastic obedience - something we can’t yet achieve permanently, but we look forward to the day when we can. And that will begin our eternal life with him - which is exactly what God’s plan has been about all along.

To Him - our King - be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen!