At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow – Lord Jesus may we bow the knee of our hearts before you as we hear your word and celebrate your love.
Amen.
The Feast of Christ the King that we celebrate today is full of glory!
Glorious words and images, music and signs – it is like a sneak preview of how Christmas feels – only we’re at the other end of the story.
Next week, its Advent Sunday and we start to anticipate the joy of Christmas to come – but today we see the culmination of the whole glorious story with all its twists and turns that begins with the birth of the baby Jesus at Bethlehem – that seems to be all at an end when the man Jesus dies on the cross – but then he rises to new life, ascends into heaven and takes his rightful place at the right hand of God.
At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, every tongue confess him King of glory now – as we sang at the beginning of this service.
How strange then, that we go from this joyful happy ever after ending, straight back to the beginning of it all again with Advent. But that’s the whole point – as the cycle of the Church Year reminds us again and again.
Descending from the heights of heaven to the depths of the earth – God comes to be with us in the most unexpected and surprising way.
As a baby.
It all begins with a baby – as it does for all of us of course!
But in the Gospel reading for today, we see a snapshot of Jesus towards the end of his life – in fact he has been betrayed and arrested and now stands before Pilate, the Roman Governor, who has the power of life and death over him.
Despite this, Jesus is not deferential to Pilate – quite the reverse – and their conversation is sparky to say the least – Jesus is not trying to convince Pilate to release him, but to speak the truth in the courts of power about who he is.
So you are a King? Pilate asks him –
You say so, Jesus replies – but my kingdom is not of this world.
It seems as if Jesus is already half way to heaven – his work on earth is done, and there is no way back and no way out. And God’s Kingdom is not like this one, only better – it is completely different – where the last shall be first, and the first shall be last – where the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid and a little child will lead them.
Through baptism, as we live out our lives as citizens of this Kingdom of God – what does that look like as we live in the world? A world very far removed from the peaceful Kingdom of Isaiah’s beautiful prophecy.
Well, it looks like how Jesus lived – with gentleness, kindness and humility, with faithfulness in prayer and trust in God, the Father. With openness of heart and mind, not judging one another, thinking the worst of each other or speaking harshly, but looking for the best in every situation and everyone, praising one another and speaking words of love and encouragement. It means not fighting back when we are attacked, seeking peace and not war, sharing all we have with those who have so little. Jesus says all this again and again, and lived out this perfect love in the world he came to save.
As we follow him now – seeking to live this way of perfect love in an imperfect world, the cost can be very great. In some countries, to be a Christian, can cost our very lives.
But we follow all the same, we are named for him and we know him – we crown him as our Captain – we enthrone him in our hearts. And now in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus, who dies because in our sinfulness, we cannot look upon such love without seeking to destroy it, is enthroned as the one who is and was and is to come – the one who lives for ever – whose love is everlasting – the one who will return again with all glory – who is God the Saviour, and Christ the Lord, ever to be worshipped, trusted and adored.
Service: Reverend Michelle Dalliston 24th November 2024. (St John The Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Readings: Daniel 7.9-10,13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1.4b-8; John 18.33-37