Sunday
11/26/17 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Living the Mission”
Old Testament
Scripture: Psalm 100
New Testament
Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23
Gospel Lesson:
Matthew 25:31-46
Welcome again, my friends, my sisters and brothers in
Christ, on this our United Methodist Student Sunday, and on this our Christ the
King or Reign of Christ Sunday.
The United Methodist Church has six special giving Sundays
every year, and the special giving Sunday that we have today goes to help United
Methodist Students with college and or seminary school scholarships. This way,
students that might otherwise not be able to go to school, or who can be
assisted in going to school, can much more easily do this with the help of your
financial gifts. This special gift therefore, helps United Methodist Students
to achieve their dreams, and to fulfill the callings that God has placed on their
lives. If you are interested in giving to this special giving Sunday, please
mark the funds “United Methodist Student Sunday”. You can write this on an
envelope, or on the memo line of your check.
With this all said, this Sunday is also Christ the King, or
Reign of Christ Sunday. As you might have guessed, this is a special Sunday
where we look at Jesus Christ, our belief that he is our King, and the mission
that he has called all of us to. In scripture, among the many other titles that
Jesus is given, he is called the “King of Kings”.
From the research that I have done, this special Christ the
King or Reign of Christ Sunday, is newer in life of many of our churches. Let
me read to you a little bit of the history about where this Sunday came from.
This is what it says:
“The Solemnity of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of
Christ the King, is a relatively recent addition to the Western liturgical
calendar, having been instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for
the Roman Catholic Church. In 1970 its Roman Catholic observance
was moved to the final Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Therefore, the earliest date on which it can occur is 20 November and the
latest is 26 November. Traditional Catholics observe it on
its original date, the last Sunday of October. The Anglican, Lutheran,
and many other Protestant churches adopted it along with the Revised Common Lectionary, occasionally
referring to it as Christ the King Sunday. It is also observed on the same
computed date as the final Sunday of the ecclesiastical year, the Sunday before
the First Sunday of Advent, by Western rite parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside
Russia.[1] Roman
Catholics adhering to the Extraordinary
Form of the Roman Rite as permitted under the motu
proprio Summorum Pontificum use the General Roman Calendar of 1960,
and as such continue to observe the Solemnity on its original date of the final
Sunday of October.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Christ_the_King).
I
know that some of that was probably pretty wordy, but in essence, this Sunday
was created to celebrate and worship our King, Jesus Christ. Our savior, the “King
of Kings,” and the “Lord of Lords”.
For a short part of our history therefore, we have
celebrated Christ the King or the Reign of Christ Sunday, the Sunday before
Advent comes. We are then raising up all that Jesus is on this Sunday, as next
Sunday we will begin preparing ourselves for Jesus’ coming birth in the Advent and
then Christmas seasons.
One of the questions to consider this morning, is the
question of: is Jesus Christ truly the savior of the world, and the Lord of the
Universe? Are these claims important and central to the Christian faith? For
me, they are very central.
From my perspective, not only is the belief believe
biblical, not only has it been the common belief for the majority of Christians
for nearly 2,000 years, but it has real power to it. In claiming that Jesus is Lord,
is King, we then have a savior that is powerful and mighty. Due to this, I feel
spiritually strengthened do to the work that God has called me to do every day.
These beliefs give me drive and purpose.
Statements or themes of Jesus Christ being King or Lord,
are spread all throughout the bible. In fact, in the Apostle Paul’s epistle or
letter to the church in Ephesus, or the Ephesians reading for this mornings, he
begins by saying in 1:15-17:
“I have heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not
cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of
wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,” (Eph. 1:15-17, NRSV)
The Apostle Paul then
finishes this reading from his letter to the Ephesians, by saying in 1:21-23:
“far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and
has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in
all” (Eph. 1:21-23, NRSV).
Well, it seems
pretty clear to me, that the Apostle Paul is saying that Jesus Christ is the
savior of the world, and the Lord of the universe. These are high and significant
theological claims.
So do I believe
these claims? I do. I have given you my reasons for doing so, but one reason
that I haven’t given you more fully yet, is that I believe for the sake of the
mission of Jesus Christ in the world.
As I have said
many times, the mission of the United Methodist Church, is “to make disciples
of Jesus Christ, for the transformation of the world”. My own understanding of
this mission, is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we bring people to repent
of their sins, and have a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship in
which the person knows that they are forgiven, and that Jesus is there Lord and
Savior. A relationship that then calls us to go out into the world and live
like Jesus lived, being filled with the Holy Spirit.
So what can such beliefs in a conversion in Christ do for
us, and for the world?
Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta believed in this power,
even though there were times that she struggled and had her doubts. Yet the faith
that she had, enabled her to change the world. This is why when I come to
church, especially on Christ the King Sunday, I want to hear about the risen
Lord and Savior, named Jesus Christ. I want to know that he died for me, that
through him I can truly be forgiven, and that through him and through the power
of the Holy Spirit, God can use me, even me, to “transform the world”.
All of this means my sisters and brothers, that the gospel
of Jesus Christ is real, powerful, and the hope of the world.
Our gospel lesson this morning, is Jesus giving us another
parable or story. This parable or story is often call “The parable of the sheep
and the goats”. Jesus begins this parable by saying in a very apocalyptic or
eschatological way:
“When the Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his
glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people
one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will
put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will
say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;” (Mt.
25:31-34, NRSV).
So
again this week, we have imagery of the second coming, or the return to earth
of Jesus Christ. While much of this Sunday is theologically, biblically, and
spiritually about who Jesus is, what Jesus says next is where I got the title
of my sermon for this morning. This was also the scripture that the Christian
agency that I worked with in Nicaragua had on all of their building. Jesus says
next:
“ for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and
you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous
will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a
stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that
we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them,
‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt. 25:35-40, NRSV).
Jesus, the one whom on this Christ the King Sunday, in whom I
am claiming is my Lord and savior, and in whom I am claiming is Lord of the universe,
is asking us to live like he lived. You see, because I believe in Jesus so strongly,
in response to this faith, I can do nothing else but live out the mission of
our church. Jesus says that if you give the thirsty a drink, if you welcomed a
stranger, if you clothed the naked, if you cared for the sick, if you visited
those who are in prison, then you have really done all of these things for
Jesus himself (Mt. 25:35-40, NRSV). If we claim that Jesus Christ is a King, if
we claim that he is our Lord and Savior, and the King of the universe, are we
living every day like we believe that? Faith means very little, if we do
nothing with it.
In the rest of this gospel parable, Jesus tells the folks
that did none of these things, that they will not be rewarded. Am I claiming that
we go to heaven one day through good works? I am not. I believe that we get our
salvation through faith in Christ. If though, we are Christians, and if we have
strong beliefs about Jesus, can people see those lived out in our daily lives?
Or as one of my friends said once, “If we were on trial for being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict us?”
Since I believe so strongly in Jesus, I don’t feel then that
I get to pick and choose what works for me. Jesus tells us to love our
neighbor, no matter who or what they are. Jesus tells us that all people are
welcomed into this fellowship called the church. Jesus tells us to feed the
hungry, cloth the naked, and etc. If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the
sovereign savior the world, and the Lord of the universe, would there be enough
evidence to convict us as one of his followers and disciples?
My Christian faith therefore, is more than just theology,
more than just doctrinal beliefs. By this I mean, I embrace the whole gospel,
not just salvation in Christ, not just the Lordship of Jesus Christ, but also
the mission that Christ has given to us, who are the church.
This Christ the King Sunday isn’t just to celebrate who Jesus
is theologically and spiritually, but it is also about what he has called us
and the church to do in the world. This world is suffering, and is broken, and
I believe that when we have strong faith in Jesus Christ, that he can use us to
do amazing things in this community and this world.
So on this Christ the King Sunday, this is who I say Christ
the King is, and this is what I believe that he has called me and everyone to
do. Christ our King calls us to follow him and build his kingdom on earth, as
we await the kingdom to come. Amen.
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