Reflections...

A Day Fit for a King
"If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself…" Luke 23:36.37
A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 21 November 2010 by the Rev. Ewing W. [Bud] Carroll, Jr. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 46 and Luke 23:33-43.


When you were a child and a schoolmate or other child said something unkind or ugly about you, how did you respond? My parents taught me to say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Lies. Lies. Lies! Children can say the meanest and most cruel things. Their tongues can bring pain and misery worse than a sword. But wait a minute; I’m not talking about little kids. I’m talking about adults, big people like you and me! Church people who sometimes seem to have the longest tongues with the sharpest bite.

Today’s Gospel lesson reminds us how cruel people can be. Jesus is hanging from the cross. Someone has nailed a sign above him: ‘King of the Jews.” The Roman soldiers below make fun of him. Someone cries out: “Hey, if you’re the King of the Jews, come down from the cross and save yourself?”

Remember, the role and power of a king in Jesus time were tremendous. A nation’s safety, prosperity and hope depended upon the skills and power of the king. The calendar years were dated by the number of years a king was in power. “In the fifth year…” Even today the Japanese calendar follows the ancient Chinese practice based on the number of years the Emperor has been on the throne. [21 I believe!].

In 1925 The Roman Catholic Pope, Pius XI declared the last Sunday before Advent as Christ the King Sunday. At the time, much of Europe and other regions were suffering from severe economic crisis; Hitler’s Nazi Party was growing in numbers and strength across Germany; Mussolini was ruling Italy with an iron fist. Pius XI hoped celebrating the Kingship of Jesus in such difficult times would enable and encourage people to work more for God’s justice and peace.

I confess, I’m not terribly comfortable calling Christ my King. Most of us are probably more comfortable seeing Jesus as our friend, shepherd, brother, healer or teacher. One who shows love, grace and goodness. Of course all this is true, but it’s not enough. As Richard Fairchild has noted, “The real issue behind the image of Jesus as King is this: Do I want someone other than myself to be the Lord of my life?”

Well, everyone has a king – or a queen in his or her life. Said another way: Each of us has some thing, person or idea that rules our lives; that attracts our loyalty and obedience; our devotion and enthusiasm; our interests, our time and our energies.

So what is it about Christ the King that brings meaning to our lives. How do we make this Day – or any other day of our lives, fit for Christ our King? Let me share three very simple possibilities.

1. Be thankful for life itself. In John’s Gospel Jesus says, “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” Some of you may have grown up in a Hong Kong Resettlement Estate. Seven-storey walk-up buildings [108 steps!] About 14 square meters for a family of 6-8. No running water – hot or cold; cramped together like a tin of sardines. Maybe you’ve heard this story: A man complained to his rabbi that the room he lived in contained nine persons. Everyone was miserable. “What can I do? He asked.“ The rabbi answered – “Put a goat in the room with all of you. Then come back next week and tell me how things have gone.” The following week the man returned, weary, sleepless and unhappy. “The smell from the goat is awful. What can I do?” “Get rid of the goat and come back next week and tell me what’s happened,” the rabbi replied. The following week in came the man wearing a grin from one ear to the other. “Wow. Since we got rid of the goat, everything is wonderful. Living with nine people is easy!”

How’s your Gratitude Attitude? What things in your lives bring joy and satisfaction? Hopefully we can say, even amidst a world full of inconveniences, injustice, greed, corruption and mean-spirited people, thanks to Christ the King, life can be great. Let us be thankful for the very breath of life.

2. Secondly, be thankful for family and friends. An elderly couple was saddened to learn their children, who lived 10,000 kilometers away, were too busy to be with them for Christmas. So the father called their son: ‘Your mother and I are getting a divorce; 45 years is long enough.” The son quickly replied, “Dad, what are you talking about? You can’t get a divorce.” “Oh yes I can. Your mother and I are sick and tired of each other,” the father replied. And then he hung up. Frantically, the son called his big sister and broke the sad news - their parents were getting a divorce. She immediately called their father, “Dad, you’re not getting a divorce. Don’t do anything until my brother and I get there. We’ll be there early tomorrow morning.” The old man put down the phone and turned to his loving wife of 45 years, saying, “It’s OK sweetheart. The kids are coming for Christmas and will pay their own airfares.”

The poet T.S. Eliot wrote, “There is no life that is not lived in community.” All of us are separated from someone in our immediate family. Maybe a husband or wife; children, grandchildren; parents or other relatives. And yet, Christ the King, Jesus our Lord, calls us into a new kind of family and friends. One based not on blood or hometown memories, but on faith and mutual caring and sharing. In the words of a modern hymn, “I am the church, you are the church, we are the church together…We’re many kinds of people with many kinds of faces, all colors and all ages too, from all times and places.” In Christ the King we are one family. One in the Spirit.

3. Thirdly, be thankful for God’s presence in your life. As a young pastor, I used to print in our Sunday service sheet, “If you haven’t felt the presence of God this past week, guess who has moved!” Celebrating Christ the King Sunday is a reminder of Immanuel, God is with us.

A little boy wanted to see God. He thought he might have to walk a long way to find God. So, one sunny afternoon he packed his knapsack with some potato chips and juice and started out looking for God. He’d only gone a short distance when he saw an old woman in the park feeding pigeons. He sat on a bench and watched her for a long time. He noticed she seemed so sad; so tired and weary. Hungry, he opened his bag of potato chips; then saw the old woman sadly staring at him. So he offered her some chips and she began to smile. All afternoon, the elderly woman and little boy sat silently, eating potato chips and smiling at one another. Not a word was spoken! Then, as darkness came, the little boy started home. But he stopped, ran back and hugged the old woman.

The little boy’s mother welcomed him home, asking, “You look so happy. What did you do this afternoon to make you smile so much?” The boy answered, ‘I had lunch with God. And you know what, she’s got the most beautiful smile.” Meanwhile, when the old woman returned home, her son saw her smiling, something he’d not seen for fifteen years since her husband, his father, had died. When he asked his mother, “Why such a beautiful smile?” she replied, “This afternoon in the park, I ate potato chips with God. And you know what, he’s much younger than I expected.”

Whether you believe God is male or female [I’ve said before I don’t think men are smart enough to be God!], young or old, be grateful for God’s presence in your life. Be grateful for God’s having given us an “unkingly” king. Jesus Christ: who refused to lead or form an army; who refused to live in a palace; who refused to hate enemies or plot their downfall; who mixed in common crowds without bodyguards or a safety vest; who refused to play political games to increase his power. Yes, Christ the King, God’s sign of justice, hope and peace. A King fit this day and any other day.

Let us pray:
King Jesus: carpenter’s son and friend of sinners, come and rule in our hearts.
King Jesus: washer of feet and healer of diseases, come and rule in our minds.
King Jesus: nailed to a cross and rising from a grave, come and rule in our actions.
King Jesus: you are wonderful, you are the greatest! Forever and ever. Amen.
[Bruce Prewer]