A sermon
preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 24 November 2013 by
the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm
46; Luke 1:68-79.
Opening prayer:
Dear God,
You are Creator of the Universe and King of the world. Open our heart
God, dwell in us your holy spirit and help us to engage in your truth. May your
Word enlighten and transform our lives.
May the word of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to you, my God, my source of
strength and redeemer to all people. Amen.
Message
We heard from the reading
taken from Gospel Luke 1 : 68-79 today, Zechariah, the Jewish priest in his prophetic psalm proclaimed the coming
of the messiah, Jesus Christ who was sent by God to save his nation Israel (this
is the second prophetic psalm amongst the three recorded in Luke – the first
one by Mary and the third one by Simeon who saw Jesus in the temple)
Jesus Christ was eventually crucified by some
Jews and the Roman official Pilate. Jesus had been regarded the King of the
Jews. But obviously he was a suffering King who did not and could not save
himself. He was even teased by the soldiers and one of the criminals handing next to him.
This description about Jesus the King of the Jews who was crucified is recorded in Gospel
Luke 23:33-43, another Common Lectionary reading of the week but we did not
read it this morning (you may read it later)
Jesus, Messiah of the Jews came to the world
with Might and Power from God ended up dying on the cross. Don’t you think it
is absurd and difficult to understand and accept from a human point of view?
According to the liturgical church year,
today is the last Sunday of the church year and has been designated as Christ
the King Sunday according to the church liturgical
tradition.
‘Christ the King’ provides for us a great
Christian legacy to reflect on our faith and understanding on power: its
source, its use and outcomes that it brings
to others.
Christ, who is
known as the King of the Jews has never been treated like a King with respect
on earth. Jesus Christ has been despised, persecuted and tortured to death. He
was put on the cross, suffered and died.
When Jesus was put on the cross, as Son of
God he could resist and fight back so that he might get rid of the terrible
punishment and the inhuman treatment. But he
did not choose this way. He chose the way of forgiveness and not revenge. He saved all humanity by showing them the
radical love of sacrifice.
God, who is
full of power, does not use his power to destroy and kill.
In Christ, God has shown his mercy and tenderness to people he loves. In
Christ, God affirms his nature of being King of peace. He insists to walk in the
peaceful path of holiness and righteousness.
Jesus as the Messiah of the Jews, and the
redeemer of the world, he came to serve but not to be served. He used his power
for people’s sake but not for his own self interest and desire. He didn’t even
use his power to defend himself! Christ manifests his glory by showing to the
people his merciful love and to lead them to the light in the darkness. The salvation given by Jesus is a spiritual
journey to lead a life of love and peace.
Jesus’ non violent act and his suffering are
remarkable.
The image of Jesus’ death on the cross is in great
contrast with the image of the messiah who comes with power to save Israel from her
enemies. Jesus did not use bloody war to win his kingdom. Jesus’ way of
salvation to the
Israel had shattered hope of many Jews as they expected a
powerful king who would restore the earthly Kingdom of Israel.
From Zechariah’s prophetic
psalm, he proclaims the coming of the messiah and his power to save the nation
of Israel.
The Kingdom
of God that Jesus comes to bring is different from what the world expected. The Kingdom
of God that Jesus aims to bring is justice and peace. God does not achieve his kingdom
by dominance and power control with violent means.
Zechariah, the priest and
spiritual man reveals that the Messiah is sent by
God. The source of power for Jesus Christ is from God, God of history who honor
his covenant with their ancestors. The purpose of Jesus’ life is coming to the
world to save the people through the forgiveness of sins, and to bring light to
the dark world.
From Zechariah’s song of praise, he shares clearly this
Messiah reveals the image of God who is holy and almighty, tender and loving.
Through Jesus Christ, God gives light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of
death, to guide their feet into the way of peace.
If we understand fully that Jesus Christ came to
guide his people to the way of peace, it makes sense for his non violent reaction even
when he was handed over on the cross with violence.
As God’s servant, Zechariah has reiterated to the
Israelites, God’s chosen people who are saved by the Messiah should serve the
Lord without fear, in
holiness and righteousness.
Zechariah’s message to the Israelites of the old speaks
to us today also. He said his son John was the one to prepare the way for the
Most High.
We do have to prepare the way for Christ for his second
coming. Besides, Jesus had set for us a great example of how to serve and be
the light of the world. Jesus has even asked his disciples to do what he had
done and even more before he left the world.
Christ the King,
the Messiah who reigns is not to control and dominate but to serve.
This is a great
reminder to us.
In contrast to
Jesus Christ’s concept and use of power, there are people using their power by
violating others’ rights and bring to them physical, psychological, sexual and
spiritual damages.
There are husbands
regarding themselves master of the house and treat their wives and children as
property. He would use his physical and economic power or simply the authority
of being the head of the family to beat them, sexually abuse them and control many
aspects of their lives.
There are
employers who treat their domestic helpers badly. Some of them beat their
helpers and even rape them.
There are church
pastors who sexually harass church members who trust them and respect them.
These pastors have abused the trust from members and their position as
spiritual leaders to satisfy their own sexual desire.
There are soldiers
in the war zone who rape women in order to satisfy their sexual needs. Some men
do this for showing their superiority and authority to women who are weaker
than them.
There are police
taking advantage of sexual workers by having sex with them without paying them.
There are men
forcing their girl friends to have sex.
Abuse of power is
found everywhere in our day to day life. Violence against women is an abuse of
power by the powerful against those who are weaker than them.
Tomorrow is the
International Day to End Violence Against Women. The international day reminds
us that millions of women and girls have been suffering from different forms of
violence all over the world.
The International
Day reminds us also to care for them and try every possible way to stop it from
happening.
The fact is men
suffer from violence as well. But in general, women are still the major
victims. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women have
suffered from physical and/or sexual violence at home, at workplace and/ or in
the community. Many perpetrators are someone known by the victims.
Therefore violence
against women is gender based. Women are living in a more disadvantage position
due to economic dependence, less education and work opportunities, and gender
stereotypes. All these factors are related to sex discrimination in a
patriarchal society.
As a result, to reflect
and challenge the patriarchal culture is an important aspect to end violence
against women, and to bring peace and wholeness for those who are affected.
Christ the King
Sunday celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the
universe.
Christ the King
has reminded and inspired us to know how God use his power to love and to
serve, but not to control and to manipulate.
Christ and
violence against women have reminded us that we need to be careful in using our power to treat
one another. We should never use our power to control others and violate
others’ rights and dignity at home, at work, in the church and in the community
to satisfy our own desire.
The violence
encountered by Jesus on the cross and violence against women informs
us to be sensitive to the abuse of power and we should do our best to avoid it
in our life and in our society.
We have to be
critical to the abuse of power. If we see any abuse of power by the powerful
against the weak and the disadvantaged, we should speak up for the sake of
justice.
Jesus Christ, our
saviour has called us to be the light and peace of the world just as he has
done. By carrying the promise from God and the
power of Christ the King in his mercy and grace, together men and women, let us
continue to walk in God’s path of justice and peace.
May God strengthen
us and bless you all. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, November 24, 2013
