The Rev. Carol Wedell
November 22, 2009

If you asked most people in Cleveland these days what their first association is with the word, "king" I am guessing that many of us would say, "King James" - meaning, of course, King of the basketball courts - Lebron James.  In Tennessee if you asked most folks what first comes to mind when they here the word "king" most folks would probably answer, "Elvis."  As Americans who live in a nation that was formed in revolt against a King, we tend to reserve that title for celebrities.  We "crown" folks "king" or "queen" in so far as they are successful, popular people, who have a significant following.   These "kings" (even as much as I like Lebron!) do not have any political power.  But they do carry a certain amount of personal power, by virtue of their celebrity status.

This is the last Sunday in the Church year.  Next Sunday the Advent wreath will be up and we'll begin a "new year" as we start the cycle over again, preparing for the coming of Jesus.  Today is designated as Christ the King Sunday or the Reign of Christ.  Don't worry if you've not heard of it before.  If you are like me and didn't grow up in a particularly liturgical church, I was doing well to know about Advent and Lent! 

So this morning we'll explore some of what it means to say that "Jesus is King." You will notice today that some of our hymns use "kingly" language.  (I also had to sneak in Thanksgiving, so we're kind of mixed up - nothing new in that!).

Most of us have very little, if any experience with a monarchy.  If you have been to Great Britain, you may have walked by Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle - residences of the Queen of England.  If anything, we're inclined to respond to the concept of "king" negatively - as it is clearly not the kind of political structure we want.  We value the ability to elect our leaders and to "kick the bums out" (as my mother-in-law would say) if we don't like what they're doing.

Interestingly, Australia faces a different dilemma.    One of my online colleagues says, "Monarchy doesn't seem to affect us much at all. We know we have a monarch, but she's not Australian and she and her family don't have a very prominent profile here in Australia, unless for some special reason they come to visit. Australia seems to get along quite well without having a king or queen in residence. So the notion of Christ as king doesn't seem to be a challenge to us at all. For us the monarch is maybe not all that relevant, so thinking of Christ as king doesn't affect us all that much either. For many Aussies, it is a totally irrelevant idea that Christ may be a king." (Midrash, November 09)

So what does it mean for us to say that "Christ is king?"  Does it have any meaning at all, or is it irrelevant for us too?  Is there something here that we can claim, that will help us understand more clearly what it means to follow Jesus?

Today's gospel reading from John, gives us a picture of Jesus as he faces the emperor, or "king" of his day.  Jesus has been accused by his opponents of claiming to be king of the Jews, a treasonable offense in the Roman empire.  So Pilate poses a question to Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?"  Interestingly, none of the gospels portray Jesus claiming such a title for himself.  He doesn't here.  Instead, he says, "my kingdom is not of this world."  OK, he doesn't come right out and say that he's a king, but he does talk about his kingdom.  What's that supposed to mean?

Well if it confuses us, you can be sure that it confounded Pilate.  He and Jesus are talking about two very different things.  Pilate is talking in political terms, about owning land, and ruling over it with military might and power.  If you are a king you are in charge of everything that goes on, can tax people however much you desire and can easily enforce any edicts you might order.  But Jesus isn't even on the same page. He means something else entirely.  "My kingdom is not of this world."

Of course, Pilate misses the meaning of Jesus' remark. All Pilate hears is "kingdom" and he doesn't try to understand how Jesus defines the word. When Jesus talks about his kingdom he means the way God governs. The vision of Jesus' kingdom is the picture of the way things ought to be. "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth." The kingdom of God is a place where God's truth - Jesus - is in charge.

Pilate's misunderstanding of Jesus portrays the enormous gulf between the two. Jesus and Pilate are facing off, like two players face one another for different teams. Yet each of them is playing a different game!  They also belong in different leagues. The confrontation is between the purely religious and the merely political, the one sent from God against the one whose understanding is locked within this world.

So just what does Jesus mean when he says that his kingdom "is not of this world?" In today's Gospel we see what it looks like when kingdoms collide: we see the worldly power of Pilate come face to face with the not-of-this-world power of Jesus. The realm of truth that Jesus speaks of is not the kingdom of some other world, without any relevance for our own world today. Rather, the reign of God, the realm of truth is the picture of this world as God would have it. When Jesus says his kingdom is "not of this world," he doesn't mean that it doesn't impact this world.

According to John's Gospel account, Jesus means that "this world" is constantly denying God's rule. To say that his kingdom is not of this world does not mean that it is "other worldly," but very much for the world.   Too often we have spiritualized Jesus' words into a world that could be safely compartmentalized and kept away from the day to day world in which you and I live. It thrives on the notion of secular and spiritual reigns, attempting to build a great divide between the two worlds lest Jesus' realm exert influence on this world and hold us accountable to something more than contemporary consensus on matters, whether the use of power, resources, values, or the accountability of those who govern. Jesus' realm IS of this world insofar as it is at the heart and center of what is most real and true.

Chris Lockley tells us "Christ was like an "upside down king". His Kingdom is an upside down Kingdom, in that it stands over against and challenges the values and standards of this world's kingdoms.... He teaches us an "upside down" use of power, a power that serves the poor, the oppressed, and the forgotten, a power that never steamrolls, a power that seeks the well being of others, a power that does not place oneself on a pedestal. [Missional Perspectives]

What do you think the world would look when Christ reigns completely?  (ask for answers).

As Jesus walked with his disciples then and as he walks with us now, we hear his kingdom words. "Love the Lord your God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Forgive them. My Peace I give to you. Follow me. Pray this way...Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus never actually defines the kingdom, but he illustrates it in countless ways - especially in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke).  This week I read a story from the Presbyterian News Service about a church that illustrated what I think the reign of Christ might look like: 

Six years ago, Ron Waters, a former altar boy, was homeless. He lived in the bushes outside Westminster Presbyterian Church in Las Vegas. 

"I didn't want society anymore," he said. "I was grubby, an outcast."

He bathed with a garden hose when no one was around. But from his vantage point he could see the church people coming and going.

"They were happy, smiling, even giggling. Those were the kind of things I wanted in my life," he said.

Late one Sunday afternoon, Waters thought it was safe to go sit on park bench in front of the church. The Westminster, Hispanic and Taiwanese congregations had already worshipped and gone home.

"I didn't realize it was time for another church service to start," he said. "Suddenly this man walks right up to me, asks me how I'm doing, if I'm hungry, and invites me into church. I told him I was dirty. He told me it didn't matter."

So Waters, a homeless Caucasian man, went inside First Thai-Laotian Presbyterian Church for a Sunday evening meal, Bible study and worship.

"I felt so out of place," Waters said. "I left immediately after the meal and went back and hid in the bushes."

But the next Sunday, Waters went back to the park bench.

"On purpose," he said, with wonder in his voice. "Terry Allen invited me in again. I went in and ate and stayed a little longer."

The next Sunday, Waters was comfortable enough to go into church by himself. Once inside he received an invitation to stay for Bible study.

"In looking back, this is one of the biggest parts of my story," said Waters. "As I walked into that room, a little girl - she was probably five years old at the time - ran up to me, jumped into my arms and said, ‘Welcome home! I've missed you so much.'"

Waters didn't recognize the significance of those words at the time but now believes God was speaking to him through this little child. What he does remember is that as the pastor started speaking, Waters got goose bumps, chills and warmth.

"I immediately knew it was the Holy Spirit," he said.

Suddenly 17 years of prison, drugs, alcohol and nine unsuccessful drug rehab attempts faded. "All those desires went away," he said.

Waters is thankful that God met him dramatically.

"I go extreme on everything," he said.

But increasingly, he is drawn to the mystery of how God has worked through First Thai-Laotian Presbyterian Church.

His roommate, Robert Schrader, a formerly homeless alcoholic, is now a baptized member of the church.

"Even when Robert was drinking, he would always talk about this church that would give him a meal, no matter what," said Waters.

Schrader's conversion story might not sound as dramatic, but it is remarkable.

"Robert Schrader has had powerful, powerful changes," said the Rev. Carol Wood, pastor at Westminster. Her church had a food pantry that served homeless people in the area. "He has sobered up and is productive. The Rev. Prachuab Dechawan and his wife, Gloria, are very caring. The Thai-Laotian congregation was constantly reaching out to Robert and others.

"Even though I was a drunkard, I got treated like a human," he said.

When Schrader heard that Waters had not only gone into church for a meal, but now was worshipping there and was no longer on the streets doing dope, he paid attention. 

"The church wanted to help me stop drinking, but I was angry and kept slipping up. I'd always thought if I got stubborn enough and took it as a challenge, I could stop drinking," Schrader said. "Watching Ron really got me thinking that way again."  

"I think this is an extra blessing to our church," said the Rev. Prachuab Dechawan, who serves the seven-year-old, 45-member church. "We didn't really mean to reach out to this homeless group. They came to us."

Recently, 16 homeless people attended Bible study, and seven homeless people have become members of this congregation. The two formerly homeless men run a dog shelter that works at finding homes for stray animals. They were set up in business by a Thai-Laotian church member.

"They trust us, even look up to us," Schrader said. "I don't want to go back. I don't know if I could live with myself."

Last year the church decided to add to the celebration by hosting a Thanksgiving Day worship and meal.

"There were so many people, including our homeless friends, who had nowhere to go on Thanksgiving," Dechawan said. "I told church members, ‘Don't bring fish sauce or rice on Thanksgiving Day.'" He laughed remembering how the congregation responded. "We have turkey, chicken curry and Pad Thai noodles on Sunday, but on Thursday - because we're American - we will have a traditional Thanksgiving meal."

The church expects 75 people to be around the table.

"We will have homeless and those who are no longer homeless," Dechawan said. "Increasingly, the nature of our church is international. We are Thai Laotian, but we have Cambodians, Koreans, Hispanic, Latinos, Caucasians and African Americans in our church. Even a couple who are Greek and Nicaraguan. They came because they saw the changes happening in Ron Waters. Even more young people are coming since we started reaching out to the homeless." ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Mission Communications Associate)

In what some might consider the most unlikely of places, Ron and Robert found a place to belong; a small glimpse of the God's reign on earth.  And isn't that each of us want as well - a place where we don't have to pretend, where we can be who we are, and also be called to be our best selves?  Many of us long to have a people, a place to belong, a family that will always welcome us home.  That home, my friends, is the kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be in the world when we belong to God? Of course it means our allegiance and loyalty--and our love and devotion--is given to God rather than any other person, thing, or power that tries to claim primacy over God. ... we do belong, Karoline Lewis writes, to a tender good-shepherd king who calls us, if we recognize his voice and respond, ... (Kate Huey, Weekly Seeds, http://www.textweek.com/, Christ the King, Year B)

This morning Barb and Steve, Jackie and Jesse, Susanne and Alison all said professed "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior."  To say that Jesus is our Lord, to say that Christ is our King is to say that we have placed our lives in the hands of the shepherd king who carries us and leads us and calls us home. It is to know and claim that we belong.

It is to know that no matter what, in life and in death, we belong to God. May we dare to live as people of God's kingdom so that glimpses of the reign of Christ may be seen here and now.