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“O father of all mercy and God of all
comfort, strengthen and uphold me by Your Spirit. You command that we should
wait on Him until the reason for our trials shall appear. For You do not for Your
own pleasure permit us to be tortured and grieved. In fact, You did not permit
any evil to be done unless You can make it serve a good purpose. You see my
distress and weakness. Therefore, You will help and deliver me. Amen.” This is
a beautiful prayer one of many prayers that Martin Luther wrote in regard to
preparing for the journey of Christian Life.
This is the final Sunday in the
church year calendar. it is the climax of the story and proclamation of just
who is, who was and who is to come, Jesus Christ Our Lord; to be our beginning
and our end. It is through Him that we listen and lean upon His arm for hope
that all that He has done shall never be moved. Christ's victory is the defeat
of sin, death and the devil. We are truly free. Heaven & Earth may pass
away, will pass away but the Words of the Gospel, the Words of Christ shall
never pass away... are we awake however enough to make sure?
Are we awake enough in our own lives
to quit daydreaming and start being the church in the world? for the task at
hand is great and we are at the precipice of a new beginning once again with
the ‘Greatest Story Ever Told’ under our stewardship and care. And for the arm
of God, the Reformation began some 500 plus years ago. The Reformation however
should still be going on and it's beyond just what happened in Germany with a
troubled monk worrying about our genuine salvation and the role of grace and
the Christian's life. The church's Reformation should more or less be
considered a restoration of living into that wonderful freedom, we were given
and that wonderful hope, we are to hold fast to.
The Prelude/ postlude we have for
today’s service is that great Newsboys’ Christian rock song: ‘God's Not Dead.’
It actually goes along with a really good film about a young man challenging
his atheist philosopher professor in college. It's a game of power and it is
truly a story about convictions. Having a conviction standing firm, holding
firm to that conviction is what faith is all about. It is what discipleship is
all about. Being a disciple of Christ in the 21st century is going to make you
feel sometimes like you’re the figure in Isaiah’s passage from chapter 50: “5The Lord God
has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6I
gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the
beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. 7The Lord God helps me….”
This is where are you are waiting for those to tug and pull at you, but you
stand firm against the tide. Christ the King Sunday is the culmination of why
we believe in Christ. Who Christ truly is for us and what Christ has truly
given us and how we are to respond, yes.
Earlier this week the Clark County
Ministerial Association had a wonderful speaker talking about crisis chaplaincy
work in Las Vegas especially after the October 1st tragedy of 2017. Governments
and budgets don't necessarily understand the purposefulness of the chaplain’s
work in the world, which is the ministry of compassion. Hospitals, medical
centers Etc. see people like cars to fix. Fix them up send them a bill and ship
them out. The man's hour-long presentation had some sad elements to it in
regard to where priorities are for preparing for a disaster. He seemed to
critically point out that the income revenue stream was more important to city
leaders than the safety and wellbeing of others, in light of potential chaos. I
thought it was interesting in one sense because I never go to football games. I
have no interest in sports whatsoever and I figured life is enough of a sport
as it is. Why should I be a spectator to others doing it? I thought it was
interesting however that this gigantic stadium that they're building for the
Raiders is only going to have 19 exits. All in all, the speaker concluded in
saying there's no way that what we have now in Las Vegas as far as first responders
is going to be equipped to handle this.
Kind of sounds apocalyptic there
doesn't it a little bit? We have sort of been hearing that as well, with the
last couple excerpts from Mark's Gospel from his mini apocalyptic things that
he has Jesus sharing with His disciples. The most important line in today's
Gospel is something we need to hear deeply and that is or begins I should say
with verse 32: “… but about that day or hour no one knows neither the angels in
Heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.” Jesus closes by saying: “… and what I
say to you, I say to all— keep awake!” Keeping awake is not necessarily downing
a Red Bull or having your fourth cup of coffee, Jesus is talking about our
preparedness not only for His second coming but truly our preparedness in
thinking prayerfully about the future.
Each and every year, ‘The Greatest
Story Ever Told’ is shared by the proclaimers of the church, for all to hear
that beginning and that end. This is for us to see and remember and know always,
not only who Jesus Christ Our Lord truly is but what he has done, that is the Good
News! The Good News for a weary world needing to be shaped by the Gospel. It is
that continual task, that to be joyful burden the cost of discipleship carries
for the world. The ruler of the world is still alive and well and working upon
us as we speak in all forms of things that make us to rebel against God and His
gifts. The world would be very happy if we became rebels with a cause only for
ourselves. What a lonely universe that truly is. What a purposeless universe
that is as well for God is not dead, He is surely alive and He is living within
us as that New Nature to tap into and reap.
Many of those people who would stand
firm against the powers to be shaking of the world, with the Gospel, did not
have an easy life. Perhaps many as well have never had a really “happy” life. We
must remember happiness is one of those words that has become a Pandora's Box
of both weighty meaning and empty meaning. One of my old Cursillo friends has a
statement by Nehemiah tagging the bottom of all of her emails this is: “For the
joy of the Lord is your strength.” This is true only when you can tap into that
by being awake to God's messages to your heart, working through your
life.
Today's Gospel passage comes from a
long conversation Jesus is having with His disciples that sounds pretty bleak and
troubling. It is almost as if He is predicting not the only the persecution and
troubles the disciples will be facing as they go forth with the Good News after
Christ ascends, but a warning for the world at large. I think it is interesting
that the lectionary skips from last week's Gospel verse ending at verse 13,
verses 14 through 22. Perhaps we don't need to hear the details of suffering
and perhaps it marginalizes Jesus's message to the times He was speaking
through, but it is something to be concerned about and not ignore. We
should hear this passage perhaps with the hopefulness of the writer of Hebrews
with his famous verse: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
The verses before this verse from Hebrews is like a wonderful encouragement
instructional Passage to those staying strong against persecution and keeping
their faith. No matter what the world throws in our path and the struggles
ahead in the deep valleys that seem to have no end, God is always there with us
and for us, because of the victory of the cross, We Carry On.
We carry on because Christ carried
us and is still carrying us. I love that old ‘Footprints in the Sand’ poem
talking about Jesus literally carrying us when the weight, the burden, the
stress and pain have been too much. The world can definitely make one's efforts
and heart, hurt when we see so many people suffering and seemingly so few
people who care to help. I have talked about this before, but what the Gospel
of Christ is calling us to contemplate is being advocates with His Word to
reveal restorative justice around us. His Word breaks into the world and is
there for us to reform, renew and live into a resurrected life. The prophet
Isaiah was one to preach and teach with God's Word for us to see a path of not
only reconciliation with God, but one of restoration and justice. The Holy
Spirit flows through his words in his little passage with God's voice speaking
of deliverance and of lifting up. We are not only to lift our eyes up to the
heavens and contemplate the Grace and glory of God, but we are to rest in Hope
within His mighty arms of this precious Grace.
Of this precious Grace, people hear
God's call to their hearts. Of this precious Grace, we are to realize that the
mission of God is our discipleship. God needs to work through us out into the
world to reveal a New Heaven and a New Earth. Christ’s reign is eternal. We are
the community of saints called and gathered, by and around the Gospel. This is
what Luther himself once said in talking about the Apostle’s Creed. The church
is the site where God renews and transforms us. It is a place where the
practices of being the Body in Christ forms us into the image of the Son. Now
remember, it's not about the steeple it's much more about the people. It's
about Gathering and then scattering with God's Word into the world, into the
wilderness we must go.
The journeys of those first responders,
the ones that are called to face the chaos of things happening in the world
around us... I can't imagine what they must be feeling, all of those
firefighters and other helpers that are dealing with the horrible fires in
California that have taken so many lives. I thought it was ironic and troubling
that the town to be completely destroyed in Northern California had the name of
Paradise. We understand Paradise in the ancient languages to mean of the
garden. We understand that in our Christian Heritage to be Eden, the perfect
place and the home of God. Some 44,000 Acres I believe, have been decimated by
this fire that left only two homes or structures in the town of Paradise,
California, standing.
No one really has talked much about
how this fire was started, though it is called the “Camp fire.” Could it have
been started by a careless camper who did not put the ambers out during their
time of leisure in the showiness of nature? One could only hope that,
that's not the case, but then we don't know. We don't know as well what will
happen with thousands of people stampeding the boundaries of the US seeking
help and asylum. We don't know what's going to happen when the stadium for the
Raiders is finished and there is a moment of crisis at some point in time. On
one end, life is too short to worry and be sad about so much that goes on and
could happen. On the other end this, is when we need to lean upon the great
strength of the Holy Spirit to guide us, encourage us, inspire us and most
importantly through the Word of God motivate us to make things change.
Just this past Thursday, we celebrated
the historical heritage holiday, Thanksgiving. To some young people in the
world, they are seeing the need to erase history and not seeing the need for a
time for being grateful and sharing Thanksgiving for all that was given for us.
Ugly labels such as racism and hatred and other things are being slapped upon
not only Thanksgiving now, but Columbus Day and a myriad of other events that
are a part of our culture’s history. They have passed, and we have grown to be
better. We cannot erase our beginnings. We must learn and grow from them. That
is what God's Word teaches us. That is the truth of Christ, His cross, His
grace and Resurrection. Those who manipulate the death-work of politics cannot
see how much we need to be restored and renewed. Their Justice is only a
statement of power. It is not a justice that frees the heart for the Grace of
God.
The reigning hope that we have in
the world is the victory of Christ. This is His faithful Witness, His rule of
love and His Kingdom that has no end. As we all begin to turn the pages
in our hearts and minds to this coming new year, a little over 30 something
days away, I hope we can keep ourselves alert to God's signs. It may be hard for
us to picture, for we probably think of ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told,’ like
we're looking inside a book itself and seeing the finite pages and seeing the
few disciples mentioned in the scriptures, but we are a part of that story too.
That's very important, hear that again: we are part of God's story too. God is
certainly not dead. He is very much alive and walks with us. His Holy Spirit reigns
over us, inspiring and motivating us to do the right thing, to be the right
thing for the sake of His Good News.
Let us pray—
Loving and Gracious Lord Jesus
Your love and grace reigns through
our hearts
We know what we must do Lord
We know that you are the new
beginning for us
And the end is Your love
We also know, and need to be
reminded of the resurrected life we must embrace
As Your ambassadors of Your Word.
Help us to keep inspired and be
awake
To all that we must do and be
In Your most Holy Name, we pray. Amen
Christ the King Sunday;
November 25th, 2018; Proper 29; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon by: Reverend
Nicole A.M. Collins
Psalm 93; Isaiah 51:4-6;
Revelation 1:4-8; Mark 13:24-37
The link below is to this sermon's delivery at the Grace Hub at 12:30pm
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