For people in the United States, Christ the King Sunday is a little disorienting. We aren’t quite sure what to do with it. We have no king in the United States. We have people who would love to be king, but we have a chance of dethroning them every four years. Many of us really don’t understand what it is like to serve one person, making sure that we don’t get on their bad side, and trying to figure out how to make them happy. When I asked myself, “Who is king in my life?” a question worth asking oneself every once and a while, I came up with “chocolate.” Seriously, nothing else is quite able to move me from laziness on the couch as effectively as that sumptuously smooth and sweet little dark delight residing in my cupboard. I say that as a joke…only partially though. Who is king in my life? Is it money? Is it prestige? Is it my wife? Who or what controls my life? Who or what controls the life of our church?
As we let those questions float in our heads, my mind wanders to our brothers and sisters in Christ in South America with whom I just spent time. I think in particular of a young pastor from South America with an infectious smile, insatiable need to joke around, huge stomach for good beer (he’s a real Lutheran), and a love for the poor people he serves. He preaches in seven churches throughout his country every weekend for zero pay from the people. He works a second job in order to keep himself and his family alive. When asked if it is a goal for the churches to be able to support a pastor on their own he looked back with an almost disgusted look on his face and answered, “These people are very poor, they need their money to survive. If the church collects any money it goes toward our ministry which teaches the men and women a trade so that they can better their lives. We aren’t here to take money from the poor.” Obviously, money is not his king.
Neither is personal safety. He and the other pastors have had death threats by covert government officials because the pastors have no problem making noise when government policies only benefit the rich and hurt the poor whom they serve. In thanks for their opposition to a free trade agreement with the United States, which would primarily only benefit a rich few and hurt those they love, their government gave the gift of a bomb thrown through the window of their church offices. I wonder who this pastor's king is that he would suffer so readily for the sake of others?
What exactly does your life look like if you follow a king who is dressed perfectly, has the best things that life can offer, has respect of everyone around, flies around in a helicopter, and has a personal chef. What are your own aspirations in life if this is the king you follow? Now, what exactly does your life look like if you follow a king who has been stripped of all clothing except for a blood soaked purple robe; has been beaten so strongly that his flesh looks like raw hamburger; has had nails driven through his wrists and feet like a knife stabbing through the cartilage of the holiday turkey; has been mocked by everyone under his feet, upon whom he declares a royal pardon, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing;” who turns to you as you hang condemned and ashamed next to him, stares into your guilt and shame riddled eyes and says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” What exactly does you life look like if you follow a king like that? Does it look like that young pastor’s life?
Though there is nothing wrong with being mad at God, I think that there is a lot of misdirected anger at God when things in life don’t appear to be going our own way. Many people expect that life will become easier as they devote themselves to Christ. Somehow, they expect that their prayers for certain selfish things will be answered more readily. Somehow, they expect that hardship will pass them by more often now that they are devoted followers. Somehow, they expect to receive the life of a king with all of the luxuries that follow. What they didn’t expect was that they would get the life of our king. When love of others, especially the disadvantaged in life, and forgiveness of the sinner are the primary marks by which your king is known, you may not find that the life which follows is easy. The life which follows may include threats to your life as you oppose self-centered politicians. The life which follows may include mockery for refusing to follow the crowd. The life which follows will put you with certain sinners whom you normally would not associate. Your life may include all of these rewards and many, many more! WooWhoo!!! But, your life will also be filled with a gift more precious than that of gold, helicopters, prestige, respect, and even chocolate. Your life will be filled with God’s unfailing, forgiving love.
After all had been stripped away from Jesus and he was nailed naked, bearing all on the cross, resentment and anger was not what remained on his lips. God’s forgiving love was the last thing that remained. No one could take that from him. No one can take that from you. A forgiving love was the last thing that remained with Christ. If a forgiving love is what he held tightly to in the end, then I would say Jesus is a king worth following with your whole heart.
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