Christ the King

Nick Watson

Lectionary 2019-20 • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Matthew 25:31–46

Ezekiel 34:1–16

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By Sunday morning, I suppose it’s possible that the mess of the American election will have been sorted out, but I’m filming this on Friday and it doesn’t look promising. We’re seeing there a desperate attempt to cling on to power by an outvoted president. Power and all the trappings that go with it are hard to give up. And looking on from outside has a kind of grim fascination. It’s not that our politics in this country are perfect by any means. But perhaps if nothing else, times like this make many of us realise that having the Queen as head of state has its advantages. She gets on quietly with being in charge, while remembering that holding huge power as monarch in a modern democracy goes along with choosing not to use it.

It was the abuse of power by leaders and politicians that led to the festival of Christ the King in 1925 – Pope Pius saw that nation states were claiming more than their right share of the obedience and loyalty of their citizens, and he started this tradition that, as the church year ends, as we’ve called to mind the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit, we remind ourselves that our final loyalty is to Christ alone.

Always part of the Christian faith – Tom Wright has reminded us that to say ‘Jesus is Lord’ a dangerous political statement because it means that Caesar isn’t Lord.

So to speak of Christ the King is to recognise that we are his subjects. But it’s also worth taking a moment to remind ourselves of what kind of king we have.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God gave us the image of the good king as a shepherd – one who walks with his flock, cares for them, protects them and guides them. And Jesus took that image on himself – first as he cared for the people he met on the roads of Galilee, then as he gave his life for the flock, and now – well in this image of judgement day he reminds us that it’s as a shepherd that he’ll take his throne for judgement.

So Christ our King is the Jesus who walked the earth – Jesus enthroned on high is still the God in sandals who lived in Galilee. He is now glorified, majestic. Above all things… rule, authority, power etc.

So we live in the knowledge that we have a higher king. And the claim of our earthly leaders on our loyalty can go a long way, but it stops before it gets in the way of our loyalty to Jesus. Faithful conscience in the end is our guide beyond the dictates of government.

But as always, Jesus makes sure that while we celebrate the heavenly and glorious side of life, we don’t get so heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly use.

Jesus’ picture of judgement – one of the most vivid of all the parables. Sheep and goats, both surprised to find that Jesus distinguishes them, divides them, not according to how orthodox their theology is, how much they’ve prayed or anything like that – but how they treated him when they met him. And to their astonishment, the king on the throne tells that when they fed a beggar or walked past unseeing, they did it to him. When they spent time with someone sick and housebound or didn’t quite get round to it in their busy week, they did it to him.

I remember going on holiday to Romania, not long after the revolution in the early 90s. Many traditional churches there have paintings of the Last Judgement. In the centre, Christ sits enthroned on high. To his right, those he has declared blessed ascend a stairway to heaven, in white robes. No guitar solo required. To his left, those he dismisses go down the stairs to hell. No robes for them, they’re naked. Except for one figure I saw, who while he goes down the stairs has been allowed to keep his bishop’s mitre.

There are lots of these paintings in Romanian churches, and one thing struck me as I saw them. Almost always, Christ is seated on his throne not where we might expect, above the altar, but above the door at the back of church. In the orthodox tradition of which the Romanian churches are part, when we enter church to worship it’s considered to be like stepping into heaven. It’s as we leave our time of worship together, having gazed upon the glory of Jesus our king in song, in sacrament, in each other, it’ as we go back into the world that we are reminded to look for him among the poor, among the sick and despised. We’re reminded to look for Jesus in those who need our help. For that is where our king is to be found.

For the moment we’re worshipping at home, not in church. So perhaps you could imagine a picture painted over your front door – on the inside, not the outside, or even print one and stick it up for a few days. And as you go out of the door next time, remind yourself that Christ our King calls you to look for him and to help him. And he does notice. He will remember. So much as you do it to the least of one of these, you do it to him.