24th November 2024 10.30am – Christ the King – Eucharist

The Readings

Daniel 7.9-10,13-14

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousand served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgement,
and the books were opened.

As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.

John 18.33-37

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By The Revd Canon Dr Alan Billings.

This is the last Sunday of the church’s year. Next week we start the new year and the season of Advent.

The church uses this Sunday to sum up the work of Christ by celebrating Christ as King. But this is puzzling. How can a wandering preacher, born in a stable, dying a criminal’s death on a cross, be a king? King of the Jews, king of all people.

The point about kings in the ancient world is that they commanded loyalty and allegiance – and the first Christians wanted to say that Jesus too claimed the allegiance of all true people of God. In that sense he also was a king.

But kings commanded allegiance because they had power. It was a coerced loyalty. You didn’t choose your king. He imposed his authority on you. You did as you were told. This was the very core and meaning of kingship. Kings had the power to boss you around.

But this is just what Jesus does not do – hence our puzzlement. If he is a king, he’s not a king like others. In fact, he rejects any idea of commanding loyalty from people in that way.

The key moment for Jesus is in the desert just before he began his public ministry. For forty days and nights he struggles to think through what his vocation is, so that when he starts his work he will not be tempted to go in wrong directions.

In the story, you will remember, the devil tries to tempt him away from his true vocation. The devil tells him, in effect, this. If you want people to follow you in this world there are three ways of doing it. You must offer them either bread, or mystery, or authority.

Turn stones into bread. Satisfy their bellies. Don’t bother them with anything else – like living a morally good and worthwhile life. Just concentrate on the food. They’ll follow anyone who feeds them. Jesus dismisses that. People cannot live on bread alone. There’s more to life than that.

Then came the second test. Mystery. The devil took him to the pinnacle of the temple and said, Jump off and get God to save you. He’ll catch you and bear you up. Then keep giving people eye-catching, breath-taking wonders. People will follow anyone who keeps giving them mysteries. Jesus resists that as well. We must not seek to manipulate God to do what we want.

So out go bread and circuses.

And finally the devil takes him to a mountain top and shows him all the kingdoms of the world. You can be king of the world, he says, if you will just do things my way, the devil’s way – the bully’s way, the coercive way. People want the smack of authoritarian rule. They don’t really want freedom, to think and choose for themselves. Jesus firmly puts that way behind him too. You must worship the true God and live your life in the light of his character. That rules out absolutely, bossing people around. Because God does not boss people around.

From that moment on the mountain the way of Jesus could not be clearer. If people are to follow him, it cannot be through bullying or coercion. They must follow him out of love and devotion – or not at all.

Jesus was the king of the Jews in the sense that he could claim people’s loyalty and allegiance. But people had to give him that allegiance willingly and gladly – out of love. He was not king of the Jews in any worldly sense or because of any worldly power. He had no worldly power. He refused it on the mount of the temptation. As he said to Pontius Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world.

And this is why those who follow Jesus, you and me, must never use any worldly power we maywe
have – however small and slight that power may be – we must never use our little bits of power to coerce others, especially to coerce them in the name of Jesus. As Jesus said, in the world rulers boss people around. But it must not be so with you. If you want to follow me you must be the opposite of that. You must be the willing servant of all.

So the day we proclaim Jesus king is a good day for asking ourselves how we treat those around us. Each of us here has some power, however small, over someone else – it may be as a parent with a child, with a friend or partner, at work, in some group, in this church. Do we throw our weight around. Do we subtly manipulate? Are we outright bullies? Do we make some people just that little bit fearful of us?

Today we call Jesus king. But not as the world knows kings. Yes, he commands our loyalty, but not out of fear, out of love.

The Prayers
Prepared by David.

Let us with confidence present our prayers to the throne of grace.

We pray for all those in positions of power,
that they may govern with wisdom and integrity,
serving the needs of their people and the wider world.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for the Church, the sign of your reign,
that it may extend your welcome to all people.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for Christians of every denomination,
that together we may come to understand
the royal priesthood you bestowed on us in baptism.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those whose commitment to truth
brings them into conflict with earthly powers,
that they may have the courage to endure.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for this community of faith,
that attentive to your word
we may always worship in spirit and in truth.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who suffer in body, mind or spirit,
that they may know relief and your healing presence.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for those who have died
and now rest in your eternal keeping.
May they know that peace which never ends.
May your kingdom come;
Lord, hear our prayer.

Loving God,
you have taught us that the power of the heart
is greater than the power of wealth and might.
Hear us as we pray for the fulfilment of your reign.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our King;
to him be glory and power for ever.
Amen.

St Marys Walkley

The Church on the Road: inclusive, eucharistic, a safe place to be with God

24th November 2024 10.30am – Christ the King – Eucharist