A kindling of a spark of hope
Christ the King: 21st November, 2004
Fr John Davis, Vicar of St Peter's, Eastern Hill
What is this day about – the last day of the Church year – which we name as Christ the King? The last day of the Church year winds up the whole annual cycle, by honouring once again the risen, ascended and glorified Lord; the one, says St Paul, in whom 'all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,' in whom 'all things hold together.' '[T]hrough him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven....'
And yet this proclamation is no simple matter. The Lord himself after all deliberately avoided being proclaimed king on more than one occasion. The term is fraught with negative associations, as well as positive. Our lectionary at least therefore refers both to Christ the King and The Reign of Christ for this time. The hymnody is rich and varied, embracing both the triumphant and the self-denyingly simple. So the texts and references will give us much cause for reflection. What sort of King? What sort of kingdom? What sort of place or space does this kingdom cover? Are we speaking of the interior or the exterior world? How will this touch us in our lives, in our living? How do we approach this in a way that is both honouring and true? How may Christ be King for us?
The range of scriptural texts that relate to today's observance is considerable, embracing as they do the historical (as in today's Old testament reference to the kingship of David), the apocalyptic (as in Daniel or in Revelations), the visionary (as in today's epistle from Colossians), the King who died on a cross (as in today's gospel) or the faithful simplicity of the One who entered Jerusalem sitting on a donkey. No ordinary king. No ordinary power. No ordinary hope.
But a God and King who can be killed? A God who can embrace the dualities of strength and weakness, life and death? A God and King who seeks to make us all one; at one with God and at one with each other? There is surely a different model on offer here. The vocation of all the baptised is to seek to understand it, to receive it and to follow it.
So there is a twist to this. This is not just another honorific title. This is something that carries powerful implications for those who would call themselves Christians. In the old days it would have been immediately understood that a king has subjects, and things are expected of them. We more easily today speak of discipleship or of being ones who follow a way.
But the implications are the same and we are left with a clear question. Just what characterizes that place or space or manner of living, that type of community, where Christ might be said to be king; where the reign of Christ is to be acknowledged and noticeable? Because that is where our great epistle reading today takes us – away from focusing on the king, towards those whose life and whose living is to be transformed, because of the fact that this king is. As our epistle this morning from Colossians declares of God: 'He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.' (Col 1:13)
So how might we understand this 'kingdom of his beloved Son'? If we consider those many parables of the kingdom that the Lord himself taught, we see we are at once dealing with teaching about sharp glimpses of another, deeper truth, another reality altogether, that somehow can break through, even in our experience of the everyday and normal. They are stories of little shafts of hope. Sudden bursts of sheer joy. A whole new perspective; a new direction. Those parables of the kingdom are all about discernment and insight – ours of course, not God's. There may be a stirring of response. A kindling of a spark of hope. A slight lifting of the darkness of disappointment. A sense of the possibilities of new beginnings, even when it all seems so very unlikely. Coming to terms with these discernments is what we are challenged to do on this day, and indeed every day.
So then, are we ourselves able to be people of this sort of hope? Are we able to be like those in the parables of the kingdom, who have a deeper reality burst through, that somehow places all the rest of experience into a different context?
There are many examples of this that are thrown up in each generation. These are people who stand for hope against all odds – and sometimes, like the new Melanesian Martyrs of 2002, in the terms of this world would seem to have failed. Instead, they in their deaths have offered hope and inspiration beyond all measure.
But those are dramatic examples. Sr Hilary and Sr Lois CHN, working amongst the needy in Footscray, are themselves living out these parables of the kingdom – and we are offering them some support ourselves today, because of the fact that we can see this. Others too, of all ages and circumstances, can impress those of us who are watching and trying to find the way. Quiet integrity has a way of shining through. Injustice, prejudice, greed, selfishness, hardness of heart, bitterness – all these too have a way of shining through. And a day like today helps us in our process of ourselves making choices. Which way will I go? Who will I serve? What is to characterize my life and my living? What is the kingdom I am going to find myself living in?
One of the quietly impressive things about listening to or hearing about some of our fellow Christians who have genuinely addressed these questions in their own lives, is that it can be a little like what it must have been like first to hear a parable taught by the Lord. You can hear the story or just watch that person and suddenly you can start to see everything differently. We can actually see how some of these experiences can have application for us, where we are.
What then is it really like to try to live out that kingdom of God in the here and now? If we would wish to be counted as those who are indeed on the side of the truth, as the gospel words have it this morning, then what is that going to mean in some of the urgent issues of justice and peace of our own day? It sure puts things into perspective. We think again of those big questions: "And who is my neighbour?" "Who is not loved by God?"
We need to remember again that the ultimate truth that Christ the King was in the world to honour was the truth of God's complete and faithful love. That is to be affirmed, week in week out, year in year out. Even in the face of rejection and denial, that love stands. Even in the face of incomprehension, that love stands. In life, in suffering and death – and in resurrection, that love stands. Even in the face of great evil or of mocking indifference, that love stands. The celebration of Christ the King says that, and we are here to claim the implications of that, for this community of faith.
Tomorrow evening we have our parish annual general meeting. Wardens, vestry and incumbency committee will be elected. Then next Sunday on Advent Sunday, we will again celebrate and commission the whole range and diversity of lay ministries and responsibilities that are offered here. I do not think I will ever forget the number of people who streamed forward at each of the morning masses last year, to claim their ministries and service and to ask God's blessing for the year to come. The sanctuary was emptied, the gallery was emptied and so was more than half the nave, as all those people came to the altar rails in this simple but most powerful statement. We will be doing that again next Sunday. I cannot think of a better way to begin a church year.
The Lord be with you.
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