Can't make it to church? 22 November 2015

The Christian year, liturgically speaking, begins with Advent Sunday and has its last Sunday (today) with Christ the King - and this, like every year, has been immense.

Advent sees us preparing  for the birth of Jesus and this is where our year gets started as we find ourselves with shepherds, magi, baptism, miracles, transfiguration, triumphal entry, betrayal, beating and finally death… And then resurrection: Rebirth, appearing, ascending, Spirit descending - living in the power of the risen Christ: And then repeat again!

The purple of Advent gives way to the white and gold of Christmas just as it does at Lent: two preparations: the first for a baby, the second for a resurrected Christ.

Today, Christ the King, we focus on the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ and we hold ourselves up against him and ask ourselves, “How have we done?”

Jesus, a King whose kingdom is not of this world coming in to a world of a cruel and wicked puppet King, and frightening him when he hears that the ‘King of kings is coming to his patch’!

Joy to the world! Yeah, if it's not your child going to be killed as Herod tries to eradicate the threat that this newborn King apparently is – after all, he’s killed his own kids to stave off any threat to his throne, what's the kids of others matter?

Preparation for the job ahead sees Jesus in the wilderness: how have we done in the comfort and plenty of where we find ourselves I wonder? What have, and how have we, experienced in our wilderness moments? How have we handled the job in hand?

Jesus comes as a servant into a place where the King lived to be served. He with all authority and power was vanished away to another country as a refugee – escaping death at the hands of a despotic leader. I wonder if He and His family were welcomed. Did the powers that be in Egypt have a debate and vote to not allow refugees into their land like the Americans just have?

Here we are at another Christ the King, but so what? One of the joys of being part of a church that is grounded in the word and focuses on the calendar is that we mark many important moments in our feasts and festivals and lectionary readings, but to what end? Do they challenge, inspire and change us, or are they as hollow as Christmas is for some when they have reached the age where it means socks, underpants and slippers? Have we lost the joy of our first love and allowed our zeal to become mere habit?

Every Sunday we pray, “Your Kingdom come…” And yet, as Justin Welby himself has said regarding the Paris murders, “I ask where God is and I have my own personal doubt over it.” We pray it, but when do we see it, hear of others experiencing it, experience it for ourselves?

And of that passing doubt; it needs to be treasured for it is in doubt that our faith is made real. I thank God for a man at the helm who shares the same highs and lows, trials and tests as me (though many will I am sure vilify and criticise him for his honesty).

This leads us to a junction where we can continue towards the cross, praying, reading, trusting, serving others and worshipping God in word, music, prayer and life.

OR

We can decide that we need to take things into our own hands and so we campaign, we act in our own strong that bringing into being those things that we consider to be ‘best’ with little thought to what the Christ calls us to look and live like.

OR

Assuming that our God is impotent and unable (or worse still: Unwilling) to act, decide to embark upon a popularity contest and rewrite the Bible and recreate God to make her popular and where there were commandments establish suggestions which possess nothing of the essential about them.

Which paths have we taken:   Personally. -  Corporately as congregation. -  Collectively as Church

Let's revisit today’s readings:

‘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.

Do we believe this to be true?

Look! He is coming with the clouds, every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Are we expectantly looking to the East and the dawn that heralds the coming of Jesus, the Christ, the Almighty?

Then Pilate summoned Jesus again, 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.’

Are we listening to the authentic voice of Jesus in our lives, the lives of those around us and for our nation?

You can hear one of the versions I did of this Sunday's sermon HERE

The Collect
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven that he might rule over all things as Lord and King: keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Daniel 7.9-10,13,14
As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgement, and the books were opened. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Revelation 1.4b-8
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,  and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.  Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John 18.33-37
So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?”
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Post Communion prayer
Stir up, O Lord, The wills of your faithful people;
That they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
May by you be plenteously rewarded;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Daily Office - Nov 16

Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Philanthropist, Reformer of the Church, 1093
Edmund Rich of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1240

Psalm 28
To you I call, O Lord my rock; be not deaf to my cry, lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit.
Hear the voice of my prayer when I cry out to you, when I lift up my hands to your holy of holies.
Do not snatch me away with the wicked, with the evildoers, who speak peaceably with their neighbours, while malice is in their hearts.
Repay them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their devices.
Reward them according to the work of their hands and pay them their just deserts.
They take no heed of the Lord’s doings, nor of the works of his hands; therefore shall he break them down and not build them up.
Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my prayer.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart has trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart dances for joy and in my song will I praise him.
The Lord is the strength of his people, a safe refuge for his anointed.
Save your people and bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them for ever.

Psalm 32
Happy the one whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered.
Happy the one to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
For I held my tongue; my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long.
Your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my moisture was dried up like the drought in summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I did not hide.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all the faithful make their prayers to you in time of trouble; in the great water flood, it shall not reach them.
You are a place for me to hide in; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with songs of deliverance.
'I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye.
‘Be not like horse and mule which have no understanding; whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you.’
11 Great tribulations remain for the wicked, but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

Daniel 7:1-14
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind was given to it. Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks in its mouth among its teeth and was told, ‘Arise, devour many bodies!’ After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little one coming up among them; to make room for it, three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
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.
I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put to death, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 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.

Revelation 9:1-12
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
In appearance the locusts were like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails like scorpions, with stings, and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

The Collect
God, the ruler of all,
who called your servant Margaret to an earthly throne
and gave her zeal for your Church and love for your people
that she might advance your heavenly kingdom:
mercifully grant that we who commemorate her example
may be fruitful in good works
and attain to the glorious crown of your saints;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.