Christ the King, the Last Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 29, 23 November 2014
Ezekiel 34:11016, 20-14
Psalm 100 or 95:1-7a
Ephesians 1:15-23
St. Matthew 25:31-46
Background: The Feast of Christ the King
With the revisions in the calendars of the
Episcopal and Lutheran Churches in the late 70s, this feast day was added as a
celebration on the last Sunday of the Church year. In the Roman Church it was first introduced as
an idea in an encyclical, Quas Primas, by
Pope Pius XI (1925) and was celebrated as The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, King of the Universe on the last Sunday in October. In 1970 (Pope Paul VI) the feast was moved to
the last Sunday in Ordinary time, the Sunday preceding the Season of Advent.
The original encyclical that served as the theological basis for the feast day
was not an argument based on liturgy, but rather on politics. Pope Pius XI hoped the encyclical would be an
adequate response to the growing secularism and nationalism in Europe following
the First World War. Through it, the encyclical hoped to engage not only the
clergy of the church but its laity as well. It aimed to see the focus human
allegiance on Christ rather than the nation state.
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek
out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out
my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been
scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the
peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own
land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and
in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and
the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie
down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains
of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie
down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the
strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but
the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Therefore, thus says
the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean
sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak
animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my
flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and
sheep.
I will set up over them
one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and
be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David
shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.
Although many of us
would be hard pressed to say that we know an actual shepherd, all of us
understand both the vocation and the concepts that surround it as a pastoral
metaphor for ministry and service.
Perhaps it is the 23rd psalm that has engendered this and
made it available to us. Here however,
we have a prophet, who with Jeremiah (23:1-8) uses this idea as a
tool in making his message real and approachable. In addition, it was an idea to be in use in a
wider cultural context in the ancient near east, making it available as an
appropriate metaphor to people beyond Israel.
Like Jeremiah’s words, Ezekiel’s are preceded by an oracle of doom (34:1-10), which indicts the
present “shepherds” of Israel (it’s political and religious institutions) and
accuses them of not tending to the flock. In the second oracle that follows
(our reading for this day), the prophet pictures YHWH looking for the scattered
sheep. “I will rescue them from all the
places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
It’s a fitting scene in this time of the year. In spite of the darkness and
gloom, YHWH is determined to gather the scattered flock, and to bring them
back. The passages that describe this are reminiscent of the 23rd
psalm, “I will feed them with good
pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they
shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the
mountains of Israel.”
The theme soon turns from the pasture and sheep to the ideas of justice
and judgment, and then to the supreme example of sheparding and justice, David,
YHWH’s servant. David then takes on the
shepherding task that earlier described YHWH.
Now it is David who feeds, and guides them. Thus is the notion of
kingship introduced into this reading, so appropriate for Christ the King.
Breaking open Judges:
- What do you shepherd in your life?
- Who shepherds you?
- Whom do you need to take care of?
Psalm 100 Jubilate Deo
Be joyful in the LORD,
all you lands; *
serve the LORD with
gladness
and come before his
presence with a song.
Know this: The LORD
himself is God; *
he himself has made us,
and we are his;
we are his people and
the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with
thanksgiving;
go into his courts with
praise; *
give thanks to him and
call upon his Name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is
everlasting; *
and his faithfulness
endures from age to age.
The shepherd theme appears in the thanksgiving psalm, but briefly, as it
mirrors the phrase from Psalm 95 (see below), “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture”. Quickly we
return, however, to the Temple as we “enter
the gates” and “go into his courts.” These
verses indicate the status of those addressed in the psalm. We are invited into the courts and beckoned
to enter the gates. Now we are not only pilgrims, looking forward to the courts
of the Lord. Now we are standing within them – standing in relationship with
God.
Breaking open Psalm 100:
- What does it mean to be a pilgrim?
- What does it mean to having arrived at the place of worship?
- Where are the “courts of the Lord” in your life?
Or
Psalm 95:1-7a Venite, exultemus
Come, let us sing to
the LORD; *
let us shout for joy to
the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his
presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout
to him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great
God, *
and a great King above
all gods.
In his hand are the
caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the
hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he
made it, *
and his hands have
molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down,
and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the
LORD our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people
of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Any good follower of Morning Prayer or Matins
will recognize this psalm or at least its beginning verses, the Venite. Like its ancient intentions,
this psalm calls us to both prayer and worship, “Come”. What follows are a series of liturgical actions,
thanksgiving, shouts of joy, raising a shout of praise. Here YHWY exists not in
a divine loneliness, but rather in the company of other gods, “For the Lord is a great God, and a great
King above all gods.” What follows are the deeds of God, as the wonders of
creation are rehearsed – the caverns of the earth, the heights of the hills,
the sea (which he conquered) and the dry land. What is mortal woman or man to
do in the face of these divine deeds? That is supplied to us as well, “Bow down, bend the knee.” A final
reference (in this pericope) brings us back to the shepherd image, and the
theme, “the shepherd-king” for this day. “We
are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.” One understands
how this psalm made its way into the Morning Prayer office of the church. Its
call to worship becomes the initial realization of the day, and the One who
gave it being.
Breaking open Psalm 95:
- Who or what bids you to come and worship?
- How do you do that?
- How do you worship and pray during the day?
Ephesians 1:15-23
I have heard of your
faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this
reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I
pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a
spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes
of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called
you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what
is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the
working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that
is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all
things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Some see Ephesians as a summarization of Pauline teaching, a letter not
given to one congregation alone (Ephesus) but rather given to all with an
intention of grounding them again in the apostolic teaching. What the author intends here is linked to the
thanksgivings evident in both of the psalms recommended for this day. The Pauline author is pleased that those
receiving the words written have flourished in the Gospel. What is wished for them is “a spirit of wisdom and revelation.” Thus
the faith is seen not as a static practice, but rather as a continuing
encounter with God. The promise of the Spirit is given “as you come to know him.” Then there is a vision of a triumphant
and glorious Christ who has been raised by the Father not only from the dead,
but also “far above all rule and
authority and power and dominion.” One can see where Pius XI got his
inspiration (See background). The present situation was that the Church, the
body of Christ, the company of the believers lived in the shadow of the
imperial dominion. Here they are bidden to think of themselves as living in the
church, “Which is his body, the fullness
of him who fills all in all.” It seems to be a participatory kingship>
Breaking open Ephesians:
- Do you have a daily encounter with God? How?
- What gifts does the Spirit give to you?\
- How do you react to the powers and dominations of this world?
St. Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said, "When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at
the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, `Come, you that
are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was
naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in
prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when was
it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something
to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked
and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and
visited you?' And the king will answer them, `Truly I tell you, just as you did
it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to
me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, `You that are accursed, depart
from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was
hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me
clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will
answer, `Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or
naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer
them, `Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
It is with a certain sense of sadness that we leave Matthew and these
marvelous parables on the Kingdom of Heaven. However, Mark will treat us well
in the coming year. This particular
parable is only found in Matthew, and is uniquely suited to this day. In
Matthew we are on the cusp of the Passion Narrative, and here in this parable,
we understand Jesus to be giving some of the final points of instruction to the
disciples, so that they might understand the kingdom and its true nature. That
might be a jumping off point for an especially fine sermon to edge us into
Advent. We are literally caught between
the “Coming Again” and its Advent hope, and the final judgment of Jesus that
comes with the passion. One wonders what those who followed Jesus thought as
they lived these days. Jesus is clearly calling them, and us as well, to look
at and to begin to understand “the end” to which we are all called.
These are scenes of judgment, division, and (yes) shepherding. The judge
asks us to reflect on how we have lived, whom we have seen in the lives of
others, and what our response has been. The expectation is clear – Christ needs
to be in all of them. Thus the example of our unknowing gifts, or our ignorance
of the One who has expressed need, brings us squarely to the seat of judgment –
a perspective that is known in our own hearts and minds as well. It is a sad
statement that this parable has given place to the judgment of Christians by
Christians, failing to see Christ’s presence in the midst of what seems to
others to be our lack of faith and our ignorance. That is for the Christ to decide, and it is
for us to ponder.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What are your expectations of Jesus’ judgment of you?
- What are your expectations of other’s judgment of you?
- How do you judge yourself?
After breaking open the
Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in
your well beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant
that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and
brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions and comments copyright © 2014, Michael
T. Hiller
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