We
have arrived at the Last Sunday after Pentecost, celebrating the feast of Christ
the King. Coming next week we begin the Season of Advent, a time of heart and
soul preparation for the birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is
pleased to dwell and the One who becomes our Redeemer.
The
first reading, from 2nd Samuel, contains the last words of
another King, David. The contrast of the just ruler with the godless is stark,
explicit, and worthy of comparisons with our own times. The just ruler, God has
told David, is like the Light of the morning, like the sun rising on a
cloudless morning…Is not my house like this with God? God will help us
all be secure and prosper. But the godless are all like thorns that are
thrown away…entirely consumed in fire…
The Psalm appointed for today is considered
a “royal” psalm in dramatic liturgical form. It was likely sung during the
annual festival of enthroning the Lord
when the Ark was carried into the temple. It gives an historical and
theological justification for the close relationship of the temple in Jerusalem
and David’s monarchy, as David was the first King of a united Israel. The
psalmist’s recounting of the history of David’s seeking and planning to find a
site for a Temple in which God would have a resting place, has strong resonance
with the reading in 2nd Samuel.
The Book of Revelation is always filled
with mysterious and almost abstract descriptions that are difficult to
comprehend for most modern, western minds. The sacred number 7 is introduced, the
symbol of wholeness and perfection that is important to the structure of the
Book itself. The phrase the seven spirits may be a reference to the 7
archangels in later Judaism. The word witness is often used to denote
martyrs and verse 7 draws on the imagery of Daniel 7:13 and here is applied to
Christ’s Second Coming. While some of these words and phrases may be somewhat
familiar to anyone who regularly reads the Christian [New] Testament and/or hears them read in a church setting, they may also
seem irrelevant in the scheme of daily living in today’s world. How does one
concretely grasp God, the Almighty who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and
the Omega, from everlasting? Or, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God,
the faithful witness, firstborn of all creation and also of the dead, ruler of
the kings of the earth? Yet we, who would be counted as faithful Christians,
should take heed and examine more closely. It is in this daily life in this
time that we may easily lose track of our allegiances and settle in more with
the temporary earthly powers than in the everlasting divine Kingship of Christ.
Although Jesus says his kingdom is not from here, it is here, and
in this time and place, where we encounter him, if we seek him, and if
we choose to follow.
For me, the crux of this Sunday’s lessons is the moment in John’s Gospel when
Jesus tells Pilate that everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice [John 18:37b]. Are we listening? Do we hear it? Even more interestingly to
me, what comes next is not in our appointed reading and I wish it was. Perhaps because,
especially in these fraught times, it is even more difficult for us to
understand. In verse 38: Pilate asked him, "What is truth?"
How do you answer? For we who endeavor to follow, Christ is our only King who shows us
the way to the true and everlasting Kingdom. The question for each of us
is: to what truth do we listen and choose to belong? The “easy” answer
is: Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to [Christ’s] voice.
How then do we live it?
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Mighty
God, our Rock and our Light, keep us from collapsing in fear whenever we,
Your restless multitude, tremble at earthly tumult from both human behavior and
natural disasters. In our fleeting mortality turn us always to Christ in whose
Kingdom we are forgiven and saved.
O
Christ, our Forever King
RESPONSE:
Keep us in Your Truth
~ Mighty God, our Rock and our Light, for all who are governed
by power or throne, by force or dominion, on our planet, in our country, and in
our community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity of
Jesus into all who lead Your people everywhere. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
O Christ, our Forever King
Keep
us in Your Truth
~ Mighty God, our Rock and our
Light, send healing grace to all who suffer in spirit, mind, or body, and
compassion to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for
those in need… We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
O Christ, our Forever King
Keep
us in Your Truth
~ Mighty God, our Rock and our
Light, ease the grief of those who mourn, as the souls of our cherished
departed arise from earthly death into the ceaseless joy of Your Eternal
Kingdom. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Christ, our Forever King
Keep
us in Your Truth
~ Mighty God, our Rock and our
Light, we pause in this moment to offer You our other
heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or
silently… add your own petitions
O Christ, our Forever King
Keep
us in Your Truth
~ Mighty God, our Rock and our
Light, empower the spirits of those who lead us in Your Church, through Your
Word and Sacraments, with the peace, unity, and truth of Christ’s
all-encompassing love. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Christ, our Forever King
Keep
us in Your Truth
The Celebrant adds: Christ
of All Peoples, rescue us from the power of darkness and transform our
anxieties into fruitful action. Keep us striving toward Your purpose by
offering our labors to soothe the sufferings of humanity near and far. We ask
through Jesus our Christ, the Faithful Witness, and the Holy Spirit, the very
Breath of Love, who together with You are our One God, the Alpha and Omega, now
and forever. Amen.
