A Different Kind of King

Christ the King Sunday

Today's readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Matthew 25:31-46 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Both of our scripture passages this morning reveal a lot about WHO God is. Ezekiel reveals that God is a God who seeks us out, rescues, saves us to give us the best pastures with the most luscious nutrients and protects us from any evil that may try to scatter or harm us. God as our shepherd lives among us, gives us our strength and feeds us with justice. Matthew then reveals that in Christ God has been emptied of shepherd duties and become one of the hungry and thirsty sheep. In Christ, God not only identifies as the rescuer, but also as the one who needs rescued.. the stranger, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned.. the least of these.

On Christ the King Sunday, we remember that God is not only the one who Lords over all creation, but that God became the created, identifies with the created, cares deeply for the those valued the least in society… the lost, forgotten, lonely, suffering, homeless, immigrant, etc. Christ does not reign as king of a great, undefeated army, nor does Christ reign as a king who strikes fear in the hearts of his subjects, keeping life’s luxuries to himself in his big castle while others starve to death without a place to rest their head.

Christ is a different kind of king.. a king who has been the least of these and knows their sufferings intimately.. a king who particularly seeks out those lost and struggling to care for them as his own. God in Christ is not far off in a castle adorn with gold, but rather living among us, rescuing us, feeding us, giving us all the best parts of life and protecting us from any evil that may try and scatter or harm us. This is the type of king God chooses to be and reveals to us again and again.. most clearly in the form of Christ on the cross.

The harsh tones of judgment in these passages come to those in positions of human authority who are not caring for their people. Right before the passage we heard this morning from Ezekiel, God condemns the shepherds of Israel who care more for themselves then their sheep.. who fatten themselves while others starve.. who did not care for the least of these, but rather only for their own personal gain. Then in Matthew, Jesus is condemning those who did not care for their neighbors deemed the least of their society.

You see God has revealed to us what type of king God is and God expects us to act and treat one another in the same way.. to put love, compassion, and care of neighbor as our top priority, so that all may live in God’s pasture that has enough luscious nutrients to feed us all. God is a God of love and asks us to embody that love we have so graciously and freely received. Just as GOD has done for US, we shall do for OTHERS.. especially the least of these.

God is our teacher, our example for how to live our lives.. asking us to do as God has done.. but God is MUCH more than that. God is our Lord, our KING.. our rescue and very present help in times of trouble.. our comfort and our peace.. our giver and sustainer of life.. and most importantly the author of our salvation. The kingdom of God is ruled by grace and mercy, justice and peace. In the kingdom of God LOVE reigns.

We look forward to the day when God will reign on earth as it is in heaven and the kingdom will come in it’s fullness.. but we also acknowledge that the kingdom can be and is realized here on earth, in our midst, WHEN we reflect Jesus’ life and ministry as caring for the least of these: when we fed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, tend to the sick, visit the prisoner… in all these things, we meet God face to face. In all these things we embody the way of Jesus Christ our Lord. In all these ways the overwhelming love our Lord has given us overflows in abundance to our neighbor.

Thanks be to God! Amen.