Reign
of Christ; Yr. C, November 24, 2013
Jeremiah 23:1-6;
Psalm 46;
Colossians 1:11-20;
Luke 23:33-43
Sermon
preached at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
Every time I read that passage from Jeremiah, I shudder. I hear God talking to the shepherds of the flock and chastising them for destroying and scattering the sheep of God’s pasture. I am one of those shepherds, and even though I have no desire to destroy or scatter anything … it seems that can happen all too easily.
If
it does, what happens then?
God goes out to all those who have been
scattered, and collects everyone. God brings us all back into the
fold. God makes us fruitful. God raises
up new shepherds, new leaders from among the flock. Away with fear and dismay … God’s care never
falters. God is always in the process of
helping us return, helping us to be reconciled.
Jesus was the embodiment of that reconciliation. Reading back into the Old Testament, we
recognize that righteous branch in Jeremiah
as Jesus. In Jesus those early followers
saw God fully revealed, and they caught a glimpse of who they could become in
that fullness. So St. Paul, in the
letter to the Colossians, prays that they (and we) might be made strong with
that same strength that Jesus knew; that we might be able to endure everything
with patience, and joyfully give thanks to God who makes it all possible. Through Jesus, and the ongoing gift of the
Holy Spirit, we join in the inheritance of the saints and receive the gift of
redemption found in forgiveness.
Jesus was the image of the invisible God, the first to be
resurrected, the head of the Church. But
Jesus was also executed as a criminal, a rebel and a heretic. He was put to a horrible death, taunted and
mocked by his executioners and those who watched. But the strength of God persevered in him. He offered redemption through forgiveness. He spoke good
news even as he hung on the cross. “Father forgive them, for they know not what
they are doing.” Forgive them. Love them.
Even though you are about to die, he tells them, you will come with me this day into paradise. Wow. What
strength that must have taken! St. Paul
believed that that same strength was given to us. Strength to persevere suffering. Strength to proclaim good news in the midst of troubling times. Strength to offer
redemption through forgiveness.
After
Jesus’ death, that work of reconciliation continued in the Church. Our catechism says that the work of the
Church is to reconcile people to one another and to God through Christ. In our fellowship with one another in Christ,
by our baptism and through growth in Christian faith we become more able
reconcilers. Day by day we learn to love
one another more deeply, so that our capacity to forgive and offer redemption
grows as well. That is God working
through us, expanding the realm of love … which is the foundation of
forgiveness.
It’s
good for me to remember that St. Stephen’s isn’t “my” church. It isn’t “your” church either. It’s our
church for God. It exists to do the
work God needs done. That’s not a bad
thing to remember on this particular Sunday as we celebrate the Reign of Christ. Some even call it Christ the King Sunday. The
Church is God’s. St. Stephen’s exists
for God.
As we draw close to the time when we will bring our
pledges forward in our service, I hope you’ve been thinking about St. Stephen’s
… and about the reconciling work that happens because we are here. Yesterday, Bonnie sent around an e-mail on
the list-serv, and she asked everyone to think about “what makes your heart
sing”. I don’t think anyone has to tell
you that this church has faced struggles … in the past … and in the
present. Some of those struggles are
financial, but others are not. We’ve
lost members to death, supported one another through unemployment, worked
through building catastrophes, struggled to understand our faith, and sometimes disagreed about the implications of
that faith in the world. A life of faith
is not an easy one, and forgiveness is not always easy to offer. At times it must feel as though we’re on our
own kind of cross trying to keep moving forward. Even so, Bonnie asks us to think about “what
makes our hearts sing” when we think about St. Stephen’s. Just as Jesus offered good news from the
cross, we have good news to proclaim to ourselves, and to others. That good news is all wrapped up in all those
things that make our hearts sing! What
makes your heart sing, is the stuff that will lay the foundation for our future
here. It’s the stuff that will be filled
with God’s strength, a strength we need.
That’s the story of our own redemption in this place.
So, I’m going to give you some time, thinking that
perhaps, you haven’t had time yet today to write down the notes of the song you’ve
heard here, or remembered the words of the tune that fit your song of St.
Stephen’s. So for the next few minutes
I’d like you think about the things that you value here at St. Stephen’s, that
make you want to be here, that make
it important for you to be here. How has this church fed you? How do you see us feeding others? How have you experienced the sacred here? Where have you found holy ground? Sing it out!
Let those notes of that song be heard and seen by others. Use words or pictures or abstract designs, images
or just colors. Use whatever comes into
your mind, because that’s where God engages our creativity. Maybe it’s something that’s just beginning, or
maybe it’s something that has a long rich history in our church. It doesn’t have to be pretty or artistic or
frameable. So let go of that fear of
being judged. It just needs to be
honest; it just needs to come from you.
Help
us lay the foundation for our future here.
Remind us of the strength that was God’s gift to Jesus, and which is
given also to us. Jesus’ struggle led to
a new life and ours will too. Let your
heart sing! Let those notes enliven your
hearts and our life together. God is
leading us, and calling us into the future.
Listen to the call. Listen. Listen.
And sing.
Amen.
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