Sermon by Rev. B. Hartsough Christ the King November 22, 2020
Today is Christ the King Sunday. A day we recognize Christ as our sovereign. Christ is our king.
The prophet Ezekiel describes what kind of king God is and what living in His kingdom would look like. He uses the shepherd and sheep metaphor. God will seek out his people. God will rescue the lost and bring them back. God will give them land, food, and drink. God will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak so all can live in the kingdom. God will prevent the strong from ravaging the weak and from taking all the food, drink, and land. God is a king like a shepherd and a loving parent. Today’s Ezekiel reading is nice and comforting until we get to verse 16, then the passage says, “but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” Why this harsh tone? Verses 17-19 that we didn’t read today explain, “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture? When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet?”
The strong were taking the food and drink in a way that was preventing others from eating and drinking. It made some fat and strong while others remained hungry, thirsty, and weak. Hold onto this image. I will come back to it.
Just as God was a shepherd in the Hebrew scriptures, Jesus referred to himself as the “Shepherd.” The shepherd image in 1st century Palestine was used to represent a leader, a king. A king who loved and cared for his subjects. The Jewish people in Jesus’s time knew the imagery. King David was a shepherd before he became king.
So, in today’s gospel when Jesus is referring to himself as a shepherd, he is also referring to himself as a king. Someone who has authority. Someone with a kingdom. Someone who loves his people. Jesus is teaching his disciples one last lesson. He is showing them that God’s kingdom is not like the way we live now. It is not about power or strength. It is about inclusion and enough for all. It is about giving up power and living as though there are others. Jesus is reminding us how to live in His kingdom. Jesus teaches and warns that if we do not know how to live in the kingdom, we will be separated out and corrected.
Let us look at what Jesus says about kingdom living. People who are ready to live in the kingdom know how to “See.” In today’s gospel the righteous ask, “Lord when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or a prisoner? Jesus reminds us to see each person and their situation to give us a broader vision of our world. The goats in Jesus’s teaching were held accountable for not seeing. It was not just about doing good works. It started with making a conscious effort to see how others lived; especially others that were weak or in need.
People who are ready to live in the kingdom see and then act. They share their abundance, they feed the hungry, the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and visit prisoners. Jesus is reiterating that in his kingdom there will be all types of people. Now in this time, the weak are people that cannot fully participate in ushering in God’s kingdom: the hungry, the homeless, the stranger. In God’s eyes they are equal to the strong. Weakness and life circumstance do not take away a person’s sense of dignity and equality.
Ministering to them with respect helps them to fully participate in ushering in the kingdom. As we see and act in relationship with others, our world and our vision expands. It breaks our bubble to include others and it changes us. It is a reciprocal action.
Jesus’s words and actions are the sum of the Hebrew teaching of the law. Jesus is the example to follow. We are reminded that it involves seeing, doing, and allowing the lives of others to connect with our lives and to change us. Many of the people who lived this type of life, the saints of the church, made it a part of their daily living. It wasn’t an activity; it was a lifestyle. It was a way to learn to see beyond themselves. It started with a willingness to be with others who are different and learning about their lives and their needs. It means that we take on the attitude and mind of Christ.
I thought about the lives of the many homeless people in Indiana and the people that live in the Economy Inn and the Red Rock Inn. It is a different way to live. The people there are homeless. Once homeless, a person doesn’t have an address. Without an address it’s hard to get public assistance for food or rent. You need an address to receive help. Without an address it is hard to get food and a job. Thanks to your generosity, one of the things that my discretionary fund is used for, is to provide temporary shelter for the homeless in Marshall County. Many of the people that live in the Economy Inn or the Red Rock Inn are in-between jobs, or they have just started a new job and are waiting for their first paycheck, or they have a medical condition and cannot work. I believe our role isn’t just to give them money but to help them create a long-term plan to get housing. The persons with a physical or mental disability cannot work or will not be hired. They do not receive enough money to rent a place. Some have family but the families cannot or won’t help them. Unless they can get into special housing, they are stuck. They live always dependent on others. Their dependence gives us an opportunity to give out of our abundance and to live as people of the kingdom.
The decisions that we make as a society are also important. In the Ezekiel reading, the strong were taking the food and drink in a way that was preventing others from eating and drinking. It made some fat and strong while others were weak. The strong weren’t just eating and drinking, they were making it difficult for the weak to eat and drink. It made me think about the amount of food that we consume; the choices we have, and the delicacies that we enjoy. I think of my friends in Malawi, Burundi, and Jamaica. My friends from Africa were astonished when they came here. They were not astonished at the amount of food that we eat, but at the amount of food that we waste. Those of you who have been to Honduras know food and housing needs. On a global scale there is a tremendous need for food, housing, and medicine. On the rare occasion it makes the news especially when there is a disaster. For some this is what they were born into. I recently read about families that because of war, had been living in a refugee camp for three generations. Can you imagine your family living in a tent with no home for 60 years? It is unconceivable to me.
This week I pray for God’s blessing on our food, our homes, our family, and our friends. We especially ask God to bless those who live without permanent homes, those who don’t have enough food, those who are sick and weak, those in prison, and those not welcomed. May they feel God’s blessing and presence, and may we never forget that they exist.