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Christ the King Sunday ~ Proper 29

Cycle C ~ November 19, 2016

Jeremiah ~ Some Background

It is thought Jeremiah was born in Judah of the Tribe of Benjamin in 655 BCE

and began his work around the age of 20 years old. His name meant Yahweh

Exalts. As Saint Paul reminds us this is indeed where we get our strength ~ from

YHWH, and so it was with Jeremiah. We all have the potential to be Jeremiahs if

we allow God to touch us.

There is a wonderful story of his calling which can be found in the opening

chapter and verses of his book (1:1 ~ 10).

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
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and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
6Then I said, Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. 7But

the Lord said to me,

Do not say, I am only a boy;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.
9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant. (NRSV)
It seems that Jeremiahs destiny and purpose in life was planned even before he

was conceived. As with many people whom God calls, they do not feel up to the task, as
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if it is a prerequisite. But all that is needed is the recognition of ones dependence on

God and that we are part of a larger plan. These fractured and weak ones are who

he calls to do his work, to accomplish great things, those who know how much they need

God. Therefore, I love these stories because the wisdom in them is that what we deem

to be the wisdom of our times is utter foolishness in the eyes of the Holy

One, yet how often do we turn our backs on him opting for the wisdom of

our times or making excuses as to why we run from the call?

YHWH constantly seeks to turn our world upside down by challenging our way of

thinking and seeing the world. He calls us to embrace his foolishness and dare to be

crazy in the eyes of the world ~ standing against what is considered normal! He

challenges us to tear down (Jerimiah 31:28) those things promising peace and

happiness as they are simply false idols and trickery; just as he challenged the people of

Jerusalem to stop worshiping false gods.

Much like us, Jeremiah lived in very anxious and tumultuous times. He was very

involved in calling out the religious and political leaders of his time but not without a

cost. His good works were met with rejection, criticism, persecution,

imprisonment, and exile. Answering the call does not mean that one will not suffer,

even though YHWH assures us of his ongoing presence and protection.

Scholars say Jeremiah personalizes the suffering of the people Of Judah and

Jerusalem. I am not sure I get that connection as I think their struggle and fall, along

with his message is timeless and very much applicable to our times and situations today.

For Jeremiah speaks to us today as he did so long ago: O earth, earth, earth, hear

the word of the Yahweh! (Jeremiah 22:29) Jeremiahs words have value and a
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message to us during such troubling times. Will we listen for the voice of YHWH in the

midst of such chaos and confusion?

Will We Hear? (Message)

I thought that once the election was over we would get a break; boy was I wrong!

We are faced with endless analysis of what happened and predictions as to what may

come. What we do know for sure is we have a country that is severely

divided, anxious, angry, and afraid. This election had the attention of more

people than ever before and has created more friction and hurt between people than any

before. It seems that God through this Sunday of Christ the King is forcing

us to reflect on it further.

I see a distinct parallel between Jeremiahs time of people following false gods.

Remember that Paul Tillich, one of the last centurys great Protestant theologians said,

That which is our ultimate concern is God. Evangelical Christians (not all of

us) rejected Jesus gospel in favor of values that ran contrary during this last election.

What of those who showed so much interest and enthusiasm at all political rallies?

What would happen if those who showed so much fervor for all candidates

would channel that from a Gospel centered perspective? The world would be

remarkably different.

Give us a messiah king ~ Save us!

This is a symptom of our desire for a messiah king. Someone with easy answers to

lifes complex problems. Someone who will set the political system straight ~ clean it up.

Someone who will identify for us who is responsible and punish them so we are safe,
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secure, and happy once again. Someone who is physically strong and tough,

sweeping down to rescue us!

Projection of the Messiah

What has happened is we have projected our need for a savior onto

those running for president, no matter our political preference. We then

hand over our power to them, along with our fears and our anxieties hoping they will

save us.

Think about it, these times are very much like the times of the first

century, times of uncertainty ~ politically, militarily, economically, and

socially. People grasping for control and power politically, playing games,

manipulating, and threatening people: these were the Romans, Sanhedrin, and Zealots.

The people of the first century were like us wanting a messiah king who would rescue

them from their fears and suffering.

The Gospel Story ~ If you are a king save yourself and us!

Our gospel story is set at the crucifixion, a strange place perhaps the Sunday

before Advent. But doesnt it all lead to the cross if we are contemplating our

faith, living our faith, growing in our faith? It is when we veer from the cross

that we find an unsatisfying life driven by the egos need for comfort and false security.

The soldiers are jeering at him, If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself,

come down from the cross! Two thieves on the cross, one on the right and one of the

left are present. One sarcastically says, Arent you the messiah? Save us and
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yourself! The other repentant and reflective scolds that one thief, reminding him

Jesus is an innocent man. He asks Jesus to take him to his kingdom.

We see this played out on the cross a Messiah King who does not hit back

harder against his executioners but prays for their forgiveness. He offers assurance and

peace to a man being executed beside him. Lastly he lets go ~ offering his Spirit back to

the Father.

On the Night He was Betrayed

But our story begins before this scene in a dimly lit room, a table, a simple meal,

and a group of friends. At one point, they argue over who is greatest and Jesus gets up

takes off his shirt, puts a towel around his waist, and proceeds to wash their feet. Quite

a way of challenging their way of seeing the world and done without a single word.

Celebration of the Eucharist

The most important thing we do as worship is to reenact that night for that is

what makes us distinctively Christian. It is what unites us as a community despite our

disagreements, differences, and annoyances. It models our spiritual beliefs and

daily practice. We receive the bread and the cup to be reminded that though many

and different we are one in the Lord Jesus.

This meal is the new Passover in Jesuss body and blood that saves us and sets us

free. We act out the mystery of our faith, how God could become one of us as shown in

this simple piece of bread yet be the Bread of Life. This Messiah King calls us here so he

can be our host and servant. As the bread is broken so is he ~ out of love for us.
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We enact this to remember that we are called to be broken and spilled out for love

of Christ and all. As the Messiah King came to serve, so must we. As the Messiah King

came to die, so must we to all those things that prevent us from having life.

The wine is our reminder of the life we are called to have in all its fullness, the life of

Christ we take within us, and the life of Christ we are to share and be for the world. We

must die to being right, to staying in our safe zones, to saying I cannot go because I am

a boy, and to not stretching ourselves or risking. You see Jesus sets the example:

he leads us; he goes ahead of us; and marks out the journey for us. He bids us

to come and die so we can rise to new life now and in the world to come.

The way is not easy but as his father promised Jeremiah, this King promises to be

with us, too. He is here with his Spirit and within us as we eat his body and drink his

blood. As we gather at this table we promise to be together, go out together to lead by

serving, by loving, and by showing compassion, just as that Messiah King did and still

does today.

On the last night he was be together with his friends, he shared a

simple meal, afterwards he took break, blessed it, broke it, and gave you

thanks saying, This is my body that is given up for you..