Last Sunday after Pentecost Sunday Nov. 24, 11am.
Recent Articles, Last Pentecost, Nov. 24, 2024
Last Sunday after Pentecost, Nov. 24, 2024
Lectionary Commentary, Nov. 24
Christ the King Sunday, Nov. 24
Visual Lectionary, Nov. 24
The Church liturgical Year
Dealing with Uncertainty in Mark’s Gospel
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving message
Nov. fall collage
Getting ready for Advent – A Time to Prepare for Preparation
40 Old Testament Stories that Every Christian Should Know – #7 Abram changes his name
Visual Lectionary Vanderbilt, Reign of Christ, Nov. 24, 2024
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Christ the King Sunday
Last Sunday in Ordinary Time -We celebrate Christ the King Sunday as the last Sunday of Ordinary Time just before we begin Advent. It is the switch in the Liturgy between Years A, B, and C. Year A focuses on Matthew, Year B on Mark and Year C on Luke. The Gospel of John is included in each year in the Easter time frame.
The readings for the last Sunday after Pentecost are full of references to the return of Christ, when evil will be defeated and Jesus will begin his final reign as King of kings. In Advent, the Church year begins with a focus on the final restoration of all creation to its original glory. In preparation, on the last Sunday of the Church year, we proclaim the advent of the Lord of lords and King of kings.
The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Jewish word "messiah," and the Greek word "Christ," both mean "anointed one," and came to refer to the expected king who would deliver
Christians have long celebrated Jesus as Christ, and his reign as King is celebrated to some degree in Advent (when Christians wait for his second coming in glory), Christmas (when "born this day is the King of the Jews"), Holy Week (when Christ is the Crucified King), Easter (when Jesus is resurrected in power and glory), and the Ascension (when Jesus returns to the glory he had with the Father before the world was created).
The recent celebration of Christ the King came from the Catholics in the 20th century. Pope Pius XI wanted to specifically commemorate Christ as king, and instituted the feast in the Western calendar in 1925. Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. Secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ’s authority, as well as the Church’s, and even doubting Christ’s existence. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in
Pius hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:
1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies
Art
Art celebrates this Sunday with various symbols – Crown of Thorns
Crown, Jesus on Throne, Jesus holding scepter and orb, Kingly attire/activities, Crucifix.
Scripture
Christ’s kingship is one of humility and service. Jesus said:
"You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).
Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"… Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth (John 18:33b, 36-37)
Christ the King, Last Pentecost, Year B
I. Theme – Christ’s kingdom is one of truth and justice and not grounded in this world’s values of imperialism, coercion, violence, and oppression.
"Christ the King" – Hans Memling (1430-1494)
"Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."" – John 18:36-37
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm – Psalm 93
Epistle –Revelation 1:4b-8
Gospel – John 18:33-37
Today’s readings celebrate the paradoxical kingship of Jesus Christ. What does "Christ the King" mean"?
In Daniel and in Psalm 93, the Reign of God is depicted as glorious and authoritative, but also as being manifest through a person who is “like a son of man”. In Revelation this one is seen as Jesus, who is revealed in glory and honor, and whose sacrifice is seen as the primary act in bringing God’s Reign into the world. Finally, in the encounter between Jesus and Pilate, the difference between human rulership and God’s Reign is starkly shown, as Jesus explains that he claims no human kingship, but is the king of a realm that is not of this world. It is a kingdom of truth and justice though not of "this world."
The challenge of this week’s celebration is to avoid triumphalism. We are not to make God’s Reign out to be the same as human power systems, only stronger, more dominant, and longer lasting. Rather, we are to recognise God’s Reign in acts of compassion and justice, in service and sacrifice, and in the challenge to human systems to give up their obsession with war and conquest in order to build a world of peace and love for all.
On this day, we celebrate God’s reign, kingdom, or community of faith, that endures forever, beyond time and beyond this world, beyond life and death. It is tempting to view Christ’s Reign as a conquering, all-powerful, phenomenon that will violently destroy human power systems, but that would be to misunderstand it. Rather, what the Lectionary reveals is a Reign that is not of this world, that is a completely different reality, and that works within human systems, even as it subverts them toward justice, peace and love
We know that we can glimpse something of this reign here on earth, but whatever vision we have is incomplete. What we do know for certain is this: we have a role to play. We are important. We are treasured by God. And God wants us to be part of this, whatever it is, that is beyond our understanding. Following God’s ways of love, justice, and peace, we will surely be on the path to this kingdom—as Jesus told the scribe who asked him about the greatest commandments, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Our quest for the kingship of Christ in this world must begin by looking within ourselves. Does Christ reign over our lives and the conduct of our days? Or do we panic at every surprise, cling to false securities, dread change and worry incessantly about failures and flukes? If so, perhaps we have not enthroned in our hearts the One who cares for us intimately and longs only for our ultimate good. It is easy to point to a world run amuck. It is harder to admit that the tangled roots of systemic evils lie in our inertia or lack of belief.
One of the most poignant lines in today’s readings captures that personal culpability. As John envisions the second coming, “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.” That global lament suggests that Christ our King is present paradoxically in those whom we wound. In the bum we readily dismiss, the mousy secretary, the pompous cleric, the acned adolescent, the whiny child, the crack addict, you guessed it—in them, the King comes.
Facing that sorry lot, we wail: “If only I’d known it was you!” Salvadoran theologian Jon Sobrino poses a challenge relevant to this feast: “The reign of God presupposes the anti-reign of God, the reality of our planet today: poverty, injustice… We should look at the crucified peoples today and ask ourselves, ‘what have we done, so that they are on the cross? …and what are we going to do to bring them down from the cross?’”
May our worship remind us of this eternal, “otherworldly” Reign of God and enable us to open our hearts to receive it right here and now where we live.
Ryland’s Papyrus – Oldest Fragment of New Testament from Gospel of John
From SALT Blog for Nov 24, 2024 -“this fragment is generally accepted as the oldest surviving piece of New Testament scripture (most scholars date it to the early or mid-second century). Its text? A few broken lines in this week’s reading from the Gospel of John. Think of it! Of all the passages possible, the oldest fragment of the Gospels we have is the famous exchange between Jesus and Pilate about “the truth” — with Pilate’s notorious question, “What is truth?”, just missing making it onto the fragment.
What is truth? Pilate asks. The answer, John proclaims, is standing right in front of him: graceful, truthful, dignified, free.
40 Old Testament Stories that every Christian Should know – #7 Abram changes his name
Pastor Vicki Zust was the rector of St. Paul’s, Clarence, NY. Having completed a 2 year cycle of reading the entire Bible she decided to try something different. As she writes, "So I went through the Old Testament and wrote down the stories that a lot of our theology and history depends on. It turns out there are 40 of them." I am excerpting them here. Read it here in Genesis Chapter 17:5.
“Some time after the covenant conversation – and after Sarai, Abram’s wife takes matters into her own hands (more on that next week) God comes back to Abram and says, “If you will be trustworthy and walk in my ways, I will make you the father of many nations.”
” God identifies himself as either God Almighty or the God of the mountains. The Hebrew can be read both ways.
” God tells Abram that he is changing his name from Abram – which means exalted ancestor to Abraham – which means ancestor of a multitude.
” This time God sets some conditions on Abraham. His descendants must be circumcised (the male ones, that is).
” God also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. God tells Abraham that Sarah – who is now old – will give birth to a son who will be named Isaac.”
The Church Liturgical Year
1. (From A Pilgrim People: Learning through the Church Year, by John Westerhoff)
•Advent
Advent is a time for hope, for dreaming of new possibilities, a time set aside to rethink the ways in which we choose to live our lives. Advent is a time of anticipation, of watching and waiting, and of transformation.
•Christmas
During Christmas, we celebrate God’s coming to be with us here, to share our human nature. We celebrate because Jesus has come to live as one of us, to lead us into a new life. Jesus will also experience suffering and death as each one of us will. It is in the context of Jesus’ death and resurrection that we celebrate the miracle of his incarnation.
•Epiphany
Epiphany opens with the Feast of the Three Kings, and so we begin our season of journeying, as the wise men did. Epiphany is the season of the longings of the human heart, the invitation to go on a journey led by God, a journey full of mystery, a journey over which we have no control, a journey which we cannot fully comprehend. Epiphany is the season of revelation, as we become more and more aware of the true identity of Jesus, the Son of God. Our faith is deepened and strengthened.
•Lent
During Lent we take on risks, journeying through death toward life, entering a wilderness where both God and the evil one are present. We open ourselves to suffering. Lent is a time of growing into our true identities, as we accept ourselves, with all of our weaknesses and shortcomings and examine our consciences. Through penance we open ourselves to becoming whole again, and we make amends for the damage we have done to ourselves, to others, and to creation itself.
•Holy Week and Easter
The story of Easter is the story of God’s victory, a time of consummation, when now and not yet come together through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. All of creation becomes new, God transforms us, and redeems the whole world. We see that, through God’s redeeming love, we have been made saints. God’s reign is here, is still in the process of becoming, and has yet to be. God is always in the process of making all things new.
• Ordinary Time
After Easter, Jesus’s ascension into heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost, we accept responsibility for being and becoming Christ’s body in the world. We are called by Jesus to live in community, our lives together guided not only by the example of Jesus, but by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we live our lives in the Spirit, we “explore the implications of Easter and endeavor to live into our baptisms” (John Westerhoff, A Pilgrim People: Learning through the Church Year)
2. Church Liturgical Year Table
Thanksgiving
“Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.” Amen.
Getting ready for Advent – A Time to Prepare for Preparation
We are ending the liturgical year on Sunday and approaching a new year on 1st Advent. Naturally we are looking ahead and seeing if we are ready. The anamoly is that Advent starts that year which is itself a time of preparation. So this Sunday we are preparing to prepare!
The key in all of this is to begin Advent with a different or changed mindset and a resolve for doing. Here are a few steps from BeliefNet and from our Advent study “Singing Mary’s Song”
1. Have a proper mindset – Be ready to stop in your busy tracks and embrace the season of Advent and, most importantly, its purpose. The Advent message is “deliverance from oppression and bondage, to those who have much and those who have nothing..” The message of Advent is that, whatever our circumstance in life, Jesus Christ was bornto be with us wherever we are. We have to be ready mentally to hear it.
2. Prepare a room at the Inn. Your heart is where Christ wishes to dwell and Advent is the perfect time to make room in it for His presence. If your heart is filled with unforgiveness, it has no room for Christ.
“We need to uncover that place this Advent where we can be silent, reflective, and prayerful. During this time of waiting, our eyes, ears, and minds can adjust to the radiant presence of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.”
3. Clean out the Cobwebs. You ask God to reveal any unforgiveness that you are holding, it is important to clean out the vestiges of cobwebs that may still be lurking in the dark corners of your heart. The Advent message may be blocked or obscured by these.
The first readings of Advent are about repentence
This prophecy points to John the Baptist, who says to the crowds: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Luke 3:7-8) Then John tells the people what the Messiah is coming to do: “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
4. Expect the unexpected or the obscured
“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)
“The unfolding drama of Jesus’ life brims with impossibilities—a virgin con¬ceives, and God enters human history; a woman well beyond childbearing years delivers a healthy child; a man returns to life from a tomb; the Holy Spirit empowers a small, frightened group of men and women huddled in an upper room in Jerusalem to develop into a worldwide movement that for twenty-one centuries has “been turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).”
5. Hang new curtains /get out the China
How are we to prepare for the coming of the Messiah? This is precisely the question the people ask John in the Gospel of Luke: “What should we do?”
Look closely at John’s answer: “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:11) Then the businessmen and bankers of John’s day come forward, and they, too, ask, “What should we do?” John answers, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” (Luke 3:12-13) The military powers come forward and they, too, ask, “And we, what are we to do?” John replies, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats and false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” (Luke 3:14)