Christ the King Sunday November 14, 2010 Colossians 1:9-20

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May you be made strong ith all the strength that !omes "rom his glorious #o er, and may you be #re#ared to endure everything ith #atien!e, hile $oy"ully 12 giving than%s to the &ather, ho has enabled you to share in the inheritan!e o" the saints in the light' 1( )e has res!ued us "rom the #o er o" dar%ness and trans"erred us into the %ingdom o" his beloved Son,14 in hom e have redem#tion, the "orgiveness o" sins' 1* )e is the image o" the invisible +od, the "irstborn o" all !reation, 1- "or in him all things in heaven and on earth ere !reated, things visible and invisible, hether thrones or dominions or rulers or #o ers-- all things have been !reated through him and "or him' 1. )e himsel" is be"ore all things, and in him all things hold together' 1/ )e is the head o" the body, the !hur!h, he is the beginning, the "irstborn "rom the dead, so that he might !ome to have "irst #la!e in everything' 19 &or in him all the "ullness o" +od as #leased to d ell, 20 and through him +od as #leased to re!on!ile to himsel" all things, hether on earth or in heaven, by ma%ing #ea!e through the blood o" his !ross' 0meri!ans don1t have the best history ith %ings and ith being #art o" a %ingdom' 2oes +eorge 333 ring a bell4 5he 6ar "or 3nde#enden!e4 6e #ri7e sel"-determination, sel"-dire!tion, autonomy in as many areas o" li"e as get' 6e #ri7e the "reedom to do our o n thing, to live as and #ursue our o n dreams and goals' e ant, to "ollo e !an

our o n desires

8nli%e Christmas, "or hi!h even 6al-Marts, the shrines o" 0meri!an !onsumerism, have de!orated, 9Christ the King: Sunday is a "airly un-0meri!an event in the liturgi!al !alendar' 3n ;ohn1s narrative o" ;esus1 trial, the ;udeans !ould !ry out 96e have no %ing but Caesar': 6e, ho ever, ould sim#ly shout out 96e have no %ing< =eriod<: 6e nurse the myth that e are our own bosses, at least in our #rivate lives' =aul1s #oliti!al !onte>t, on the other hand, as 9em#ire,: hi!h is essentially a single %ingdom built out o" several originally inde#endent %ingdoms' 0t the !enter o" this %ingdom as a son o" dei"ied em#erors dead and gone' 5here as no re#resentative demo!ra!y: hat this man de!ided, generally in !onsultation ith a hand"ul o" the ri!hest

men in ?ome, as hat ha##ened' =aul ma%es a radi!al statement, then, both about li"e under the ?oman em#erors and about the #oliti!al signi"i!an!e o" !onversion to Christianity hen he says that 9+od has res!ued us "rom the #o er o" dar%ness and trans"erred us into the %ingdom o" his beloved Son: @Col 1:1(A' &irst, he asserts that the age o" the em#erors is not some return to a golden age, li%e the !ourt #oets sang, it1s not an e>#ression o" the benign !are o" bene"i!ent deities' 3t1s the time hen the #o er o" dar%ness holds s ay B hen +od1s enemies are in the driver1s seat' )e also asserts that !onversion to Christ means $oining a ne #oliti!al body ith ne allegian!es, even hile living in the middle o" the %ingdom o" dar%ness and its rulers, ho still demand the !onverts1 allegian!e as ell' 6ho, =aul as%s, is your %ing no , Nero, the son o" the dei"ied Claudius, or ;esus, the son o" +od4 0re you going to "it hat you !an o" ;esus1 !ommands into the li"e that Nero e>#e!ts o" you, and no more4 Cr are you going to "it hat you !an o" hat Nero and this orld1s order !ommands into the li"e that ;esus e>#e!ts o" you, and no more4 =aul sees only t o o#tions: a #erson is living under the #o er o" dar%ness, or under the %ingshi# o" +od1s Son' 3n this regard, he !hallenges our notions B #erha#s, our illusions B about "reedom and about not having any %ing' 3" you1re not living under Christ1s lordshi#, =aul ould tell us, you1re not your own boss' Dou1re living under the dominion o" dar%ness @Col 1:1(A' Dour o n "lesh and its !ravings is your boss' 3t drives you, you1re not "ree' 5he so!iety around you is your boss, telling you hat to value, hat to !hase a"ter, %ee#ing you running in e>a!tly the ruts it has !arved out "or you' 2ee# do n underneath your !ons!ious sel", Death is your boss' 0s you %ee# trying to run a ay "rom it, it has you running e>a!tly as and here it ants you to run' 5he good ne s in Colossians is that +od has invaded and over#o ered the %ingdom o" the "lesh, the orld, and death' )e has brought about the time anti!i#ated in 2aniel, hen the %ingdoms o" this orld ould be handed over to 9one li%e a son o" man,: and that 9Son o" Man: is ;esus' 5o all o" us ho had lived under B and, indeed, been "aith"ul sub$e!ts o" B the "lesh, the orld, and death, +od grants amnesty' )e says in Christ, 9Eoo%< Fygones are bygones' Gverything you1ve done to resist my reign u# to this #oint is "orgiven' 5he slate is i#ed !lean' 31ve on, 31m reigning no through my son, ;esus' )e1s your %ing no , so give him the same allegian!e and obedien!e you used to give to his enemies, your "ormer masters':

Christ the King Sunday reminds us year a"ter year that ;esus is not only our Savior, born to give us a li"e o" "reedom "rom sin, death, and $udgment' )e1s also our King, risen to e>er!ise his rule through us ho are his #eo#le, his subjects' 6e naturally gravitate to the #art o" the 9good ne s: that highlights "reedom "rom the dominion o" dar%ness, but are dis#osed to !ha"e against the #art o" the 9good ne s: about living under a ne King, a ne Master, a ne Eord' 5he 9dominion o" dar%ness: has #ersonal, s#iritual, and #oliti!al dimensions, our !hallenge is to re!ogni7e these dimensions in the midst o" a so!iety that has sha#ed us to thin% that many as#e!ts o" the dominion o" dar%ness are alright, even good, even our God-given right' 6e !ome to re!ogni7e this more and more, and Huite naturally, as e submit ourselves more and more "ully to the rule o" the %ingdom o" +od1s beloved Son' 6hat this 9submission: loo%s li%e is Huite sim#le: e do hat e says, more and more' Dou don1t have to be a s#iritual mysti! to hear ;esus, so as to sha#e your li"e by hat he says and to be res#onsive to his dire!tions' Dou $ust have to be able to read' 0nd an obvious #la!e to start is the "our +os#els' Many modern #ublishers ma%e our tas% even easier by #rinting ;esus1 ords in red' 5hey #ra!ti!ally $um# o"" the #age at us' 31m going to leave aside the hole debate about ho many su!h ords a!tually go ba!% to the histori!al ;esus: "or our #ur#oses that ould $ust be a distra!tion "rom the main #oint' 6e %no a lot about hat our %ing ants ithout having to ait "or a s#e!ial revelation "rom him' ;esus seemed to have been into reality !he!%s' 5he a##ro#riate one "or Christ the King Sunday !omes "rom Eu%e -:4-: 96hy do you !all me IEord, Eord,1 but don1t do hat 3 tell you4: Christ1s Kingshi# is inherent in +od1s #lan "or !reation: 90ll things have been !reated through him and for him: @Col 1:1-A' 6e get the "irst #re#osition' 93n the beginning as the 6ord,: and 9all things !ame into being through him,: and so "orth' 2o e really get the se!ond4 =eo#le onder endlessly: 6hy am 3 here4 6hy as 3 made4 6hat is the #ur#ose o" this li"e4 =aul thin%s that he %no s the ans er, and that it1s Huite sim#le' 6e ere made through Christ, for Christ' 6e ere made to bear itness to the rule o" our King in this li"e by doing hat he says' 5here is a #ur#ose "or our lives, and it is not the #ur#ose that e set "or ourselves B it is to live as he tells us, to allo Christ to a!!om#lish his #ur#oses through us'

+od1s #ur#ose "or the Son as 9that he might have "irst #la!e in all things: @Col 1:1/A' 3n all things4< 2oes ;esus even have "irst #la!e here4 2oes he have "irst #la!e in your li"e4 3n your li"e4 3n mine4 2oes he have "irst #la!e in this !ommunity and its intera!tions4 3" e ant to be genuine Christ-"ollo ers, and i" e ant our o n lives and the !ommon li"e o" our !ommunities truly to bear itness to Christ in our orld, =aul raises these sim#le Huestions "or us to %ee# be"ore our eyes and in our !onversations as a !he!% on our #lans, investments, and a!tivities' Sto# yoursel" every no and then throughout the day and develo# the habit o" as%ing yoursel", 93s hat 3 am doing, hat 3 am s#ea%ing, hat 3 am thin%ing re"le!ting Christ1s being in "irst #la!e in my li"e4: Eet1s sto# ourselves every no and then hen e1re gathered in !ommittee meetings, in !lasses, in !hur!h a!tivities, in other events together, and as% ea!h other, 93s this !onversation, is the heart that ea!h o" us is bringing to this !onversation, are the Huestions that e1re as%ing and the #lans that e1re "orming re"le!ting that Christ has #re-eminen!e B "irst #la!e B in our gathering4: =aul uses the image o" the 9head: and the 9body: to #ut Christ in his #ro#er #la!e J and us in ours: 9)e is the head o" the body, the !hur!h: @Col 1:1/A' 6hat do e thin% about #arts o" a body that are non-res#onsive B or even disobedient B to the dire!tions !oming "rom head4 Su!h #arts are diseased, mal"un!tioning, s#asmodi!, or even ne!roti!' 5hin% about your o n body, over hi!h you are the 9head,: the great 93,: the 9ego,: that ind ells and !ommands and moves your limbs in hatever ay you ish so as to a!!om#lish hat you ish' 5his is =aul1s image "or the universal Chur!h, only none o" us are 93:s anymore' Christ is the 93,: the ego, that de"ines and dire!ts the motions o" the body so as to a!!om#lish hat he ants' 6hat =aul says o" his o n e>#erien!e, he ho#es all dis!i#les ill !ome to say: 93t is no longer 3 ho live, but Christ lives in me, the li"e 3 no live in the body 3 live by "aith in the Son o" +od ho loved me and gave himsel" "or me: @+al 2:20-21A' 5here is a s#lendid re!i#ro!ity involved here' =aul only has to hint everyone living around the Mediterranean understands the im#ortan!e o" res#onding a##ro#riately to gi"ts or assistan!e given' 95hrough ;esus, +od re!on!ile to himsel" all things, hether on earth or in heaven, by ma%ing at it, be!ause re!i#ro!ity, o" as #leased to #ea!e through

the blood o" his !ross: @Col 1:20A' 6e give ourselves to be the Fody o" the one ho 9re!on!iled us in the body o" his "lesh,: giving u# that body on our behal" hen e ere still estranged "rom +od' 3s the #art o" the Fody that you re#resent as a dis!i#le res#onsive to ;esus4 3s the #art o" the Fody that we re#resent together as a !ommunity o" dis!i#les res#onsive4 0 body #art obeying its o n dire!tives, and not the dire!tives o" the head, is a ti!, or a s#asm, or a $er%' )o do you !onne!t ith the )ead, to hear the )ead1s dire!tives and to re!eive the strength to !arry them out4 S#iritual !onne!tion B s#iritual 9hearing: B reHuires the develo#ment o" s#iritual "a!ulties, hen!e s#iritual dis!i#lines, individual and !olle!tive' )earing is only #art o" the !hallenge' Feing dis#osed to respond to, to be responsive to, our )ead is the rest o" the !hallenge' 6e1re a##roa!hing 0dvent' Ei%e Eent, 0dvent is a onder"ul time to in!rease our attention to our s#iritual "ormation and maturation' &or one thing, e1re all %ind o" in a religious mood any ay, be!ause it1s the season and there are visual and auditory reminders o" +od and his Son every here' 0dvent is really better than Eent "or ram#ing u# old s#iritual dis!i#lines or trying our ne "ormational #ra!ti!es, sin!e it1s really short B $ust "our ee%s, about three ee%s shorter than Eent' So it1s not as heavy a !ommitment' 3" 3 hear "rom ;esus, 3 don1t ant it to be 96hy are you !alling me IEord, Eord1, but not doing hat 3 say4: 3 imagine that none o" us ant to be in a #osition to hear this' So 3 might suggest an 0dvent dis!i#line su!h as the "ollo ing: S#end some time ea!h day reading and #raying through the ords o" ;esus as !olle!ted either in Matthe or Eu%e' 0s% yoursel" t o sim#le Huestions as you read and re"le!t on a single #assage, #aragra#h, or even a single saying: @1A 6hat is ;esus really a"ter hen he says this or tea!hes that4 @2A )o !losely have 3 been lining u# in my thoughts, ords, and a!tions ith hat ;esus seems to be loo%ing "or4 0s% ;esus "or !lear insight into your li"e and "or !lear dire!tion about ho to live out hat he says more "ully' 3" you1re really u# "or a !hallenge, do this e>er!ise ith t o or three other Christians ith hom you !an be o#en, and to hom you !an s#ea% honestly' 0nother un"ortunate rule o" our !ulture is that e should %ee# religion a #rivate matter, in the %ingdom o" +od1s Son, it is not so' 0nd by all means sto# the #ra!ti!e a"ter Christmas i" it isn1t ma%ing some

di""eren!e in your dis!i#leshi# and itness' &or no , 31m going to give us a "e moments o" silen!e together' 3" you1ve heard the )oly S#irit saying something to you, !hallenging you, dra ing you "or ard, a a%ening holy desires, ta%e some time to res#ond, to #ray "or the Eord to %ee# or%ing in you hat is #leasing in his sight, until he brings his or% in you to !om#letion'