Sermon preached at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia.

Sunday November 23 2014

The Reverend Alan Neale.
Authentic Monarchy

When applying for a job involving teamwork, the question is often asked,
How would you describe your leadership style?. Many sources provide
many answers to this question including the more traditional six-fold
Authoritarian, Paternalistic, Democratic, Laissez-faire, Transactional and
Transformational.
Absent in this list, and in all the lists I reviewed, is one particular leadership
style monarchical! Would you believe it? (A common outburst by Victor
Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave).
In the minds of many, reinforced by history, is the thought that monarchy is
none too far from tyranny (another style of management none too popular
in national, workplace, family or church and diocese, would you believe
it?).
And yet on this Sunday, the last Sunday of the churchs year, Christ the King
Sunday this band of happy rebels revel in, is overwhelmed by, embraces
talk of crowns and coronations, of kings and monarchies.
Sweet irony yes?
The thing is, to quote from todays anthem, This King no-one works like
him.
The stunningly popular Game of Thrones describes kings and kingdoms
hell-bent on divide et tempera (divide and conquer) but not King Jesus, noone works like him.
History has shown the transformation of erstwhile kindly rulers into despotic
tyrants but not King Jesus, no-one works like him.
According to our prayer for today (page four of the service booklet) King Sin
works to divide and enslave, to fragment and subjugate and but not King
Jesus, no-one works like him, our King works to free and bring together, to
liberate and make whole.
Ezekiel tells the story of a nation, a people, a religious community divided
and enslaved, alienated and bound by the effects of sin personally,
nationally and internationally; they are literally in exile and yearn and ache

for return to home and family. The new shepherd, crowned by the Lord God,
this new shepherd will liberate and coalesce these factions.
Listen, the King will this make people whole, He will re-unite them with land
and family.
Ezekiel 34:12-13 As shepherds go after their flocks when they get
scattered, Im going after my sheep. Ill rescue them from all the places
theyve been scattered to in the storms. Ill bring them back from foreign
peoples, gather them from foreign countries, and bring them back to their
home country.
Listen, the King will set this people free, will liberate them, untie them from
the bondage of hunger, aimlessness, anomie, pain and exploitation.
Ezekiel 34: 13-14 Ill feed them on the mountains of Israel, along the
streams, among their own people. Ill lead them into lush pasture so they
can roam the mountain pastures of Israel, graze at leisure, feed in the rich
pastures on the mountains of Israel. And I myself will be the shepherd of my
sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. Ill go after the lost, Ill
collect the strays, Ill doctor the injured, Ill build up the weak ones and
oversee the strong ones so theyre not exploited.
In Matthew 25 (the famous parable of sheep and goats, of inasmuch as ye
did it to me) another King strides onto the cosmic (but all so personal)
stage. Ironically this King, at least for a while, separates groups sheep on
right hand, goats on left. By the way, I was recently reminded that Oscar
Wilde once quipped, It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People
are either charming or tedious King Jesus, thank God, follows another
principle.
The King chooses to establish the principle that we are connected, united
with all people (even the least, the invisible, the unattractive, the
discomforting).
The King chooses to establish the principle that we are liberated, released,
unshackled from bonds of selfishness, myopic indifference and erratic acts
of generosity.
This King Jesus, no-one works like him.
When President Coolidge sat at Sunday lunch after church, he was asked,
And what was the topic of the sermon?. Reflectively the President
answered, Oh it was about sin?. His auditors now agog continued, And

what did the preacher say about sin?. And, again, reflectively the President
responded, He was agin it.
This preacher is against sin because he is absolutely convinced that there is
a generally covert and wretched principle at work within and around us that
seeks to separate us from life, from others, even (in some strange but
authentic way) even from ourselves.
This preacher is against sin because he is absolutely convinced that there is
in nearly all, if not all, an addictive virus at work seeking to dominate and
enslave us, to snatch from us our freedom and our independence.
Please forget that the church in the past, and sadly even now, shows signs
of being a despotic, tyrannical institution enslaving rather than liberating,
alienating rather than unifying, disempowering rather than affirming.
Please forget this, or put this in perspective King Jesus, no-one works like
him, even today wants to begin in me and you a new process of
defragmentation and liberation.
Many year ago, a minister announced to his congregation that President
Reagan intended to worship with them in two weeks. The anticipated
Sunday arrived. Just before service began, the minister received a personal
telephone call from the Presidenthe could not attend, an international
crisis had just arisen. As the service began, the minister announced the
disappointing news, there was an audible sign. The minister continued, The
President cannot be here but, as always, we welcome to our community the
King of Kings, the Lord of Lords nevertheless some people left the church.
This Sunday we proclaim, we affirm, we celebrate that King Jesus is present
to make us free, to make us whole.
Come let us sing to the Lord, a great God, a great King He is our God.
Alleluia, Amen.