Nov 24 2019
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Canticle 16
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43
Collect for today: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We come to the end of the church year today....the last Sunday after Pentecost or also known as Christ the King Sunday…. The Sunday, we begin with the words of our collect, praying to an almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in God’s well-beloved Son…Jesus…the King of kings and Lord of lords….and we pray that God’s people, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought under Jesus’ most gracious rule…in a kingdom that proclaims forgiveness, mercy, grace, joy, and hope….a kingdom that proclaims: this is what God’s love is…this is what God’s love looks like…this is what God’s love can do…here on earth…as in heaven…
We just spent a whole year watching, listening and reflecting on the stories that were shared each week about Jesus…And if we were paying attention to Jesus’ teachings…we were given examples over and over again, of what God’s love is, what God’s love looks like, and what God’s love can do for us, and our brothers and sisters who walk this earth with us…a love that has the power to transform lives through forgiveness, through mercy and grace, through healing, through hope…a love that has the power to build, encourage and strengthen our relationships with one another, in the kingdom of God…a family of God…where Jesus, our Shepherd, guides us, and leads us, in walking the way of God’s love…
Our church year, began with the season of Advent, a season, that invites us to turn our focus once again, to anticipate the coming of a new kingdom, a new and renewed hope for God’s saving Love to come down among us…… and we celebrate the fulfillment of this hope and this Love, coming into the world on Christmas Day...when we hear the story of Jesus’ birth.
We spent the season of Epiphany listening to the scriptures that illuminated and showed us who this Jesus was, we heard about Jesus’ Baptism and his being sent out into the wilderness, as we embarked on a journey with him in the season of Lent…we stood still with him on Good Friday, when he was crucified on the Cross, and we rejoiced once again as we celebrated his resurrection on Easter morning, three days later….the next 50 days we listened to scriptures about the resurrected Jesus, and the experiences of those who saw him, in his new glory…we celebrated his ascension into heaven, and on the Day of Pentecost, we celebrated the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us…and then we walked faithfully through the long, ordinary season after Pentecost, when we became the “students” of Jesus, and learned a lot about what it meant to be a follower of Jesus…
We learned a lot about what God’s love is… what God’s love looks like… what God’s love can do…here on earth…as in heaven…We learned all about God’s love…because of Jesus…
And as we mark this last Sunday after Pentecost, and the ending of a church year, we are still learning about God’s love...even, as we listen to today’s difficult gospel reading…which speaks of Jesus’ death on the cross…
In the reading today, Jesus is crucified with two criminals...one on his right, and one on his left…and Jesus’ prayer from the cross is this: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
The people stood by watching, watching Jesus on the cross, the leaders scoffed at him, the soldiers mocked him…
One of the criminals who were hanged there, beside Jesus, kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
At this moment, I envision Jesus looking directly into the eyes and soul of the criminal when he responded with words of pure love, forgiveness and assurance for him: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
And I can only imagine the criminal being filled with a profound peace…that only Jesus can give….
With these few words, spoken by Jesus on the cross, Jesus gives us another glimpse of what God’s love is, what it looks like, and what God’s love can do…in this moment, and in the new kingdom yet to come…a sacrificial and unselfish love that proclaims words of forgiveness from the cross…a love that sets us free, from the entanglement and enslavement of sin in our worldly lives… a merciful love that sets us free to hope and trust in God’s goodness and love… and a powerful love that reconciles us to God, one another, and all of creation…
So, yes...this church year is coming to an end today, and in today’s scripture reading, Jesus’ life on earth, is coming to an end…but this isn’t just an ending, this is also a new beginning…
…a beginning that brings forth the hope of something new, something better than we can ever ask for or imagine, something more fulfilling and life-affirming and joyful…than we have ever experienced….this is an ending that brings forth the promise of a new kingdom to come…a kingdom where the peace of God and God’s love reigns…. Where Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords…where Jesus, our Shepherd, guides us, and leads us, in walking in the way of God’s love…
Want to know what God’s love is, want to know what it looks like, want to know what God’s love can do for you, for our brothers and sisters, for all of creation?
Then pay attention to Jesus…but don’t just pay attention…follow Jesus out into the world…and show people what God’s love has done for you…and show them, with your love, your compassion, your forgiveness, your hopes, and your joys…how God’s love can transform their lives, too!
Next week, we begin a new season in the church year… Advent… there are many resources out there to help you get started with a renewed commitment to spend time paying attention and getting to know Jesus…Here is just one offering to get you started in the new church year: IN this Living Compass Advent resource…the focus is on practicing peace…with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind…and as you journey through advent with this devotional…
you will have the opportunity to learn more about what it means to practice peace for yourself, and with others…
…you will have the opportunity to explore more fully about the Peace of Jesus Christ, the Peace of God’s kingdom, where Jesus is King of kings…and Lord of Lords…
Did I ask you already if you want to know more about God’s love? Well…here’s how…and it’s worth repeating…Pay attention to the stories of Jesus and his life…and then Go and follow him… out in the world…. Beginning again, with the season of Advent…
Let us pray: (Love, Love – 160 – Purple Maranatha Praise Book )
Verse #3
King of Kings and Lord of lords,
King of Kings, forever more.
King of Kings and Lord of lords,
King of kings forever. Amen
Rev. Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK