Last Sunday after Pentecost/Christ the King/Year A

Fall stewardship time: Called to be an “Outpost of Hope”

November 26, 2023

Ephesians 1:15-23; Psalm 95:1-7a; Matthew 25:31-46

Opening Prayer:

O God, our Heavenly Creator, give us a vision of our world as Your love would make it: a world where the weak are protected and none go hungry or poor; a world where the benefits of civilized life are shared, and everyone can enjoy them; a world where different races, nations and cultures live in tolerance and mutual respect, a world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love; and give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Geoffrey Brown & John Pridmore, St Martin-in-the-Fields’ Prayer for the World.

It is good to be with all of you today. I look forward to this time together every week, when we can come together to be inspired by the Word of God, through scriptures, prayer, music, breaking bread with one another, and enjoying fellowship time with each other after the services. I look forward to this time every week, to gather in community, to re-envision what our neighborhoods and our world-wide community could look like, when we take seriously our call to love and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us, and shown us.

And, in particular, during this month of November, I’ve been inspired by the heartfelt “Outpost of Hope” reflections that were shared these past few weeks by Chip, Ruth Ann, and Elisabeth and Harry…all stories that captured the essence and purpose of the church’s call to be an Outpost of Hope in our communities. We’ve also been sharing other reflections in our Tuesday emails this month, that reflect how our church finances are being used to build up communities, Where Hope Can Be Found.

We’ve come to the end of our liturgical year today, the last Sunday after Pentecost, or as it is also known, named, and celebrated, as Christ the King Sunday.

This last Sunday in the current liturgical year, wasn’t always called Christ the King Sunday. According to a description on churchyear.net, it was 1st given this name in 1925 at a time in the world where God seemed to be losing ground, the devastating First World War had been fought, and the powers of nationalism and secularism were rising. Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King to lend courage to Christians whose faith and hopes might be flagging…

Fast forward to the year 2023…recalling this day as Christ the King Sunday, is still as relevant now, as it was in 1925 for very similar reasons….there are devastating wars being fought in many places, the powers of nationalism and secularism are rising, and many people…not just Christians, are struggling with finding reasons to hope, in a world that is plagued with so much suffering, division, and loneliness.

So, here’s the thing…the name, Christ the King Sunday…may leave some people scratching their heads now in 2023…or thinking, perhaps…that the church, the religious institutions, are aligning themselves with worldly power, whose communities, whose kingdoms, are marked with powerful rulers and rules set up to control others, and to separate people from one another…

But that’s not the type of Kingdom we as the church are seeking to model. We are striving to follow Jesus, a humble king, a compassionate king, a forgiving and merciful king, a loving king, who aligned himself with those who have been tossed aside and separated from society, those deemed unworthy, those left hungering and thirsting for Hope.

From the very beginning, Jesus has been clear about his role as king…and it has nothing to do with power and control over anyone. It has nothing to do with aligning ourselves with the status quo. It has nothing to do with us judging who is worthy and who is not.

It has always been about love…loving God, and loving our neighbor, with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind.

It has always been about re-envisioning what our neighborhoods and our world-wide community could look like, when we take seriously our call to love and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us, and shown us…

This week’s gospel reading, just one of many important teachings of Jesus, can help us align our vision with Jesus’ vision by focusing on whom our primary concerns should be…as we strive to build up communities of hope where-ever we are…

Jesus said, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

The message has always been clear…Jesus’ mission, and ours as followers of Jesus, as the body of Christ, the church…has always been to proclaim and build up the kingdom of God, the family of God, here on earth, as in heaven…a kingdom, a beloved community, where people thrive, here and now, by being nourished by the love of God, as made known to us in the stories of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension…a kingdom of heaven, a beloved community, where peoples’ lives are transformed by the love of God, in Christ Jesus, as we listen deeply to each other’s stories, and as we look into the faces of all we meet, seeking and serving Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves…

When we strive to live into this mission and ministry of Christ, the mission and ministry of the church: With God and with one another, we can restore Hope in the hearts and lives of all God’s people…

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…(Ephesians 1:15-23)

*Prayer/Hymn after sermon: (WLP 779)

The Church of Christ in every age

Beset by change but Spirit led,

Must claim and test its heritage

And keep on rising from the dead.

Across the world, across the street,

The victims of injustice cry

For shelter and for bread to eat,

And never live until they die.

Then let the servant Church arise,

A caring Church that longs to be

A partner in Christ's sacrifice,

And clothed in Christ's humanity.

For he alone, whose blood was shed,

Can cure the fever in our blood,

And teach us how to share our bread

And feed the starving multitude.

We have no mission but to serve

In full obedience to our Lord:

To care for all, without reserve,

And to spread his liberating Word.

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Benediction: Christ the King Sunday

It is not enough to acclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and King. Our mission in life is to make his kingdom a reality among us and to bring it to those around us by our words and deedsThe way to do this is to live as he lived: for others, in love and service.

May Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you and be upon you always, as you answer the call to build up communities of hope, through loving God, and loving your neighbor, with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. Amen.

~ from Liturgies Alive, Models of Celebration.

Photo: From the Vanderbilt Divity Library - Reign of Christ Sunday