First Lutheran Church
November 21, 2021
Christ the King Sunday
Revelation 1:4b-8. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
John 18:33-37. Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 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.”
Sermon “The Truth”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday! In our reading from the book of Revelation Jesus is described as “the Alpha and the Omega.” Alpha” is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and “Omega” is the last. Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end, and everything in between. That’s the same claim that Amazon likes to make, they claim to have everything you need from A to Z.(Note: The smiling arrow in their logo runs from the A to the Z.)
Today we boldly declare that Jesus is our King, yet we must also confess that while “in Jesus” we have everything we need for an abundant life, we often find ourselves turning to places like Amazon, hoping to buy our way into a better life. This is the tension we must face on this day, the values clarification exercise we must wrestle with, as we celebrate “Christ the King,” “the Alpha and the Omega,” “the First and the Last.”
Hymn “First and Last”
Michael John Poirier
Before and behind, above and below
You are surrounding me everywhere I go
Lord of moments to come and memories past
You are the first and the last
Bring us beyond all fear,
Draw us into your heart
Let us at last begin to embrace,
The peace that flows out from you.
You are before and behind, above and below
You are surrounding me everywhere I go
Lord of moments to come and memories past
You are the first and the last
When you seem far away,
When it’s hard to understand
Your love outshines the deepest darkness
If we have eyes to see, O give us eyes to see.
You are before and behind, above and below
You are surrounding me everywhere I go
Lord of moments to come and memories past
You are the first and the last
No matter what your particular perspective on things might be, I think we can all agree that “the truth” is up for grabs these days. It’s become nearly impossible for us, in society and as individuals, to reach any kind of agreement on “the truth.” “The truth” when it comes to just about everything, from the little things to very big things. “The truth” has become subjective, biased, and manipulated. In fact, some people now describe the context in which we now live as a “Post Truth World!”
The media overwhelms us with incomplete stories, skillful exaggerations, out of context sound bites, doctored images, and even blatant lies. Objective facts no longer seem to exist or matter. And the internet, a source of great information and a source of dangerous disinformation, “authoritatively” provides us whatever “truth” we want to hear. (It has to be true if it’s on the internet, right?)And the social media algorithms ensure that the same information, good or bad, will get served up to us over and over and over again. We can’t even reliably search for the truth. Sometimes I get worried that we will never be able to fully discern and confidently hold “the truth” again.
How does one discover “the truth,” in a post-truth world?” Where might we find “the truth?”
Thankfully today’s appointed gospel answers these questions. Jesus declares, “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.” This is why Jesus came into the world, and for this Jesus is still present in this world, - that we may know “the truth,” even in a “Post-Truth World,” especially in a “Post-Truth World.”
Truth is one of the central themes in the Gospel of John!
In chapter one the theme begins, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. …. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-2, 14)
In chapter eight, our text from Reformation Sunday, Jesus proclaims, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
In chapter fourteen Jesus describes himself, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)
And finally, in the sixteenth chapter of John Jesus promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of Truth” that will “guide “us” into all the truth.”(John 16:13)
So it is, that even in this “Post Truth World,” we have access to “The Truth.” “The Truth” as revealed to us, in - with - and through, - the life, the teachings, the death, and the resurrection of Christ. “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
So, what does “the truth” look like in the life of Jesus?
In today’s gospel “the truth” stands in direct contrast to the structures and powers that be. In today’s gospel story we have two kings, one king who represents the kingdom of this world, and the other that represents the kingdom of God. One lives in a heavily guarded palace, steeped in power, and draped in riches; the other humbly sojourns amidst the people, has been arrested, will soon be stripped and flogged, and then mocked in a purple robe with a crown of thorns. Debie Thomas describes today’s gospel, “… the Gospel of John offers us a picture of Jesus at his physical and emotional worst: arrested, disheveled, harassed, hungry, abandoned, sleep-deprived — and standing before the notoriously cruel Pontius Pilate for questioning. … an arrested, falsely accused criminal. A dead man walking. His chosen path to glory is humility, surrender, brokenness, and loss.”
“King Pilate” stands before this “bedraggled peasant,” and facetiously asks, “So, you are a King?” Jesus replies, “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.” Pilate will then respond, “What is truth?” Jesus does not answer the question directly, but his silence implies, “You’re looking at the truth.” The truth is Jesus, - the life of Jesus, the way of Jesus, and the love of Jesus.
In the 1990’s, in some Christian circles, it became popular to wear a wristband with the letter’s “WWJD” embossed on it. The letters stood for, “What would Jesus do?” Christians would wear the wristband as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus. At the time I was not a big fan of the movement, to me it seemed to trivialize the gospel, only inspiring people to be “nicer” to each other. It did not seem to lead to any great transformation, it did not seem to change the more consequential behaviors in society that contributed to things like hunger, poverty, and injustice.
Yet today, I think I want to “lift up to you” the spiritual practice of asking, “What would Jesus do?” Faithfully and seriously asking, “What would Jesus do?” As we struggle with discerning the truth in a world where truth has become so subjective, so selfish, so political, and so hard to find and understand - we need to return to Jesus. Our faith declares that Jesus is “the truth and the way,” and so as we struggle with knowing the truth, living in the truth; it is important to understand how Jesus revealed the truth to us, how Jesus acted upon the truth, how Jesus understood and lived the truth.
So instead of turning to social media on the internet to find the truth, instead of looking to the so -called experts that live on the internet or TV, - let us simply return to the life and teachings of Jesus. Before we get caught up in over reacting to the great issues of our day, let us seriously and faithfully ponder the question, “What would Jesus do?” But let me warn you, if you seriously ask the question, if you are able to put yourself in the heart and mind of Jesus, you might be surprised, challenged, and transformed by the answer you discover. You might even discover that you’ve been asking the wrong questions!
Jesus came into this world to reveal the truth as a servant. He revealed the truth by standing with the marginalized and the oppressed. He revealed the truth by feeding the hungry and healing the sick. He revealed the truth by welcoming the stranger and expanding the kingdom. He revealed the truth choosing to love over surrendering to doubt and fear. He revealed the truth by resisting the temptation to utilize the powers of this world. He revealed the truth in practicing the ways of peace. He revealed the truth by turning the world upside down. And ultimately, he revealed the truth by sacrificing himself for the sake of others, all others, his enemies, and strangers. Jesus went to the cross for all of us, for you and for me, for all of creation.
“What would Jesus do?” It’s not an easy question to ask, but it is a question that will lead us into the truth. It’s a question that invites us to clarify our values, make decisions regarding our time, talents, and treasures. It’s a question that goes right to the heart of our great calling in life. It’s the question that drives the life and ministry of this church. Not an easy question at all, but a question that will lead us into the truth.
May God grant us the courage and the faith to honestly ask, “What would Jesus do?”, to seek after “the truth,” and to embrace the one who is “the Alpha and the Omega,” the “First and the Last,” “the way and the truth and the life.” Amen.