The reign of Christ November 23, 2003.

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Psalm 93

Revelation 1:4b-8

John 18:33-37

First Reading

Daniel envisions one like a human being coming in clouds, not to earth, but to the throne of God. Daniel speaks of this one being invested by God with worldwide authority. This one is permanent; this one represents the divinely ordained alternative to the judgment of the court, whose books are open.

I take comfort that, even in the early church, Revelation was regarded as difficult to interpret. "Grace and peace" is a Christian greeting heard also in the Pauline epistles. "From the one who was and is and is to come" expands on the name of God given to Moses. The "seven spirits" might be the seven archangels of Jewish angelology or else the sevenfold spirit of God. Jesus is also pictured before God's throne and introduced in ways that describe his relationship to persecuted Christians. Christ is prayerfully addressed in vv. 5-6. Christ's coming is described in vv. 7-8, using images from Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10-13:1.

In the Praetorium, after Jesus has been arrested by the temple guard and handed over to Pilate for trial, Pilate, the representative of Roman authority, appears caught between the demand for Jesus' death and Roman justice, which would acquit him. In the questions that follow, Pilate seeks to discover whether Jesus is a threat or simply a religious leader he can safely release.

Pastoral Reflection

Remember when John's account of Jesus and Pilate staring each other down, of the kingdom of God going head to head with the kingdoms of the world, was something that happened long ago? Remember when Jesus and Pilate, or at least church and society, were buddies? The world was Christian. Families worshiped together. Churches were regarded as centers of the community. Schools respected an afternoon or an evening each week as time for religious instruction. In the neighborhood, some kids were Catholic and some were Protestant but everyone was something, and the big issue was whether Lutherans would really go to hell if they dared set foot in a Catholic church. Back then, society helped the church raise her kids. Everybody knew the story of Jesus. And so the church could expect that children presented at the baptismal font would show up for Sunday School and Confirmation class. And we could assume that, when Christ stood before Pilate and said, "My kingdom is not of this world," he was not so much concerned with this life but with the promise of heaven, with the promise of life to come.

Today it's a different story. In many of our homes and schools and neighborhoods, Christ is on trial. Jesus and Pilate are staring each other down as the kingdom of God goes head to head with the kingdoms of the world. Not only don't a lot of families worship together, a lot of families don't stay together. Churches have been pushed to the periphery as schools claim even Sunday mornings for soccer and band. For many people, belief in God has become such a personal matter that they wouldn't think of practicing their faith publicly because they're not sure it has anything to do with real life. And that just goes to show that people don't know the story of Jesus. Now, when children are presented at the font, I find myself hoping and praying that parents will take their promises to Christ seriously. If they do not, the children will not know about the love of God working actively in their lives, and that makes me fear for them.

Jesus stands before Pilate and says, "My kingdom is not of this world," and Jesus is right. For in Pilate we find a frightening representative of the world in which we live. Pilate's Roman Empire stood for greed, status, ruthlessness, rule by intimidation, power, and the willingness to use it. Sounds a bit like the United States in Iraq. The cross that loomed over the courtroom where Jesus stood before Pilate was just one of many. Thousands had died of crucifixion before Jesus was ever nailed to the tree. People knew what it was like to walk outside and see the form of a cross standing out against the sky. We can all list the terror, the threats, the evils that we see as we leave the house each morning.

"My kingdom is not of this world," Jesus says. And he's not talking about heaven. He is saying that in the midst of the kingdoms of this world--the kingdoms of greed, status, ruthlessness, intimidation, and power--there stands a kingdom of justice, truth, goodness, and peace. To the rule of intimidation, to the street sense of dishonesty and deceit, to the pursuit of power and possessions, to the way of life that does what is desirable and expedient, there is an alternative--the rule of grace and truth. This kingdom is God's kingdom, revealed to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the deepest sense this kingdom is not of this world. But this kingdom is here. This kingdom is definitely at work in this world and in our lives.

In Christ we learn that God is in control, but not as a ruthless tyrant ruling by force and intimidation. God loves us so much that God gave up all control and allowed us to nail Jesus to the cross. But God raised Jesus from the dead. And we learned that, though God's kingdom is resistible, it is also invincible. God raised Jesus from the dead. And we learned that, though we can do things to diminish ourselves, we cannot dethrone God. God raised Jesus from the dead. And we learned that, though God lets us do it our way--with greed, status, ruthlessness, intimidation, and power--in the end it will be God's way. And God's way is to never give up on us, even when what we do breaks God's heart. God's way is to have a purpose for each and every one of us and for our life together. For the one thing God cannot bear is to give us up.

"My kingdom is not of this world," Jesus says, "but it's here." God's kingdom is here, in word and sacrament. Here, things are different than they are out there in the world. Here we admit our faults and failings, and the response is forgiveness and acceptance rather than ridicule and revenge. Here we tell the stories of how God never gave up on Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Mary Magdalene and Peter, you and me. Here we pray for those whom the world would just as soon give up--the aged, the unemployed, the homeless, the physically and mentally ill, people with AIDS, the poor, the dying--and our prayer leads us not to give up on them. Here we offer ourselves, not in order to get something back, but in gratitude for all that we have. Here we come to a table where everyone is equal, where all have a place; a table where we take the King into ourselves and know that Jesus is ours and we are his.