Lectionary for Sunday 34

Lectionary for Sunday 34

Christ the King

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the royal throne, and say to those at his right hand: ‘Come, you have my Father’s blessing; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:31, 34

Collect. Father, you have established your Son as only king and shepherd of all people, to build from all the painful events of history your kingdom of love. Increase within us the certainty of faith: so that we may look forward to that day when, having destroyed our final enemy death, Christ will hand over to you the work of his redemption, that you may be all in all; for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading. Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24. Ezekiel the son of a priest was born in Israel but as a young man was then taken into exile and for the rest of his life lived in Babylon. Although living in Babylon all of his prophecies concern the life of the nation in the Promised Land. Among other things Ezekiel foresaw the destruction of Solomon’s temple and thus a disruption of temple worship. In our passage for today Ezekiel is announcing a judgement against the leaders of the nation who have failed to follow God’s way and so have lead the people into disobedience. It is this disobedience which has resulted in harmful inequalities within the society which has lead to the exile. Despite this harmful disobedience Ezekiel has a strong trust that God is able to fulfil his promise to shepherd the nation. We remember that as the prophecy was being delivered the nation was still in exile but Ezekiel can see a time when not only will the people return but God will be present to establish a just and equitable society. Ezekiel recognises that though they are presently facing hard times God is already at work preparing to draw the people back together into a society of peace and harmony.

There will come a judgement which will remove the leaders who have failed to follow God’s commands and in their place God will once more appoint his servant David to rule justly over them. David as a revered historical king is long gone. This new leader will be intentionally raised up by God to lead the nation just as God requires. Despite the harshness of the exile and the disappointment that would have been felt Ezekiel ends on an optimistic note when he writes. “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken”.

The nature of God does not change and so this prophecy from Ezekiel helps us to draw confidence from God as we experience in so many ways evidence of injustice and exploitation which leads to a sense of powerlessness. What Ezekiel understood was that no matter what God’s people are facing, God’s ultimate plan is to bring into being a society where all can live in peace and all can participate in the security that a godly society will produce.

Prayer. Gracious Lord God, you have called your Son to be the one true shepherd of all his people and through him you are building from all the painful experiences of history your kingdom of love. We thank you that he is the Shepherd who gathers in the flock so that none are missing. Increase within us the certainty of our own trust and faith so that we may wholeheartedly look forward to that day when Jesus will reign over all the world in majesty. We ask in the name of Jesus, the True Shepherd of the sheep. Amen

Reading. Matthew 25:31-46. This is the last Sunday of the Christian year and as such it is celebrated as Christ the King Sunday. Someone has made the point that we focus more intently on the role of Jesus Christ the one who is our Saviour but our reading today focuses on his role as the King who is coming “in his glory”. As Lord he is also King and as King is the one who commands. In this reading we see what it is that he commands his followers to do and to be. As we have read through the closing parables of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel, it is easy to see that in each of the parables wise action is required. Similarly a lack of action has negative consequences.

In today’s parable the judgement of the king brings a separation between the sheep and the goats. The judgement is not as is most commonly assumed determined by evil deeds, but by a failure to do good to those who are at hand. Furthermore it is doing good to those whose needs are for the basic staples of life, food, drink, clothing, friendship or comfort. It is attention to these things on behalf of others that the Lord requires of all those who are his people. We may cast our minds back to the previous parable from Matthew which is the parable of the talents. The one who received the smallest amount perhaps felt unworthy of contributing to the good of the master. Here we see that the Lord of glory does not want a huge gesture but a response that anyone and everyone can make. What is required is a simple response to someone in need. The reading places Jesus himself into the position of those who are in need and as those who are in need are served so Jesus himself is served.

An unusual aspect of this action is that it is a response without any thought of recognition. Those who had offered help and so had served Jesus had not done anything deliberately but had served almost without thought: it was simply a spontaneous action. Similarly those who failed to serve were not unwilling to give but had chosen to be selective in their giving.

The giving that Jesus is describing reveals the state of a person’s heart. The parable reminds us that it is the simplest of things that we all can do that pleases Jesus. To serve without recognition is not the way of the world but it is the way of Jesus. Equally it is serving those who are not powerful or who can repay a kindness that Jesus advocates. Jesus makes it clear that as his followers we are to do what we know to be right, kind and just and then leave the rest in his hands. It also reminds us that these actions are for those who are close at hand. In today’s situation this often means those in our own fellowship or congregation. Service to one another as the need arises projects the best view possible of the followers of Jesus.

Prayer. We call you Lord but often fail to obey you, thinking that we can get by because of your forgiving grace. Yet it is you who commands the whole of the universe and each of us believes that when time is no more, every knee will bow to you alone. So today we pray for your forgiveness and ask that we be given the power and courage to speak out and step out for you. May we not neglect our neighbours who are in need but with kindness and understanding be most willingly lead by you. We look with anticipation to that time when you will be obeyed and honoured by all your people. Amen.

Collect. Jesus, outcast sovereign, you judge the world by its care for your sisters and brothers, the poor, the naked, the prisoner. Help us to discover your face in the face of the needy; and finding you there, may we find ourselves enriched; for you are Lord. Amen.