Christ the King Year B

Introduction

This Sunday is a special one, and the last Sunday of the Church year. Next week we begin the church year with the four Sundays of Advent. Our Post Communion sentence today reminds us that it is ‘Stir Up Sunday’ a Sunday synonymous with Christmas puddings. The great cry 'stir up' was a reminder to congregations to get the Christmas pudding made in plenty of time to mature before Christmas. However, the prayer is actually asking God for something much more important. We are praying that God will stir up our wills, so that we might get on with doing the good works that he has planned for us to do. Then, as a consequence, we pray that we might receive our abundant reward.

In an age when so much is about how we feel, it is interesting to get another perspective. In the end, it is our will, rather than our feelings, that is the most important governor of our actions. Real love is not about feeling it is about choosing, by our wills, to do good to others even though we may not feel good towards them. Our feelings should not dominate our wills. And so we pray that God will "stir up" our wills, so that they will be in charge of us, doing what we know is right. In this prayer we recognise that we need God’s help in order for our wills to function properly.

Today we remember that Jesus is King, Lord of all.

Prayers for this Sunday

Over these past weeks we have heard the tragic stories of refugees and asylum seekers from all parts of the world; We pray:

For the people of Afghanistan facing starvation and oppression; For those who are on the road; For those still trapped and trying to flee.
For Iraqi refugees caught on the border between Belarus and Poland; For their safety and for political will to resolve this crisis.
For those who are attempting channel crossings in deteriorating weather; For the children and young people travelling alone, that they may be protected by God’s love; For charities and volunteers working in the camps that they may be sustained in their efforts.
For all those fleeing oppression and marginalisation; For the people of Nigeria, Sudan, Myanmar and China; For an end to cultural and religious intolerance; For mutual respect and understanding.
For the work of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and for Global Leaders that there may be compassion, collaboration and help for the most vulnerable in the world.

Opening Sentence Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Collect Prayer for the Day Before we read we pray

Eternal Father, whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven that he might rule over all things as Lord and King: keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. CW

God the Father, help us to hear the call of Christ the King and to follow in his service, whose kingdom has no end; for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, one glory. All Amen

First Bible Reading Daniel Chapter 7:9-10,13-14

As I watched, thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A thousand thousand served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgement, and the books were opened. As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,

that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. NRSV

Second Reading Revelation Chapter 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 for ever 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. NRSV

Gospel Reading John Chapter 18:33-37

Pilate asked Jesus, ‘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.’ NRSV

Post Communion Sentence

Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. CW

Commentary

Today we celebrate the Sunday of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Church’s year. Next week is the First Sunday in Advent and the beginning of the new church year.

Chapters 18 and 19 of John’s gospel give us a vivid and graphic account of the last days of Jesus, it could be an eye-witness testimony. For what we read is no casual account of Jesus last days, but a detailed exposition of what is happening and why. Throughout his gospel John presents us with the royalty of Jesus, and even the crucifixion will not detract from Jesus’ majesty. In Chapter 18 and 19, the account of the last tumultuous days of Jesus’ life includes a huge amount of detail, with many names reported, even down to the name of the High Priest’s servant, Malchus and specific locations of some of the exchanges given, for example the judges seat on The Stone Pavement. There is a frenzy of activity and noise, the Jews leading Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor, the movement of Pilate coming in and out of the palace (so many times over these two chapters it could look like a West End farce if it was not so serious and with exchanges that would have eternal consequences), the cries of the crowd, ultimately crying out ‘Give us Barabbas’, the cruel flogging of Jesus and finally the shouts of ‘Crucify! Crucify!’.

And yet, in contrast to all this noise and activity, the shouting and the accusations, we see the stillness of Christ. For the most part it seems as if Jesus is just standing still as events happen around Him and stays virtually silent but for a few words, some of which we have in today’s reading. Pilate asks Jesus ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ It could be a question asked with incredulity, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’, with the implication he was expecting to see someone with a bit more king like credentials and presence before him. It could be a question asked with distain, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’, with the inferred question, are you the one who is challenging my authority? Jesus answers, as He frequently did, with a question of His own. ‘Who told you about this?’, as if to say, was it the Romans or the Jews? Pilate responds that he’s not a Jew himself, but it was Jesus’ own nation that has handed Him over and then asks, ‘What have you done?’ And as we so often see in John, two Kingdoms and powers collide. It’s easy to read the exchange as questions about rights and lordship regarding a physical Kingdom, a piece of land, the earthly reign of an individual. But far more importantly, it’s also a spiritual exchange, about the very nature of power, Kingdom and authority. As Pilate and others down the years have come to realise it’s not an exchange about the location of a Kingdom, but about its very character. Jesus says, ‘My kingdom is not from this world…. …my Kingdom is not from here’. A few verses later Pilate utters the words which occur at least 12 times in John’s gospel, if not from here then ‘From where?’, Jn 19 v 9. At the beginning of John’s gospel, we are introduced to the phrase From where. From where did the new wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee come from? Shortly after, from where does the living water come from, asks the Samarian woman asks. From where does the food come from to feed the multitude? (And in the context of Kingship, after the feeding, the crowds do want to make Jesus their king!) From where? The question that John poses time after time. It’s a question John wants us to answer for ourselves. Do we believe Jesus has come from where the scriptures point, or somewhere else? Is He who He says He is? Is He truly our King or do we just pay Him lip service? Jesus continues with Pilate, ‘My Kingdom is from another place’. John is pointing us to another of his great themes, the up and the down motion of the Kingdom of God, the contrast of that which is ‘from above’ and that which is ‘from below’. Jesus’ Kingdom is ‘from above’, not from ‘this place’, ‘this place’ being the ‘below’ kingdom of Pilate. The above and the below collide as the spiritual and the physical meet. Moreover, later in the passage Jesus emphasises this as He says to Pilate, ‘You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.’ Jn 19 v 11a. The power from above will always reign supreme over the power from below.

As the exchanges between Pilate and Jesus come to an end, we read of a conflicted Pilate who tries to set Jesus free, even if for purely self-centred reasons, but ultimately hands Him over to be crucified. Shortly after, in a bitter twist of irony, which John does not miss, it is the Chief Priests themselves, who know and proclaim that according to their scriptures God is King, blasphemously cry out themselves, ’We have no king but Caesar’. It’s as if the old-world order had finally crumbled, God is no longer their king, and the new world order which restores and renews true kingly power and majesty is inaugurated. There can be no other outcome. And thus, we read a few short verses later the King of all Life is on the cross as He Is crucified. A cross which leads to death and resurrection as His reign of King of Kings and Lord of Lords is made visible and real. And in answer to Pilate’s implied question, ‘Are you challenging my authority and power?’; the answer is revealed in all of Jesus’ vulnerability as He is led away to be crucified and in the glorious victory of the cross on which He hung. Pilate’s, and the entire world’s so-called power and authority were being challenged, but not in the way Pilate understood, at least at the beginning of their dialogue, but by a vulnerable man, for much of the story bound in chains, who it would seem from Pilate’s own assessment, didn’t even look the part. ‘Not from here’, ‘from where’, ‘from above’. The King of Kings comes ‘not from here’, but ‘from above’, in humility and vulnerability and invites us to reign with Him for ever as we now look to Advent with expectation and His coming again in all His power and glory. A story of all powerful Godly Kingship which starts with self-emptying human vulnerability.

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Today we celebrate Christ the King, a king who welcomes all into His house and eternal dwelling whatever our background or circumstances. A King who invites us to behold and share in His splendour and majesty for ever, that we may know His eternal peace and His welcome. The New Testament reading from John, which focusses on Christ the King through Jesus’ exchange with Pilate, echoes three refrains which have permeated all of John’s Gospel; ‘not from here’, ‘from where’ and ‘from above’.

Sometimes when we meet with others, perhaps who we don’t know well, we can tell from their voice, their accents, their vocabulary whether they are local or ‘not from here’. Conversely, perhaps even without realising it, when people engage with us, they may see something about us that they recognise as being ‘not from here’, not relating to where we are from or our accents, but something much deeper. Something about us which is ‘from above’, the presence of Jesus in our lives. In our gospel reading Pilate looked at Jesus, and from the words we read it would seem that there might have been something in Pilate, for all his bad press and reputation, which caught a glimpse of the real Jesus. Did he begin see and understand that Jesus was indeed who he said He was? Someone ‘not from this place’, but ‘from above’. A King not of this world, but one who shone His brightness on it, and into the darkness that attempted to overshadow it.

There is a closing prayer in night prayer which reflects this light of Christ, the King of all, the one ‘from above’.

May the light of Christ, the King of all,

shine brighter in our hearts,

that with all the saints in light,

we may shine forth as lights in the world.

Sam Cappleman

Additional Material

The Christian year of worship has been progressing through the Sundays we know as Ordinary Time all through the summer until now with the colour of green. These are the Sundays after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday all the way back in May. For all of that time every Sunday we have been reading bible passages about ordinary Christian living which challenge us to live extraordinary Christian lives. Today we come to a special Sunday the Sunday of Christ the King which lands us on the threshold of the great season of Advent when we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. From next week Advent 1, we are going to enter into a time of watching and waiting a reflective time of purple before the razzmatazz of Christmas itself.

Just for this Sunday we have an opportunity to reflect on Jesus and what it means to think of him as ‘king.’ It is interesting that when many people think of the Kingship of Jesus they imagine a kind of worldly power and authority. The language of some of our hymns and prayers is not very helpful and encourages this because it tends to show Jesus as a King like an earthly king or a powerful ruler. Of course the kingship of Jesus is nothing like that and Jesus stressed that his kingdom was not of this world. A person coming into a Christian church today might think that we have all gone quite mad by choosing to proclaim Jesus as King and use a passage from the Bible which is probably one of the most humiliating passages available, Jesus is arrested and will be beaten and killed. However this is what is most important about the type of king Jesus is, he is the exact opposite of what we normally think of when we imagine kings. With Jesus there are no power systems, no room for triumphalism when we think of the majesty of Jesus, we should look to the humiliation and apparent failure cross.

Crucifixion was an execution for common criminals - It was for enemies of Rome, people who they wanted to make examples of as a warning to anybody who was guilty of challenging the power of Rome. As a body was left to decay on a cross it was an example and warning to anybody out there ‘don’t even think about it.’ The cross reminds us that Jesus turns human values upside down. This does not mean that in any way Jesus is less of king. The first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are by Jesus who proclaims

‘The time has come….The Kingdom of God has come near..’

There is no doubting what is going on, in the Magnificat Mary the mother of Jesus cries out

‘He has brought down rulers from their thrones’

It is not that Jesus isn’t a king, he is the King of Kings, it is just that his kingship is of such a completely different kind that Jesus can say that his kingdom ‘is not of this world.’

The reason why we choose to look to the cross as the central and most significant and obvious place to see Jesus for who he really was, is because it is no accident that Jesus is there. Jesus had set himself to live a life of different values which put him on a collision course which meant that it was inevitable that he would end up on the cross. Jesus challenged the system, he exposed and challenged the leaders, and their corruption. He used every means at his disposal from clever stories to miraculous healings to demonstrate that the rules which governed society were ridiculous and loaded in favour of the powerful whilst they crushed the poor and vulnerable.

Jesus did everything in his power to show that God loved the poor and the weak ones and that those at the top had to come down from their high and mighty perches. As Sam reminded us last week he literally turned the tables and challenged the authority of the temple itself by proclaiming that not one stone would be left standing. The Jewish leaders, the religious authorities, were determined that he would die and they were determined to find a way to kill him.

So to be a part of the Kingdom of God is not to join in with triumphant crowds claiming that we have power and the victory. Joining Jesus is not like throwing in our lot with the winning side. Joining Jesus does not leave any room for triumphalism. Whilst we know that the cross was a victory over sin and death, that resurrection morning lies in our future. For now we live alongside people who are no different than those Jesus lived and died with to show his love.

Jesus calls those who would be a part of his kingdom to join him and work to extend his justice and peace in our world. As we share in this work we are a part of his kingdom, we share in paradise.

So we are to join Jesus in a new kind of kingdom as we seek to show the values which marked out the Kingship and kingdom of Jesus. His compassion, justice, truth, sacrifice and love. So that

Hungry ones are fed in our community are fed ands food banks are supported

The homeless have places like Clarence House to care for them and are visited on the street to discover their names and what their needs are.

The sick find people who care for them and are not forgotten about.

People are not persecuted for the way they were born because of the colour of their skin, gender, their sexuality, their creed

Our children are not vulnerable and trapped into gangs and lives of drugs and crime such as we have seen in the streets of Brickhill recently.

All of this is about the kingship of Jesus and we know that if he walked the streets of Bedford these are the sorts of things that he would care about. Christians recognise that if we want to see God and understand what he was doing in Jesus most clearly, then the place we look is the cross. What Jesus does on the cross is the most dramatic things ever to happen in human history. God in Jesus takes upon himself the sins of the world and against all the odds and human expectation, God proclaims forgiveness.

Jesus is a different kind of leader,

He refuses power but appears rather in vulnerability.

Jesus does not stand with the powerful but alongside all of those who suffer injustice and oppression, the poor and the vulnerable.

He does not vow retribution on even those who crucify him but instead offers forgiveness.

He does not come down off his cross to prove his kingly status but instead remains on that instrument of torture and humiliation, the representative of all who suffer unjustly.

He does not promise that he will give a better tomorrow but rather that today immediately we can know the paradise of his love and forgiveness.

Our King is a Crucified King and as his chest is pierced with a spear his last breaths are used to speak words of comfort to the lost and the lonely, to one who would die with him and those he would leave behind. As we follow Christ as our King may he give us grace and strength to follow in his way.

Meditation

We are now reaching the end of the Church’s year. With the beginning of Advent, we begin again the cycle of the birth of Jesus, his ministry, his death, Passion and resurrection.

The ending of a year is a good time to assess where we have been, what has been achieved, and perhaps most importantly, where we are going with our journey of faith.

If, when we look at our spiritual lives, we feel that we have made no real progress, perhaps it is time to embark on more regular Bible study. Perhaps joining a house group would give you the support you need for growth? Perhaps you would like to put your faith into some kind of action, helping missionary work or community projects.

New beginnings are always exciting, offering us the challenge of new spiritual adventures and development.

Hymns

Rejoice the Lord is King

Jesus is coming

Prayers for this Sunday

Jesus our King, we praise you for all that you have done for us.

We thank you for your willingness to accept victory on a cross, for taking upon yourself the sins of the world and bringing salvation to the world.

As we celebrate your kingship, forgive us that we are so often reluctant to let your reign over us.

Help us to follow your examples of how we should live in your kingdom.

As you washed your disciples feet, so give us strength to be servants of one another.

As you challenged the religious and social conventions which made some people of less worth than others, help us work to ensure that all of your children are valued equally.

Give us strength to model our lives on your life and so may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

We give you thanks for showing your glory in the form of a suffering servant.

As we see you hanging on a cross we glimpse your compassion and love for humankind.

We pray for those who suffer today; those in Syria who are victims of violence, refugees

and asylum seekers who long for places of safety where they can live in peace and care for their families.

We remember Christians around the world who are persecuted because they worship and serve you as their King.

May those in distress know that as they go through times of suffering that you are with them and hear their prayers.

We pray for those who have died and whose memory we treasure.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace and rise in glory. Merciful Father

Prayers for this Sunday

We pray for all peoples in the world at this time of approaching festivities. We pray for, and remember those who will find it difficult to celebrate Christmas this year. We pray for those who are lonely at this time of year. For those who have no family or friends. For those who cannot get out of their house and meet people day-to-day.

Lord, in Your Mercy….

We pray for all who suffer at this time of year, from loneliness, from cold, from rejection by others. Lord, we bring before you all those who society rejects, because of illness – physical or mental. Those who have different beliefs, different colour of skin, or those who simply choose to be different. You sent your Son to bring joy and comfort to all men, we pray that we may help fulfil His mission at this time of the year.

Lord, in Your Mercy….

We pray for our leaders, Charlie and Sam. We pray for all who choose to lead people in whatever capacity, large or small. May you guide them with Your Love, help them with Your compassion, and support them in their work. We pray for all who work harder at this time of the year to help and support those less well off than others.

Lord, in Your Mercy….

We pray for those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Christmas can be a difficult time of year for many people, separated from their loved ones because of work, because they are ill in hospital, or because they are unable to join in festivities for whatever reason. May You bring the Peace and Joy which Christ came into the world to bring into their hearts this year.

Lord, in Your Mercy….

We pray for those who have died. We remember those we hold in our hearts. We are sure of a life still to come, beyond death. We pray for those who are left behind, who mourn loved friends and relations. Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. We remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ, which eternally shines and brings hope. We remember …

You turn our darkness into light: in your light shall we see light.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us say the Lord’s Prayer together.

Prayers for Sunday

The bidding today will be:- Lord, in your mercy .

and the response will be: - Hear our prayer.

We pray together. Heavenly Father we constantly stare in wonder at the universe that you have caused into being and of which we understand just a fraction. In the presence of such power and majesty we bring our prayers for others. Help us now as we delve into the failures of the human condition seeking guidance and strength into doing your will as lived out and revealed to us by your Son even Jesus Christ our Saviour and King.