**Service cancelled due to snowstorm. Sermon not delivered.
Good snowy morning!
Winter is definitely with us now here in Saskatoon – what a beautiful time and season!
And here we are, on the cusp of a new season… for, as Iain mentioned last week, this is the final Sunday of the liturgical year. Advent – which begins next week – begins the new year.
So today: it’s a little bit like a liturgical New Year’s Eve – highly anticipating the year to come, while celebrating the time that is.
And how do we celebrate it?
By remembering who we are here for.
It’s a day to honour and celebrate the timeless presence of the Christ.
The scriptures affirm this timelessness, in subtle – and not to subtle – ways; as rulers on earth recognise the reign of Christ.
The second book of Samuel is part of a series of books in the Hebrew Testament that are a theological history of the Israelites, that want to explain God’s law for God’s people, under the guidance of the prophets.
And in this passage we have today, we have the final words of David, where he expresses gladness at the goodness of his house.
David: King David: the monarch of the lineage of God’s chosen: is praising those who govern in such a way as to keep God as the ultimate ruler.
‘He who rules people in justice, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of morning at sunrise, a morning that is cloudless after rain and makes the grass from the earth sparkle.’
And he celebrates the opportunity to have served to the best of his ability, while keeping his heart directed to God:
“Surely my house is true to God; for he has made an everlasting covenant with me, its terms spelled out and faithfully kept; that is my whole salvation, all my delight.”
Our New Testament reading then takes us to the other end of the scriptures – both in terms of time they were written, and the physical Bible. The Book of Revelation to John: where the angel of the Lord speaks to John in his exile.
And what a greeting!
“Grace be to you and peace, from him who is, who was, and who is to come”
The promise of God is eternal! The reign of Christ transcends time – God who was, and is, and will be – past, present, and future.
Lord of all; for all time. Extending grace and peace to us lowly humans: from the desire to be in relationship with us all.
In this passage, the message of the promise of a just and divine ruler is so important, that the angel quotes from the prophets Zacheriah (whose name means “God Remembered” and whose prophesy is about a renewed relationship) and Daniel (whose name means “God is My Judge” and whose prophesy is of the Holy One coming to rule over the entirety of the world),
These two prophesies are a foretaste of Christ’s appearance returning to us; a ruler who understands the human condition, and still loves us.
One who has seen the best that we can be – and the worst that we can be – and still yearns to be connected with us.
What a blessing it is to have such opportunity to be known and loved by the one who cares for our souls, and the souls of all we love:
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the sovereign Lord of all.”
The reign of Christ has survived all that history has shown us. It permeates all that we do on earth this day. It will remain for all years to come; for nothing is stronger than the power of God, made known to us in the leadership of Jesus.
And our Gospel – OH, our Gospel!
It may feel a bit disjointed to have this passage, that we associate with Easter (when days are balmy and spring is upon us) – and yet here we are in a snowstorm, racing into Advent, being blessed with these same Holy Words.
And it’s not an accident; it’s intentionally placed here – as the person of Jesus engages with the person of Pilate.
It’s inviting us into a compare-and contrast experience: as Jesus, the Christ, eternal ruler of the cosmos; is interrogated by Pilate, ruler of one time and space.
Most people, when faced with a ruler such as Pilate, would have had some fear, some deference; yet Jesus – while never being disrespectful – is able to communicate how temporary and diminished Pilate’s authority is over him. The rhetoric of the discussion is quite intense.
Asking the basic question “you are the King of the Jews?” suggests that Pilate may be hinting that Jesus may be in the realm of royalty…
And Jesus doesn’t limit himself, instead turning the tables on Pilate to ask the source of the question.
Not to be belittled, Pilate’s retort about his own religion and Jesus’ again shifts the ground under Pilate, when Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world.
And while Pilate pounces on what he suspects to be an “AH-HA!” moment with “You are a king, then!” – Jesus deflates the whole thing, differentiating between title and task.
“King is your word” he says – for he does not need a title to do his ministry.
He wants to bear witness to the truth: to the promises of salvation that God has assured God’s people for all time. To the truth of the ever-present love and grace that flows around us and through us. To the possibility of doing good, and turning to God – regardless of where we are in life, and in our journey.
He bears witness to his own reign – as being more awesome and amazing than anything that someone might try and usurp here on earth.
So what a powerful premise these scriptures give us as we wind up this liturgical year; as we prepare our hearts and minds to the Preparation of Advent, and beyond.
To emphasise the opportunity to love and serve, to engage in community, to assist the vulnerable, to do our best:
The scriptures invite us to look to our own lives, and how we celebrate the presence of Christ in our lives – and the influence of such a model of rule in our lives: to keep our focus on the guidance of God, and not be distracted by
I mentioned a few moments ago that this Sunday is comparable to a liturgical New Year’s Eve … and just as in that secular celebration we often set goals and resolutions for the coming year, perhaps we might borrow that tradition for our liturgical time today….
And set our sights on being the people that ascribe glory and honour and praise to our God…
The house serving the Lord that would make King David proud…
Who would greet the world with expressions of grace and peace, proclaiming the timelessness of God’s love, like John received in the Revelation…
The followers of Jesus who are not intimidated by the status seekers of the world, but who seek to hear the truth that Christ speaks to us all.
We come, as Christians, with the legacy of those who have walked before us; carrying the faith, leading by example, setting a goodly pathway for us to follow.
And now, the time is here for us to do the same for the future: for the Christians of the next years will learn of the reign of Christ by our faith expr4essions today.
How do we show the world that we follow the ways of Jesus?
How do we obey Christ’s commandment of love?
How do we extend the grace and mercy we have received into a world is not often seeing those realities?
And how do we honour the blessings we have received by being a blessing to others in our midst?
Truly: the choice is ours: the potential is unlimited: let us go into the world, celebrating the reign of Christ, by loving and serving the Lord.
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