Christ the King Sunday
Here is the scripture for Sunday, Nov. 26th. Here are some preliminary questions. Is Jesus a King? Is so, what kind of King? What happens when we use this kind of language today. What do you think about this dialogue between Jesus and Pilate?
Scripture: Daniel 7:9-14, Psalm 93, Revelation 1:1-8, John 18:33-37
John 18:33-37
33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters* again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ 34Jesus answered, ‘Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?’ 35Pilate 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?’ 36Jesus 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.’ 37Pilate 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.’
posted by Rev. Julie Cicora @ 7:34 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
What is a King? Is Kingship in the biblical sense the same as we understand Kingship as it was practiced by Europe's royal families, e.g. "James, by the power of God, King of England"?
Wikipedia states this:
Jesus Christ is sometimes termed King of Kings in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Revelation, 17:14 and 19:16 - although he clearly states in the New Testament that his realm is not of this earth (Hebrew: olam hazeh, "this world, or age", in contrast with the olam haba, "the world to come", in which he will rule), a messianistic tradition within the Jewish faith, founded its Zionist ambitions of political independence from Rome (see Sicarii, while Christ preached a spiritual 'kingdom' instead) on its version that the Messiah would (re)establish the promised land of Israel as a mighty temporal kingdom; in Christianity, it is rather God the Father who thrones in heaven as ultimate ruler of the universe, high above all mortal monarchs. In this sense, Lord of Lords is a synonymous title of the Lord, as used by the Church Fathers, e.g. Against Heresies, V.26 (St. Irenaeus).
When I think of Lord of Lords, I think of the Hallelujah chorus. Images of the Kingdom of Heaven come to mind with angels and archangels. I picture a huge court with lots of singing. What an imagination I have! But, I wonder how people today relate to this image of God as Lord of Lords. I wonder about the unchurched that never went to Sunday school as children. How do people relate today to the idea of King if they have a feminine image of the Divine? Does this image of God help or hinder people? Does it present an image of a loving God? A benevolent King? Why is it important to celebrate Christ the King Sunday?
You are opening up a whole other can of worms.
I do not imagine God as either masculine or feminine. If human beings are created in the image of God than God is both feminine and masculine.
The gender used in biblical language reflects the reality of the times it was written in - another nail in the coffin of literalists - and does not represent a statement on the nature of God.
Ergo, for me, the word "King" represents the idea of a supreme being.
You are right! I have opened up another can of worms with the gender stuff. Since I never met a woman "King" for me King is associated with the masculine Gender.
How do we separate these terms from having an impact on the nature of God? I love some of the hymns that use this language. But does using this language impact our image? I especially love Crown him with many Crowns and Praise the Lord, the King of heaven. So what does it say about the Divine if we call the Divine the King of heaven?
It's human language. It's imperfect because we are imperfect.
If you have issues with the use of gender in these English translations imagine how one may feel after reading these passages in Arabic or German, both of which make much more extensive use of gender specific words.
Also, isn't this where reason and our intellect come in? Should we not use them to interpret and understand these gender issues?
We teach our children, specifically our daughters that their gender no longer impacts their choice of professions and the opportunities they have in life. That certainly is an evolution, one that is not over yet, and our image of God is no different. It is a constantly evolving image - an image that (hopefully) becomes clearer as we apply reason and learn to interpret the answers to our prayers.
Agreed!!!!! Yes! That is why it is good to discuss the language that is used and to make sure we vary the language.
Well, you can tell I'm not preaching this weekend since I have gotten us off track somewhat. However, I have really valued this discussion.
The last time I preached on Christ the King, I did a sermon that I entitled "What kind of King is this?" Jesus is truly my kind of King.
Julie and others have hit on a point that I decided to skirt entirely when I preached at Julie's request this past Sunday.
The language is indeed difficult. I thought preaching on "Jesus, Queen of Heaven" would have placed me perhaps a little out there! (Speaking of a word that has undergone a shift in meaning.)
On a more serious note, peoples around the world, including our Roman brothers and sisters, have quite effectively inserted a feminine side of God into a masculine-gendered set of titles by elevating Mary. This is not quite the same as recognizing the genderlessness of the Almighty, but it shows the powerful, human urge to recognize the feminine, even in the very patriarchial society that is the Roman Church.
Carl
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