| "How strange it seems, initially at least, that the lectionary leads us to narrate here again in late November-long, long after Good Friday, and on a weekend marked for Thanksgiving-Luke's account of Jesus's crucifixion. But on this the last Sunday of the liturgical year, having, over the past 52 Sundays, once again relived the entire cycle of Jesus's promised coming, birth, baptism, ministry, death, resurrection, and continuing presence in the life of the Church, his body here on earth-on this the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we are asked to proclaim clearly and climactically what role it is that the Risen Christ plays in our lives. We are asked to proclaim clearly and climactically that it is the Risen Christ who rules our lives, that it is the Risen Christ who sets the standard for our living. And lest our celebration of Christ's Sovereign Reign give rise not to humble service but to smug contentment, lest we be tempted in the name of Christ to lord it over others rather than to surrender ourselves to others' well-being-lest that happen, the lectionary reminds us today of where the reign of Christ was first published, of where it was first publicly proclaimed, with great irony, that "This is the King, the King of the Jews." (Luke 23:38 alt.) For that was the inscription nailed above the thorn-crowned head of Jesus during his torture and execution by the superpower of his day, the Roman Empire. That was the inscription that proclaimed so much more truth than it ever intended. Through this text, the lectionary reminds us that Christ reigns as one who was crucified, that Christ reigns as one who chose to endure violence rather than to perpetrate it, that Christ reigns as one who lives in solidarity with every victim of every time and every place, that Christ came to his rule through suffering, that Christ brought peace by absorbing violence. Thus Scripture reminds us that the way to fulfill Christ's reign on earth and to accomplish peace is to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23). In that way, we may spread the peace of Christ throughout the world. So, as followers of Christ, we are gathered here today not to offer hero-worship to a glorious conqueror and commander-in-chief but to offer obedience to the crucified Son of God, to the one who obeyed God's commandment to love, even unto death on the cross. As our First Lesson, from the Letter to the Colossians, proclaims, Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God, bore our flesh, bore the cross, bore our sins, and through a love for God and neighbor so humble as that he conquered death and made it possible for all to be reconciled and to find peace. At the scene of the crucifixion, it is the penitent bandit, of all people, who recognizes Jesus's royal power and understands that Jesus will take up his reign not by coming down from the cross and saving himself, but by dying on it. "Jesus," this man calls out, "remember me when you come into your kingdom." And Jesus replies, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Thanks be to God for delivering from the dominion of darkness not only that penitent criminal of long ago but also us as well. Thanks be to God for transferring not only him but also us to that new sphere of rule that is the domain of God's beloved Son, a realm bathed in the splendor of the light that radiates from the Risen Christ, symbolized for us this morning by this Paschal Candle! For you see, this story of the penitent criminal connects Jesus's death with the promise of life and light that is given to all who trust in him. You may recall from past Baptism of the Lord Sundays, which we celebrate each January, that "Beloved Son" is the title bestowed on Jesus at his baptism, bestowed by the voice from heaven. (e.g., Luke 3:22) And you may also recall from our past Good Friday and Pentecost observances that the forgiveness Jesus extended from the cross to even his enemies (Luke 23:34) is offered in baptism to all of humankind (Acts 2:38-39). You see, in baptism, we, too, are proclaimed "beloved children of God" and welcomed, through the power of Christ and the grace of God, into the promise of eternal life. In baptism we are given a name and an identity as "Christ's own." In baptism we become "citizens of the reign of Christ," an identity that is to take precedence over every other identity that is ours, including that of family, and of country. I asked today, "What Christian name do you choose for your child?" And Valerie and Bruce answered, "Sophia." So it was simply "Sophia" who was baptized in the name of the Triune God, and not "Sophia Graham." For Sophia's identity as a beloved child of God and as a citizen of Christ's reign is to take precedence over even her family identity. It was simply "Sophia" who was welcomed as Christ's own through baptism, and not "Sophia, an American." For her identity as a follower of Christ is also to take precedence over her identity as a citizen of any particular country. In baptism, the Christ of the Cross becomes her Lord, and he is to be given precedence over anyone or anything else. You see, baptism is a moment of crucial choice, in which grownups on behalf of themselves or parents on behalf of their child take a pledge of allegiance, saying, in effect, through the vows they take: "I pledge allegiance to the Christ who died on the cross, and to the God whom he embodied-One God, triune yet indivisible, with love and compassion for all." In baptism we affirm the reign of Christ and become part of it. In baptism we affirm that, if the values and goals of the Crucified Christ should ever-God forbid-come into conflict with those of family or country, our primary allegiance is to Christ and our fundamental loyalty is to the One who held steadfastly to love and non-violence, even at the cost of dying on a cross. In dying on a cross, Sophia's Lord, our Lord, modeled for us how bearing pain and forgiving our enemies has the power to save and redeem the world. In baptism Christ calls us to join him in his way of opposing evil, and in baptism we answer Christ by choosing the cross over even family and country. In baptism we choose the reign of the Crucified Christ. Last Good Friday, we sang the hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." Its words date back to 1707 and were written by the "father of English hymnody," Isaac Watts. Matthew Arnold, himself a brilliant English poet, and critic, called this hymn "the finest in the English language," and Arnold chose to sing it on his own deathbed. I invite you to listen again, on this Reign of Christ Sunday, to these much beloved words that summarize so well today's themes and that speak so eloquently to today's observance. Please take special note of the last two lines, which are perhaps the most frequently quoted lines in all of hymnic literature. When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God; all the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to his blood. See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. Yes, "love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all." Let us pray: Amen |
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