November 21, 2021 – Reign of Christ/Christ the King Sunday

“Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, ‘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.’ Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?’” John 18:33-38

Pilate was in no mood to be dealing with Jesus in some verbal sparring. In fact the Roman Governor asked the people to take Jesus away and judge him by their own laws. But the Jews, especially Annas, and Caiaphas, and the many others didn’t want to be tied to this problem either. So Pilate reluctantly takes on the interrogation—and he asks that famous question: “Are you……the king….of the Jews?”

“Are you….the King?” What Pilate is asking Jesus has political, cultural and, of course, eternal implications. Pilate, as we know, represents the political power of the day, as a Roman official. Is he in power in this situation? The high priests, Annas and Caiaphas represent the religious elites of the Jewish authorities. Are they in power? And Jesus here represents heavenly power, and authority, as G-d incarnate. Is G-d in power? Who will win the day?

In our day, and in our society, advertisers have so much power in how people make decisions. Of course, as Americans we give them power over us. Just driving from home to the church every day I am told by advertisers that if I do not purchase certain sheets, my family will never get a restful-night’s sleep. And if I buy a certain kind of wine, my life will be complete. They dangle a few tid-bits of information in front of our eyes—and so many people jump like dolphins doing acrobatics in front of an amazed crowd. It begs the question: Are we in control of our lives, our spending, our faith? And, are we certain?

Pilate already knows the answer to his question “Are you a King?”— even before he asks it. Again, as the Roman Governor, he is the one to decide who will rule over the Jews of his particular region. Pilate would have approved who ruled over the Jews—as such, if Jesus answers yes to the question “Are you their King?”, well, Jesus condemns himself. But, Jesus is not going to be pulled into this argument. He simply says: “My Kingdom is not of this world—my kingdom is not from here.”

I look around here at the business of “Black Friday”—the holiday shopping season—and I feel as if I am a stranger in a strange land. I feel like a fish out of water, most of the Christmas season. Let me ask you this question: How many of you have your Christmas trees up already? How many of you have your Christmas decorations up—both inside and out? How many of you have some Advent decorations up, like Advent candles or Advent Calendars? I ask the question because I believe we cannot rush this Christmas season too much, or we will miss some opportunities to pause, and take some time to give thanks. People of G-d, what has happened to stopping during all of the craziness and giving thanks to G-d? This is why Thanksgiving and Advent are so important—that we stop and give thanks, count our blessings, and prepare for Christmas—which of course is one of the themes of Advent—preparation. We need to stop, at least today, and give thanks to G-d—our savior and King. And then ask this question: Are we living lives as if Christ reigns full in our lives?

Something to ponder this Reign of Christ Sunday.

Pastor Dave

November 20, 2021 – 2 Corinthians 11:1-15

“…if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you. Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God’s good news to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!” 2 Cor 11:4-11

“Super-Apostles” — “The very chief of the Apostles”. The word used by St. Paul for “very chief” is one which, in its strangeness, marks the vehemence of his emotion — the fact that there are others who claim to be greater than Paul really irks him. So he invokes an indignant response and sense that he had been most disparagingly compared with other apostles, as though he were hardly a genuine apostle at all. As such he must reckon himself to have outdone these “extra-super,” or “super-apostolic,” apostles.

Here Paul is not disparaging the original twelve; he merely means that, even if any with whom he was unfavorably compared were “apostles ten times over,” he can claim to be the best of them all. He is not showing some sense of superiority — as if he is pretentious. There is no self-inflation here. Indeed, against whatever evil has been done against him by his detractors, St. Paul, with an utter sense of distaste, is forced to say the simple truth — his life, his teachings, his work is for Christ — as an Apostle for Jesus.

Let Us Pray,

Lord Jesus, we worry too much about who is the greatest in all areas of life. But in my life given over to you, help me to be individually gratified only that I am working for the Gospel of Jesus Christ – who makes me feel like number one. Amen.

Pastor Dave