Proper 29, Year B, Track 2
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Psalm 93
Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37
"As some of you know, my favorite book is J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I re-read this book every few years because it not only resonates with my love of a good story, it also speaks deep truths to my heart, mind and soul. Each time I re-read this story, different aspects of it stand out to me. Well, this past month as I read the first book of the trilogy, a short poem stood out for me. Let me give you the context in which the poem was read. In the story, the leading character, Frodo and his friends are in deep danger when they encounter a rather dicey looking fellow, named Strider. Initially Frodo and his friends are deeply suspicious of him, but then they come to realize that he was sent to help them by their trusted friend. Throughout the rest of the Lord of the Rings, we read as Strider is gradually revealed as Aragorn, the heir apparent to an important kingdom.
What convinced Frodo and his friends to trust Strider was that he could recite a short poem which had been given them as a sign. This is what the poem said:
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
Why did this poem speak to me so strongly this time around? I think because it links so powerfully Christ the King Sunday, which we celebrate today with the season of Advent which begins next Sunday. This poem references a time of trouble – those who wander, things that wither, winter, ashes and shadow. And yet, it speaks of signs of life and hope within this doom. The hope of the coming of a king. Not all who wander are lost, the old that is strong does not wither, and deep roots are not reached by the frost. In these words I hear references to the Old Testament prophets, and to unshakeable confidence in God’s word and wisdom.
In the second half of the poem, we read of a fire that shall be woken from the ashes, a light from the shadows, and how the blade that was broken shall be renewed. As I read this, I think of Isaiah 11 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse” foretelling us of the coming of Jesus Christ. And then finally, this poem says that the crownless again shall be king. As I read this, I can only think on Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a baby, who was put to death for our sins, and mocked by the soldiers of the mightiest empire on earth. Jesus was surely crownless, and yet he is now our king.
The Church Year runs from Advent and ends with Christ the King Sunday. It takes us on a journey through our faith each and every year. The year begins with Advent, when we look forward to the coming of Jesus. It’s a time of penitence and self-reflection on the deep need in our life for salvation. Then we move on to Christmas, when we celebrate the birth of Christ. We reflect on the life of Jesus through the season of Epiphany, before we come to Lent when we engage in penitential reflection as we prepare ourselves for the earth shattering events of Holy Week. During Holy Week we look at the events leading up to the death of Jesus on Good Friday. And then comes the joyous celebration of his resurrection on Easter Day. Following Easter, we remember the ascension of Jesus into heaven.
At that point in the Church Year, we turn to events in the life of the Church. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and reflect on the deep mystery that is the Holy Trinity a week later. We then move through the season of Pentecost or ordinary time. Towards the end of the Church Year, our focus shifts towards the end of time. We commemorate all the believers who have gone before us on All Saints’ Day. And finally, on this, the last Sunday in ordinary time, we focus on Christ the King, who at the end of time will return as the King of the heavens and of all the earth. And so the church year takes us on this journey where we begin by acknowledging our need for a savior to reflecting on the eternal kingship of Christ at the end of time.
And so the course of both the poem and the Lord of the Rings story parallels the Church Year. From darkness and desolation to the coming of the King. But what does it mean that Jesus Christ is returning as our king? In our world today, we often associate kingship with power and force. When a President operates in a dictatorial fashion, we say “he is acting like a king.” In the Middle Ages, kings would tax their subjects so that they could make war on other kings. In fact, much of ancient history concerns which kings fought which other kings. Kingship seems to be mostly about wars, greed, and enslavement.
And so why is the crowning event of the Church Year the announcement that Christ is returning to be our everlasting king? How is this good news? Why would we want another king?
Let me return to the Lord of the Rings again. The author J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and much of his story is infused with Christian symbolism and meaning. This is true also for Tolkien’s view of kingship. In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn does not come into his kingship on the back of his military triumphs. No, Aragorn comes into his kingship through a number of signs and deeds, including demonstrating the powers of healing, engaging in self-sacrificial leadership, protecting his friends, and standing firm in the face of temptation and evil. This is also the Biblical view of the kingship of Jesus.
A major part of the ministry of Jesus on earth was healing and the casting out of demons. Jesus brought together a band of disciples who he formed to be the nucleus of the Church after his ascension to heaven. Jesus was tempted by the devil but resisted him, and his ultimate act was dying on the cross for our sins, thus defeating sin, after which he defeated death by rising from the dead. These are the things that point to the kingship of Jesus.
Let’s briefly review our readings for today and what they tell us about the kingship of Christ. In Daniel, we read of a vision from the prophet in the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon. In this vision, God the Father is the Ancient of Days, and Jesus Christ is the one like the son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. And so Daniel’s vision proclaims to us Christ’s incarnation as one of us. This is what is meant by Daniel saying that Jesus was one like the son of man. Jesus was born into our world as a man, and he was crucified and put to death as a man, and so was able to suffer in our place on the cross. And he was resurrected as a man, thereby defeating death for the rest of us.
Daniel’s prophecy also tells us that God the Father has given his Son Jesus “authority, glory and sovereign power.” Indeed, Daniel tells us that all nations and peoples of every language will worship him. This is actually very important. Most kings – both in ancient times and today – ruled a particular set of people. The king of Sweden rules the Swedes. The ancient king of Persia ruled the Persians. And the medieval king of France ruled France. There have been empires before, but even in such cases, the overall king was king of a particular nation, and everyone else was a conquered people. But Jesus isn’t this kind of king. Daniel tells us that all nations and peoples of every language will worship him. This tells us that all of humanity – people of every color, race, and language – are equally members of Christ’s kingdom. Christ is not a king that divides and conquers, or one who prefers one tribe over another, but is the king of all equally. Daniel also tells us that the kingdom of Jesus is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away nor ever be destroyed. It is important to note that just before this particular prophesy in Daniel there were a series of prophecies about human kingdoms that all came crashing down in the end. But the kingdom of Jesus will last forever.
In our Psalm today, we learn that the kingdom of God is a sure thing, mightier than all the seas and waters. The Psalmist reminds us that God is the creator of the world and so we can have confidence in him.
In John’s Revelation, we hear from the very beginning of the letter in which John wrote his apocalypse. In this introduction, John is sketching out who Jesus is in light of what he writes later. John tells us that Jesus is the “first-born from the dead”, which refers to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. By being raised from the dead, Jesus has pioneered a way for us to also be raised from the dead. He has gone before us.
John also tells us that Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. This speaks to Christ’s authority. Then John writes that Jesus “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.” There is actually quite a bit to unpack here, but let me summarize it. John emphasizes that Jesus died for us to save us from our sins, and that this is how he has brought us into his kingdom. Jesus is not a king who captures and enslaves us to bring us into his kingdom by force, but rather he is a king who sacrificed himself for us to redeem us from our slavery and thereby brings us into his kingdom. It is the very opposite of human kingship. We are also brought into the kingdom of Jesus for a purpose. John says that we are to be a kingdom and priests to serve God the Father. The role of the priest in the Jewish religion was first to intercede with God on behalf of the people, and second to communicate God’s truth to the people. And this is our role as the Church. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ to others. This means not only to evangelize others, but also to share God’s truth with the world, and to help bring others into Christ’s kingdom.
Finally, we come to the Gospel of John. Now our Gospel reading seems rather different than our other passages. In all our previous readings, we read about the majesty and authority of Christ, but in our Gospel passage we read of Jesus captured, humiliated and on trial. This too tells us something about the kingship of Jesus. In response to a question from Pilate, Jesus says “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” In this, John is telling us that the kingdom of Jesus is something far beyond the petty world of today’s politics. John is telling us that the power of Jesus’ kingdom is not won through the strength of arms or politics here on earth. Remember that following this interaction with Pilate, Jesus was condemned to death and was crucified. And so, John is telling us that the path to the kingdom of Jesus is the path of suffering and service.
And so Christ the King Sunday is indeed a fitting end to our Church Year. As we look around us today at our fallen world, it is easy to remain fixed in an Advent mindset where we cry out for our savior to come. But we can have confidence in the Kingdom of Christ, knowing that this kingdom is growing even now, though it grows not through human force or power, but rather through faithfulness to Jesus, and sacrifice and service to others. We can rest assured that in the end, the authority, glory and sovereignty of Christ our King will be revealed. And so let us have confidence as we partake in his kingdom. Amen."