1
112016 Sermon
Christ the King Sunday
What does it mean to lead? What does it mean to lead while living out the Gospel of Jesus
Christ? At the heart, these are two very different questions and if the last few months and
weeks have done anything for us – they have hopefully helped us articulate how we might
answer these questions for ourselves.
Today is Christ the King Sunday. It’s the last Sunday of what we call ordinary time on our
liturgical calendar. It’s the last Sunday before Advent and allows us an opportunity to anticipate
the coming season of the birth of Jesus. It is a time to look forward but is also a time to look
back. It’s a time to think about where we have been, about where we want to go and how we
are going to get there. This might be one of the best times of reflection that we have on our
calendar as a church, especially in light of where we are in the world today.
Because Christ is about to come into the world. That means we are on the verge of a radical
change in our midst, a new direction, a new imperative and we have a leader about to emerge
that will become an unlikely king, a humble servant, a brave advocate, and a grounded spiritual
teacher. Jesus was a new kind of leader. One that required that the communities he
encountered take time to reflect on where they had been, what they needed, and where they
wanted to go. It required a commitment to something new, something that didn’t on the
surface bring glory or status, something that reframed the practice of faith.
2
When we reflect on the new leadership emerging forth, we know a few things about what
made Jesus’ leadership radical and necessary. He came not to be honored by status, or money,
or power but to be a servant. He washed his disciples’ feet, fed the hungry, spoke out for those
who suffered. He ate with sinners, spoke out for justice for all and challenged the status quo.
He was on the side of the outcast. Think about what that meant to the people he reached out
to, those people who have been forgotten by society. Those who felt they didn’t belong and
those who were told over and over again that they weren’t good enough. They were people
who had lost hope and here was someone who said “today you will be with me”.
Following this kind of leadership, however, takes courage on our part. It takes letting go of old
patterns, of old beliefs, of old securities. Look, we all know what it means to follow Jesus. Most
of us, if we have grown up in the church or at least went sporadically, we heard what it meant
to be a Christian. The problem is that is it a lot harder to act than to just believe.
Most of us come to church for an hour a week to hear the Good News. But then we go home. If
we are lucky, we think about what we learned at church here and there and if we are really
lucky we have a chance to practice it. Life is busy and we are pulled in so many different
directions. We have so many things asking for our time and our energy. I am under no illusion
that practicing our faith outside of Sunday morning is easy. And yet, I can’t help but wonder
where we are missing out on the example Jesus provided through his radical leadership and
example of humble servanthood.
3
There is one thing I am convicted about….and that is that learning how to live into the Good
News takes more than just coming to church for one hour a week. That may be countercultural
to many of you and I get that. But, what if we gave ourselves the opportunity to not only
worship but to serve, learn, give and grow? What if we began to see the idea of living into the
Good News as a larger life commitment? What if we look to such commitment with eagerness
and not stressfulness?
Colossians provides an important perspective on such commitment to our faith. Colossians first
and foremost recognizes that transformation is multi-faceted. It takes many parts of a faith
practice to cultivate a fullness of spirituality that is the hallmark of living into the Gospel, that is
the hallmark of Jesus’ leadership for us. In verses 11-14, our spiritual practice is outlined by the
values of strength, glory, endurance, patience, joy and thanksgiving. All of these, taken as parts
of a whole, are to be a part of our daily living. Daily…not weekly. That means that we live into
these values each and every day…as part of how we walk through this world – looking at our
responsibilities as gifts and not obligations.
However, if you are like me, you are wondering how to get there…how to add more things into
an already demanding work / life balance. You may be thinking…it’s great that Jesus is such a
selfless leader but that’s just not practical in the world we live in today.
4
This is our sticking point and I want to encourage you to think beyond what you have known.
Think beyond where we have been to what we can do. Let’s think big about what it means to
live out the Gospel.
So, if we look at the reading from Colossians, we might describe this multi-faceted way of living
as this…
First, as strength within our faith – it’s something that we build overtime. You don’t get strong
in your faith overnight. It takes ongoing effort. Time to worship, time to learn, time to pray.
What if we committed time to each of these…to worshiping more often, to setting aside time to
study, and learn about our faith, to dedicating regular moments to pray. How might we become
stronger?
Second, as endurance to commit to our faith – that means that even though we are busy, that
we reevaluate our priorities. We consider the leadership of Christ and what it might mean for
our own lives to live the Good News…not just for an hour on Sunday but in a more dynamic,
way that weaves our faith into our daily responsibilities. How might we become more
dedicated?
Third, as patience to adjust our lives in a Christ centered way - It’s great to talk about building
strength in our faith and having the endurance to make new commitments. But the reality is
that it may take some trial and error before we get it right. We may have to adjust a few things,
5
prioritize a few different ways, engage in a bible study before we figure out the right
combination for ourselves and our families. So, don’t get discouraged when you hit some
stumbling blocks. How might you cultivate such patience?
Finally, our multi-faceted way of living out the gospel means that we are to express our joy and
thanksgiving to the glory of God. Our faith is something that we actively give thanks for. It’s an
expression of appreciation, it’s an attitude of enthusiasm that enables us and empowers us to
follow the leadership of Christ in an otherwise, too busy, too demanding, too over-committed
world that we live in. How might we approach our faith lives with such joy?
Folks, take a step back. Think about where you want to go. Think about who you want to be,
individually and as a community of faith. This is an amazing time to come together to build our
lives around Christ, not just for an hour on Sunday but throughout our week. How might you
build your life around Christ?
As you all know, we are in the midst of our stewardship campaign. On December 4th, we will be
turning in our pledge cards for the new year. One of the things we have asked everyone to do is
to think not only about your financial gift, but your gifts of time and talent. Over the next two
weeks, I encourage you all to consider the idea of building out your faith beyond worship on
Sunday. Ask yourself these questions…
How can I serve the church and the Goochland community?
6
How can I commit to my own learning and Christian formation?
How can I get more involved in worship?
How can I best give of my time, talent, and financial resources?
And, finally, how can I help Grace Church grow into a center of Christian love, fellowship, and
service?
This is a transformational time in our individual lives and the life of this church. We know where
we have been. Now we have the incredible opportunity to define where we want to go. Cindy
Harper, our new administrative assistant, gave me the most beautiful imagery of such growth.
She said it’s like a tapestry…when you look down on the finished product, it’s beautiful…a work
of art…an example of hours of dedication and care that took many different pieces and made
them into one finished whole. However, if you turn it over, you see the starts and stops, the
mending and the patching. It may look a little disorderly at first but then you are reminded that
so is the process of growth.
As we approach this Advent and our new year as a church family I encourage you all to think
about what it means to follow an unlikely king, a humble servant, a brave advocate, and a
grounded spiritual teacher. What does it mean to look forward to what our tapestry will
become as Grace Church as we build our strength to live out the Good News in our lives? How
can we serve, learn, worship, give and grow together as the body of Christ? Amen.