The Reign of Christ
Donna Joy

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

This morning I’ll begin with a riddle.
What is greater than God?
Poor people have it.
Rich people need it.
If you eat it, you will surely die.

Yes, indeed, the answer is God. Nothing is greater than God.

And we are reminded of this on this reign of Christ Sunday. But, as we just heard the Gospel assigned for today, some might say it is strange to include the story of the crucifixion on a day which emphasizes the greatness of God. For some, it may be difficult to reconcile the image of a broken, bullied, tortured, defeated young man dying on a cross with the image of the greatness of God. Many, however, who have experienced the painful journey through Holy Week and Good Friday, along with the joy of Easter might recall that God – in and through Jesus – rules over heaven and earth… not with the powers of this world, but with humility and brokenness, sacrificial love, forgiveness, and peace.

Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, identifies the magnitude of this truth. He reminds his readers that Jesus was the first born of all creation – the One for whom creation was made and to whom it belongs. He is the One through whom everything was made. When Jesus was born a baby in Bethlehem, the Son of God entered his own creation. The whole of creation – heaven and earth – are united with the event of this birth. Indeed, nothing is greater than God.

But it has been reported to Paul (who writes this letter from prison; so - himself - in a humble, lowly, sacrificial place…) he writes that the Colossians are being influenced by teachings that minimize the greatness of this extraordinary cosmic event. They are afraid of the powers of heaven, so Paul is making the point that there is no power in heaven or on earth that is greater than Jesus. The angels and other spiritual forces were created by him; angels appear often throughout the stories of his conception/birth; a star in the galaxy leads essential people to the child.

The Colossians are worried about a split between earth and heaven, so Paul is making the point that Christ was present and active in the creation of both the visible and the invisible parts of creation. He unites them and holds them together. The God we worship has united heaven and earth by walking this earth with us; by being and embodying the very character of God; by carrying all human sin with him to the cross and suffering death so that we may have life – with Him – in abundance. The God we worship has united heaven and earth by loving & forgiving; feeding the hungry; reaching out and responding to the needs of those who are otherwise despised. Indeed, today we celebrate the greatness of a humble and sacrificial God.

It is unfortunate that this morning’s letter to the Colossians omits the next three verses where Paul points out how this teaching must be carried out – embodied – through the Body of Christ; that is, through the church. (Some, for instance, may think that if Christ reigns over heaven and earth, how is it possible that we’re in such a mess with the climate change crisis. Well, with Christ working in and through us, it is our responsibility to address this crisis. With Christ’s help, it is up to us.) With that unified, Divine Presence at the very center of our collective being, we are called to respond with gratitude to the gift that is Jesus. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” So, with grateful hearts we are called to carry on Jesus’ work of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, humility, kindness, generosity. Carry on his work as good stewards of the earth in which he became incarnate.

One definition of the word gratitude is, “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. As followers of Christ we are called to be thankful and show appreciation for all that he has done, and to return that gift in concrete ways to each other and the world in which we live. When we live lives of gratitude Christ, through us, continues to reign over heaven and earth, not with the Kingship of worldly power, but through active, humble service.

Here at St. Peter’s there are numerous ministries through which the reign of Christ continues. As Rod mentioned last week, we are currently doing some intentional reflecting on why we might feel called to offer the necessary financial support which allows the numerous ministries in and through St. Peter’s to continue. Last week we heard from Caroline and Marcus LeNabat, who shared with us some of their reasons. This week, David and Laurie Thompson shed some light on why they prioritize financial support at St. Peter’s.

Each of you will have your own personal reasons for supporting St. Peter’s ministries. This past week I attended a coffee meeting where a number of us were given the opportunity to discuss (among other things) why we choose to give financial support to this parish. It was gratifying to hear the great and diverse wisdom that was evident throughout the conversation.

People acknowledged and highlighted a number of different aspects, some of which included insights such as: the importance of the many ministries which occur in/through St. Peter’s; the practical side of things, that is, the importance of maintaining (heating, lighting) this building as a sacred space and a warm hospitable space for community groups throughout the week; the importance of being intentional about discerning our financial commitment which, in addition to our time and talents, helps support St. Peter’s numerous ministries . I took with me from that meeting many pearls of wisdom.

One person, Lissa Wray Beal, said that she views supporting a local parish financially as a subversive act. I have permission from her to identify her as the source of this idea. Of all the spectacular, large organizations one can support financially, it feels subversive to support the place where Christ indwells and empowers. To give to the local church affirms this in the face of worldly power that sometimes seems pretty strong.

For Lissa it is a really cool notion that an ordinary group of people who may be powerless in the worldly sense can be Christ’s instruments to advance his kingdom!!! We are subversive operatives in a world that desperately longs for the sacrificial love and kindness, healing and forgiveness, humility and service that is embodied in Christ; the One who – from the most humble of places - unites and reigns over heaven and earth, and continues to do so through us.

Those of you who worship here regularly will know that we rarely talk about money. We’re Anglican after all, and this tends to be a topic that falls way out of our comfort zone. I’ll be honest with you. It goes way beyond my own personal comfort zone. That said, those of us who do find this uncomfortable, whether we like it or not, money and how we choose to spend it is a matter that requires deep theological reflection. But for those of us who do find this uncomfortable, the good news is that this particular focus will subside after next Sunday, when our Bishop, Geoff Woodcroft will come and share with us some of his thoughts about living our lives with grateful hearts. He was the Archdeacon of Stewardship prior to being elected as our Bishop, so this is a topic that is near and dear to his heart.

Meanwhile, as Rod mentioned last Sunday, you will have received an envelope from the Stewardship committee, and in that envelope there is a form we’re asking you to fill out and return to the office. This form encourages you to carefully, prayerfully discern what God is calling you to offer over the next year to help support St. Peter’s ministries. This is simply an estimate of giving. If circumstances change over the coming year, we completely understand that this estimated offering will change. Also, we can assure you, this information is kept in the strictest of confidence.

Indeed, we are subversive operatives in a world that desperately longs for the sacrificial love and kindness, healing and forgiveness, humility and service that is embodied in Christ; the One who, from the most humble of places, unites and reigns over heaven and earth, and continues to do so through us. Let us carefully discern how God is calling us to support this important work.