There’s a story of a senator who died and presented himself at the pearly gates. When he requested entry St. Peter insisted that their rules were that he must spend one day in hell and one day in heaven then decide where he wanted to be. First he went to hell…where he found himself on a lush golf course with a beautiful club house. People were in formal dress, and most were his friends, politicians like himself. They played golf then dined on lobster, caviar and champagne. It was then time to visit heaven where contented souls moved from cloud to cloud playing harps and singing. At the end of that 24 hours St. Peter said: “Well, you have spent a day in heaven and a day in hell. What will it be?” The senator thought for a moment then decided that hell was preferable. He was returned to hell where he was in the middle of a barren land, filled with waste and garbage. All his friends were dressed in rages and picking up trash. The devil approached him and he stammered: “What has happened…this isn’t at all like yesterday?” The devil smiled and said: “Yesterday you were attending a campaign event. Today you voted us into power.” (Copied, from the Internet, author unknown.) Democrats, take note!
Today is the last Sunday of the church year, the day we celebrate Christ the King. Clearly, throughout the Gospels, when we hear the Kingdom of God referred to, it is not an earthly kingdom, as Christ makes clear in his response to Pilate. The Kingdom of God refers to the kingship or rule of God, the time when all peoples will put God at the center of their lives. It was instituted in 1925 by Pius XI to remind people that their first allegiance was to God in Christ, not to earthly rulers. This was particularly important as that time saw the rising of the dictators, Mussolini and Hitler. (From a sermon by Don Friesen, Ottawa Mennonite Church)
The story of the senator as well as the need for Christ the King Sunday are as relevant today as they were in 1925. Our nation has become sharply divided by political allegiances, many of which have roots in religion. There is danger in that mix as it leads to a presumption of knowing the mind of God…of a dangerous certainty that Michael Battle warned us was the opposite of faith. We are being asked this day whom we shall serve, God or the forces of the world. The answer is critical to our spiritual health, to our very souls, as we approach the beginning of the next church year, the season of anticipation of Christ’s coming, the season of Advent.
We hear in the gospel for today the exchange between Jesus and Pilate. “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.” (John 18:37) In the end, the deepest yearning in our hearts is for “truth,” for meaning in our lives. For some meaning is found in political stances, for others in the pursuit of money, power, or prestige. We are reminded today that truth is not to be found there, that it can only be found in total allegiance to God in Christ Jesus.
How do we demonstrate this allegiance? The Rev. Dr. James Harvey said: “Prayer lists are fine. We take to God a thousand needs, and so we ought to do. But praying for and preaching the gospel to the lonely, the dispossessed, the hungry, the naked, the sick and those in prison is not enough for today’s gospel. We must show our faith as well as preach and pray.” (Copied)
A Hasidic Rabbi Shlomo has said: “If you want to raise a man from the mud and filth, do not think it is enough to keep standing on top and reaching down to him a helping hand. You must go all the way down yourself, down into the mud and filth. Then, take hold of him with strong hands and pull him and yourself into the light.” (Copied)
Advent is a time of prayer, of contemplation, of alms-giving and outreach. It is a time when we are reminded once again that we are to live out the gospel, to show who we are by our actions, not just our words.
“An army chaplain was visiting wounded soldiers in the hospital. The chaplain offered to read some Bible passages to one young soldier. But the soldier said, “I’m cold,” so the chaplain wrapped his own coat around the young man. Next, the soldier asked for something to drink. The chaplain propped up the soldier’s head and held his own water canteen to the young man’s lips. Then the chaplain asked again if he could read some passages to the young man. This time, the soldier replied, “If there is anything in that Bible that caused you to do what you’ve done for me, yes. Please read to me that part of the Bible.” (“In His Own Words: ‘By This Everyone Will Know That You Are My Disciples,’” by C. Thomas Hilton, The Clergy Journal, August 1998, pp. 31-32.)
Let us resolve this coming Advent season, as individuals and as a community, to show forth more clearly Christ in our lives by what we do and who we are. We have been given an abundance of blessings by our God and show our thanksgivings in sharing them with others. AMEN