Christ the King Sunday – Pastor Will Bevins
Below are the lessons and sermon in written form if you would like to read it. I have also included the YouTube links to the video should you wish to choose an alternative format.
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16
11 For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
Psalm 95:1-7a
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41
Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Christ the King Sunday – Sermon & Prayers
Last week, I gave some context for why our lectionary readings lately have been… well, doom and gloom. They’ve been leading up to today, the end of the liturgical year. And so I say, blessings to you this Sunday, as we signal our hope for the reign of Christ, judge and king, before next week, when we shift so drastically to waiting with hope for the birth of Christ, infant.
As Christians, our watchword is hope, and that’s a word I’m clinging to right now. When I wrote this sermon, I hadn’t anticipated that we would not be meeting in person this week. Even though I agree with the decision, and some part of me knew that the day might come when it would be advisable and wise to temporarily suspend in-person worship, I hadn’t thought about how it would feel, to find ourselves here again. Perhaps you can relate to that, and perhaps you, too, are in need of some hope right now.
And if we say that our hope is in Christ, which Christ comes to your mind? Is there an image of Christ the savior? If so, is it inspired by a painting, or where did it come from? Is Christ young? Even a baby? The image you see, is it Christ on the Cross, or Christ resurrected? Of course, these different chapters are part of the same story. Four Gospel accounts plus Acts, various letters, two thousand years of discussion, paintings, and stories… one Christ. These various images we have tell the same story of our hope, even now, as one week we see Christ reigning on high and next week envision Christ as a helpless child. One Jesus, one king, one judge: one savior, one hope.
So, sheep and goats. These two important agricultural animals were in a relationship of mutual interdependence with the people of Jesus’ time. The people relied on them as important sources of food, clothing, and trade, and as domesticated animals, without the protection and attention of those who tended them, sheep and goats were vulnerable to predators, disease, and the environment. For example, goats are less tolerant of cold and wind, and their owners in Jesus’ time would sometimes bring them indoors overnight in the coldest months, whereas sheep can survive and even thrive in the cold, when they have their coats.
That said, I don’t like to think of myself as a sheep, and it’s not just the part of me that rebels in sin that struggles with this image. There’s that newish term “sheeple” – just an awful thing to call someone – that points to the stupidity and herd mentality of sheep. It’s hard for me to preach to you, “Be the sheep,” because as Christians we’re also supposed to practice wisdom and discernment in how we reject the teachings of the world and align our lives in the Spirit with the will of God.
That said, have you ever spent time around sheep? On a farm, or at a petting zoo? Have you ever worn a wool sweater? I spent part of my childhood in Wyoming, where for every three people there are approximately two sheep (pop. 578,759, approx. 355,000 sheep). When I was in second grade, I learned how to spin wool into yarn. When I was a little older, my little brother Joe and I were visiting a friend’s ranch with our parents, where our friend had a small herd of several dozen sheep. He also had a border collie that made herding look so easy.
The dog would stand like a statue at the edge of the herd, watching to make sure the sheep stayed close and safe together. All it had to do was flinch and the sheep would walk or even hop to the left or right. But when it ran, wow. That little herd of sheep almost looked like a wave of white foam, splashing left or right, depending on where the little dog ran.
The dog made it look exciting, so Joe and I asked to try, and our rancher friend said “okay.” He probably thought it would be fun to watch. We didn’t do as well as the dog. Side-by-side, we crept shyly toward the herd, and a few sheep looked up and flicked their ears, but most just kept grazing and wandering around. The herd began to spread across the pasture, so we decided to gather them back together by circling around to different sides. The sheep then panicked and scattered, and to be fair, we probably seemed like predators, attempting to encircle and attack.
Well, Joe I ran around, scattering the herd even more, and after a few minutes of this, we were pretty exhausted. The rancher whistled – the dog came running, and ran around the flock once, twice, and suddenly all the sheep were together again. That border collie made it look so easy.
Reading our passage in Matthew, and thinking about how hard it was to keep those few sheep in line, it makes me wonder what it would take to separate a flock of sheep from the goats among them, especially in a flock as large as “all the nations.” What a role Jesus is taking on here, not just as the judge in the Last Judgment, but as the ultimate shepherd.
Living much closer to the practice of shepherding than even I did in Wyoming, Jesus’ audience would have a better idea than we do today of the “how” and “why” of the task. Obviously, sheep and goats aren’t “good” or “bad” creatures; they aren’t “holy” versus “evil” animals. My own experiences with sheep aside, they’re docile animals, and even when in large herds, can be directed and controlled. Goats are notoriously stubborn. It’s easy to imagine goats as selfish animals.
We’d like to think it’s possible to tell whether we’re among the sheep or goats. We’d like to read the story backwards, and figure out the standards against which we’ll be judged. But the whole point of the parable is that we will have no clue when we’re seeing the face of Jesus, unless we look for the face of Jesus on everyone who is “the least of these.”
When you hear the phrase, “the least of these” in today’s gospel reading, does anyone come to mind? The significance of this phrase – just a single word in the original Greek – is the crux of this Gospel reading, so it’s worth our time to unpack.
The Greek word, μικρός – you can figure out what that means. “Microscope,” “microprocessor.” The word in Matthew for “least” is a superlative for μικρός (ἐλαχίστων), so “smallest” is another possible translation. “Least” in rank, in importance. “The least of these.” Jesus isn’t talking about one person, but defining an entire class made up of the “hungry-thirsty-naked-sick-imprisoned-stranger.” We’ve all encountered other people who live in just one of these situations, and it can be overwhelming. I would imagine that all of us have been one or more of these things, at some point in life, and felt overwhelmed, perhaps feeling “least,” as well.
Eugene Peterson, a pastor and translator of The Message Bible, translated this idea of “the least of these” uniquely, and I think appropriately. In The Message translation, Matthew 25 verses 40 and 45, Jesus calls this group: “someone overlooked or ignored,” which opens horizons to reveal that none of us fit neatly into the category of sheep or goat. Jesus’ words aren’t telling us to seek out every needy person and help them so much as to be aware of the deep need in everyone for help and – further – that anyone who follows Christ will seek to overcome the sins that stem from our biases and our status-chasing to seek out and help those most in need.
So, again, I ask, who comes to mind for you? Perhaps you think of an individual you know, or maybe you thought of a group of people. Or, did you feel a sense of distance; maybe images, but not people? Did you think of Jesus himself? Matthew chapters 1 and 2, he is born to a poor couple who, after his birth, flee to another country as refugees to prevent their child from being killed by the government of their home region.
Truth be told, we’re given broad parameters for who “the least of these” might be, basically, just their situation in life: we know that they’re people who hunger, and thirst, are strangers, have no clothing, are sick, or are imprisoned.
As I prepared to preach this week, my thoughts began in a pretty literal place, with the “least of these” in my mind being prisoners, the men I met last year in the Pendleton Correctional Facility, incarcerated offenders, who are starting a Lutheran church with the help of the Synod, but who haven’t been able to receive any visitors since March. Pray for them, by the way; this week, their chaplain sent volunteers the email that we hoped would not come, that COVID has begun to spread through their facility, to staff and the offenders. Then my mind went to my friends who are frontline healthcare workers, and the weight and exhaustion I hear in their voices these days. It took some reflection, but I think the reason they seem like “the least of these” to me is the sense of abandonment some of them have expressed, that people have forgotten the double- and triple-shifts they’re pulling, the weight of what they’re witnessing at work every day, and so, siblings, please pray for all front-line workers, too; nurses, environmental services, technicians, pharmacists, doctors, and everyone caring for the sick at this time. And I am missing countless groups in this list – but that’s almost the point.
To see the face of Jesus in everyone; to see and serve all other people as “the least of these” – not so that we get to stand as sheep, but because we are freed in Christ from bondage to sin to love as Christ loves us – what judgment will come upon a life so lived? God only knows, and thank God for forgiveness, because even if you’re a great shepherd, there’s only one Good Shepherd.
Christ came to earth as “the least of these” to become our brother. In today’s Gospel reading, the judge doesn’t say “for they were hungry and you gave me food”; he says “for I was hungry… I was thirsty… I was a stranger… I was naked… I was sick… I was in prison.”
This Christ the judge on high – Christ the King of all – is also Christ the newborn, whose birth we await during Advent. God sent our judge to live among and as one of us, and Christ will not forsake us. Don’t give a second thought to whether you’re a sheep or goat; instead, look to what’s inside you, Christ, to help you see Christ in others. That way, when you and I are faced with the world’s deep needs, embodied in your neighbor and the stranger alike, we may respond with Jesus’ love.
Prayers of the People
In the spirit of Christ’s love, though we’re not gathered in person, we still pray, with hope in our hearts. Please join with me in prayer: when I say to God, “Hear us, O God,” you may respond, “Your mercy is great.”
Longing for Christ’s reign to come among us, we pray for the outpouring of God’s power on the church, the world, and all in need.
Sovereign of all, train our ears to hear your cry in the needs of those around us. Bless all social ministries of the church through which we seek to serve others as we ourselves have been served.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You cause rain to fall on the just and unjust alike. Direct our use of creation to provide for the needs of all people in ways that are sustainable for the earth.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Bring peace to every place where conflict rages. Grant opportunities for ending divisions among us and usher in your reign of unity and reconciliation.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Heal the sinful divisions we erect between us and release us from systems of oppression and prejudice. Restore our capacity to see your image in those whose dignity we have stripped away.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Our out the gifts of your Spirit on children and youth throughout the church. Sustain those who work in children’s ministry, youth ministry, and campus ministry as they nurture the gifts of young people.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Thank you for saints now departed who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and tended to the sick. Inspire us by their example, that we may see your presence in those in need around us.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Receive our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, until that day when you gather all creation around your throne where you will reign forever and ever.
Amen.