Proper 29A’23 {Christ the King}
24 November 2024
Rev. 1.4b-8; John 18.33-37
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone <+>
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the rulers of the kings of the earth. Amen. – from Revelation 1.4
History is full of people who were greatly underestimated and in some cases were written off as folks who wouldn’t amount to much. Let’s play a little guessing game and see if you can guess who some of them were: A man was fired from the newspaper The Kansas City Star back in 1919 because, by his editor said that he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Who was he? Walt Disney.
A woman was fired when working at the London office of Amnesty International because she would waste company time by writing her own creative stories on her work computer during her work hours, who was she, JK Rowling.
Another woman dropped out of college, moved to New York, and took a job at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square, where her employment didn’t even last a full day. She was let go after she squirted jelly filling all over a customer, who was she? – Madonna.
While growing up, one little fella suffered from developmental delays. He didn’t speak until he was four and couldn’t read until he was seven. He wound up getting expelled from school and was refused admission to the Zurich Polytechnic School. Well, I think you’ll agree he eventually came around, his name – Albert Einstein.
But of all of those who were underestimated the most notable of all would be Jesus Christ. At times even his closest followers misunderstood and underestimated him. He would oftentimes have to ask them, “Do you still not believe, have you been with me so long and you still don’t get it? Who do you say that I am?” When it came to public opinion, they were all over the map. Some thought him to be a true prophet, while others thought him to be a false prophet or a charlatan. Some even believed he was possessed by demons and was run out of town on several occasions. His own mother and brothers went looking for him in a crowd one day in an effort to bring him back home because they thought he was mentally losing it! Several attempts were made on his life with one finally succeeding. Perhaps one of the better pieces of writing that attempted to capture the underestimation of Jesus of cosmic proportions was written by James Allen Francis:
He was born in an obscure village,
The child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village,
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty.
Then for three years
He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles
From the place where he was born.
He did none of the things
One usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three
When the tide of public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies.
And went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross
Between two thieves.
While he was dying,
His executioners gambled for his clothing,
The only property he had on Earth.
When he was dead,
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend.
Twenty centuries have come and gone,
And today he is the central figure
Of the human race,
And the leader of human progress.
All the armies that ever marched,
All the navies that ever sailed,
All the parliament that ever sat,
All the kings that ever reigned,
Put together have not affected
The life of humanity on Earth
As much as that One Solitary Life.1
Behind me hanging on the wall behind the altar is a beautiful brass cross, known in Latin as Christus Rex meaning “Christ the King.” You will recognize the two Greek letters of Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet) meaning Christ is the first and the last symbolizing the One “who was who is and is to come.” What appears to be a superimposed X and P or are the Greek letters Chi and Rho (the first two letters of the word Christ). At the top you will notice the Greek letter, Delta. Delta in math and physics represents change, and in this case, it represents the transformation of Jesus from the lowly carpenter turned rabbi of Nazareth to the King of kings and Lord of lords. As the poet and hymnwriter Thomas Kelly put it: “The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now.” The One who first came as a babe in a manger will return as the King of all creation, who will judge the world with Divine justice . All of the recent Sunday readings from the gospel have emphasized stewardship and accountability – we have been given much and we will be asked to give an accounting of how we have used all that we have been given and ultimately how well have we loved. Jesus pronounces judgment on those who have served Christ in all persons: “As much as you have done it to the least of these who are members of my family you have done it to me…that is the least, the lost, the undervalued and the underestimated by society. And then the pronouncement on those who never did come around: “As much as you have not done it unto the least of these you have not done it to me.”
Based on these words that we have been reminded today were spoken by the King of kings – How shall we then live? Our baptismal covenant points the way: “Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons loving your neighbor as yourself?” And to this, we respond, “I will with God’s help.” Amen.
1 James Allen Francis, The Real Jesus and Other Sermons. (The Judson Press, 1926) p.121.