Christ the King – morning
Sunday 26th November 2017
Christ the King
The Sunday next before Advent
Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24
Matthew 25. 31-46
Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs
“Actions speak louder than words!”
That seems to be the message behind our Readings this morning. Not so much what we believe that matters, as how we live our lives.
And that is a sentiment that is very common among the people I meet day to day in our wider community. Those people who would perhaps feel uncomfortable to be with us this morning, but who – nevertheless – feel a need for church when it comes to marking the important points in life; ‘four-wheel Christians’ – I have sometimes heard them referred to – somewhat disparagingly, because the only times they come near to church is in a pram or pushchair, when Christened; in a limousine when they are married or in a hearse when they are buried!
Well – although they may not be here to appreciate it (!) today seems to give them all the reassurance they require that God will not forget or abandon them, even if they have not had too much time for God in their earthly lives… Assuming of course that their actions really do speak louder. That they have done everything possible to help those in need. That they have – even if not aware of it at the time – extended their care and compassion to Christ himself – in the form of the homeless, the refugee, the starving child, the prisoner…
From where does such compassion, such motivation stem?
Is it something purely innate in human nature? – I am not at all sure about that.
Richard Dawkins and the other proponents of the Selfish Gene theory will try to tell you that there is no such thing as altruism. That every kind act has, at its heart, the desire to further the survival of our race or tribe or something similar.
But that is not what I see in the actions of thousands of good-hearted human beings – whether faith motivated or not, who selflessly give of their resources, both financial and of themselves in helping to care for others. There must be some force that animates and motivates them, surely?
Actions speaking louder than words is of course completely the opposite of what Martin Luther and the other protestant reformers would have us believe… for them it was very much about words and about faith. Salvation would only come to those who believed in their hearts and professed in their words that Jesus was the Son of God and the Saviour of humankind… You could never ‘earn’ salvation just by being a good person and being kind to others … and there are many devout Christians who will say much the same today.
I think in my typically Anglican, via media, sort of way – as woolly and liberal as it may be, that I totally reject both extremes of this.
For me it is not either /or; but both/and. For me it matters what people do with their time and energy and yes, their finances too. But it also matters that we belong to a community, a worshipping community. And I personally do not think that I could do whatever kindnesses I do; be as generous as I try to be, without acknowledging the place of God in my life. Without accepting Christ as the King in my heart.
Today we think of Christ as King – Christ in majesty as we see him much in evidence in this church. Our Victorian and Edwardian forebears seemed to want to emphasise a message of authority and splendour.
But his feast day – today – is a relatively modern invention. In 1925 in the aftermath of the First World War and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, Pope Pius XI established it. He wanted to stress that the gentle rule of Christ, the crucified king, was more effective than any of the atheistic dictatorships in bringing peace and hope to the people of every land. And so, if we enthrone Christ in our hearts, follow Jesus as our leader, imitating his example of caring for others with humility and self-sacrifice, then all the wars and conflict between nations and people on behalf of differing ideologies will end.
And the date was set as the Sunday before Advent, to show that only when all people submit to the authority of the one God shall we be really ready to welcome his coming among us… something to keep in mind amid all the frantic preparations for Christmas – and as we think about the message we are sending with our actions. Do they really speak louder than words?