{"id":3507,"date":"2019-11-24T11:10:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-24T11:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/?page_id=3507"},"modified":"2019-11-24T09:13:57","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T09:13:57","slug":"sermon-24th-november-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pattinghamchurch.org.uk\/web\/information\/sermons\/sermon-24th-november-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Sermon – 24th November 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermons index<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christ the King \u2013morning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Sunday 24th November 2019 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Christ the King \u2013 morning
\nJeremiah 23. 1-6
\nLuke 23. 33-43<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"Maureen<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\nWe have one more week of the\nkingdom season \u2013 which is why the church is dressed in red \u2013\nbefore the beginning of Advent when the hangings and vestments will\nall be purple. Advent is a time of watching and waiting, but the\nKingdom season is full of remembering. And today \u2013 the last Sunday\nin the church year, we remember that Christ is our King \u2013 and a\nKing over all time and eternity. We remind ourselves, before we begin\nthe Christian story again \u2013 looking forward to God coming to earth\nas a human baby, and the splendours of the Epiphany season, we\nremember Christ as sovereign Lord in all things \u2013 who was, and is,\nand is to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nOld Testament Prophets like\nJeremiah had a rather jaundiced view of the kings and leaders of\ntheir day \u2013 and we might see some modern parallels! Instead of\nshepherding the people effectively. Feeding and nurturing them, these\nso-called shepherds were more concerned with feeding themselves and\nwere driving people away from the true faith \u2013 the faith of Moses\nand the Patriarchs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut all is not lost. Through\nJeremiah God declares that he will intervene and lead the flock\nhimself. And a new King will arise \u2013 one who will exercise wisdom\nand justice and righteousness. Jeremiah sees this as a new and\nmighty King David \u2013 harking back to a hero-figure in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut God never does do things\nquite how we would expect!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nHe does indeed intervene\ndirectly into the history of his chosen people, Israel. A special\nchild is<\/em>\nborn in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. One who does<\/em>\nindeed personify all the biblical royal qualities of wisdom, justice\nand righteousness \u2013 and he will end up being executed like a common\ncriminal! A strange sort of King who has only a rough wooden cross\nfor a throne and thorns for a crown!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nBut Jesus is a king in an\nentirely new way and new mould. One who is interested and values the\nlowest and the least in society, who spends quality time with the\noutcasts, who has no fancy palaces in which to stay, who follows his\nfaith, but who sits very light to all the rituals and rules that\ngovern Temple worship. This is a king who saves his people by\nsacrificing himself \u2013 radical kingship indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAnd not everyone can handle\nseeing a king of this kind. He is too unpredictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nTake for example, the two\ncriminals executed with him. One can only mock him and is full of\nanger and cynicism. We meet that a lot in our world too don\u2019t we?\n\u201cIf there\u2019s a God, why is there all this suffering: why doesn\u2019t\nhe stop it?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe other criminal, faced with\nthe same suffering Christ, is overcome with the sense of his own\nguilt and asks for forgiveness and a place in Jesus\u2019 realm. \u201cJesus\nremember me…. \u201c Re-member \u2013 put me back together again, make me\nwhole, make me one with you!. In Christ all things hold together as\nPaul reminded us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAs the body of Christ in this\nplace, we have to be prepared for both these reactions as people come\nto seek for Jesus \u2013 and to work with them. There is a time for\nhelping people to express their anger against God and their doubt;\nThere is also a time to introduce them to some of the beauty and\nmystery that is God and his infinite and unconditional love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nIf we are a community that\nlives under the kingship of Christ, then we too need to demonstrate\nthose regal qualities of wisdom, justice and righteousness \u2013\nwhether we are rich or poor, Prince of the realm or ordinary Joe\nSoaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWisdom<\/strong>:\nthat realizes that while faith may be simple, it is seldom black and\nwhite, that people are complex and that God is full of surprises and\ncalls us to grow and to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nJustice<\/strong>:\nthat all may be equal in the sight of God, irrespective of age,\ngender, race, sexual orientation, ability, wealth or poverty. We are\nto be a just community that champions the oppressed and fights for\nthe least.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nRighteousness<\/strong>:\na community of integrity and truth; whose behaviour is transparent\nand filled with the Holy Spirit, those who long for God to make peace\nand reconcile all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nWisdom, justice and\nrighteousness; and if we can embrace these, then we will also be\nprepared to sacrifice ourselves so that others may be saved by\nChrist. To go out of our way to welcome others into his family \u2013\neven when they may not look or speak or act quite like us. To go the\nextra mile for those in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDuring the next few weeks we\nmay have various visitors and guests into our fellowship and it\nreally matters that we continue to work at our welcome to one and\nall. Outsider and stranger and family member alike. All come seeking\nsomething of the meaning of Christ \u2013 all come wanting to see Jesus.\nWill they be disappointed when what they find, is us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSo let\u2019s keep encouraging\nothers and each other to seek for God. Let\u2019s demonstrate that this\nis a community that believes Christ is King deeply and takes his\nkingship seriously, and let\u2019s go out of our way in the coming\nseason to help people say: \u201cJesus, remember me when you come into\nyour kingdom!\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christ the King \u2013morning Sunday 24th November 2019 Christ the King \u2013 morning Jeremiah 23. 1-6 Luke 23. 33-43 Revd Preb Maureen Hobbs We have one more week of the kingdom season \u2013 which is why the church is dressed in red \u2013 before the beginning of Advent when the hangings and vestments will all … <\/p>\n

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