The last Sunday of Pentecost Season is Christ the King Sunday (Nov. 26 this year). Pentecost Season, which begins with the gift of the Spirit for the sake of witnessing to Jesus the Messiah (Acts 1:8), ends with a Sunday dedicated to declaring that Jesus the Messiah is the King of the cosmos. He is King of all spiritual beings, all earthly and heavenly powers, and all of humanity. This is our witness: Jesus the Messiah is King.
Christ the King Sunday thus looks backwards. It reminds us of the point of the Pentecost—the Spirit was given that we would tell the world about Jesus, and he is King. But it also looks forward! As the last Sunday before Advent, it prepares us for Advent. It reminds us that a little baby, born in poverty and humility in a small stable to an undoubtedly terrified young woman, is our King. Advent teaches us to long for the coming of Jesus, and Christ the King Sunday makes certain that we remember who it is we are waiting for. In other words, looking backwards, it reminds us of our call to witness, and looking forward, it reminds us of our hope.
The Gospel readings in the weeks leading up to and including Christ the King Sunday shift our perspective from the here-and-now to this One who is to come. This year, the readings in the final weeks of Pentecost Season are from Matthew 25, where the One who is to come is described as bridegroom, master, and judge. Each section of this chapter cries out, “Be ready! He is coming!”
Being ready is different in each section of Matthew 25. Waiting for the bridegroom (25:1-13) means being watchful and having our lamps full of oil. Oil—the symbol of the anointing of the Spirit—indicates that we aren’t ready for the coming Messiah if we aren’t praying for and attentive to the gift of the Spirit. Waiting for the master (25:14-30) means using our resources and talents with the awareness that they are actually the master’s. They are given to us while he is away, but we will answer to him for what we do with them, and he expects us to use them the way he would. And waiting for the judge (25:31-46) means taking care of the poorest peoples of the world—as if each one is Jesus himself—while we wait. This King cares that the hungry, the immigrant, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner are visited, cared for, and invited into his kingdom by his subjects.
Each of us probably needs to be jolted out of the here-and-now in different ways. Life is busy and overwhelming. It can be easy to live with our sights set no further than the next Saturday. But as we approach Christ the King Sunday, let the Gospel readings wake you up to remember what it means to wait for our coming King.
In the name of Jesus the Messiah, the coming King,
Steven+
Scripture Reflections
Then Jesus said … to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. (Mt. 23:1-4)
It might be surprising to hear Jesus telling his disciples to obey what the Pharisees said. We are so accustomed to Jesus’ confrontations with them and their rejection of Jesus that we can easily miss that Jesus actually agreed with much of their teaching! Of the theological-political groups present in 1st Century Palestine, the Pharisees were by far the closest to Jesus.
But Jesus had several deep criticisms of the Pharisees. First, in their rigor with minor rules, they neglected the “weightier matters of the Law, like justice and mercy and faithfulness.” Second, they elevated their traditions (traditions designed to protect God’s Law) over the Law itself. And third, they didn’t practice what they preached—they were hypocrites.
It is this hypocrisy that Jesus denounces in much of Matthew 23, and his fierce words should wake us up! He called the Pharisees whitewashed tombs—beautiful to look at but full of death—because they were dishonest, greedy, and self-indulgent in their hearts even as they taught the opposite with their mouths.
All of us are hypocrites in that we are weak; we try, and then fail to live up to the standards that we claim. But Jesus isn’t talking about weakness in Matthew 23. He is talking about a flagrant disregard in one’s personal life for standards preached in public. In other words, he is talking about the politician running on a “family values platform” who cheats on his wife and taxes, or the pastor who is dishonest or abusive to his staff and family.
Most of us have that sort of flagrant hypocrisy in us, as well. We are good at the sort of self-justification that enables us to keep willingly choosing something in private that we would publicly repudiate. This is where we need Jesus’ words: “First clean the inside of the cup...”
But how do we clean the inside of the cup? How do we cleanse and change our hearts?
The Biblical answer begins with open and honest confession. God is willing to forgive and cleanse some of the most staggering sins we can imagine, if we would simply humble ourselves and honestly confess our faults. We clean the inside of the cup by bringing it into the light and confessing how dirty it actually is, because it is in the light—in God’s light—that God begins to cleanse and transform us.
Steven+
Vestry Nominations and Selection
At our annual meeting on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, 2024), we will select three new vestry members. In order for that to happen, we need your nominations!
As a reminder, the vestry is responsible, as the governing board of the church, for providing “oversight in the temporal activities, business, affairs, and property of the Church.” In Anglican church governance, the clergy, under the authority of the bishop, is responsible for the theological beliefs and mission of the church, and the laity, through its representatives (i.e., the vestry), governs the resources used to enact those beliefs and accomplish that mission.
The nomination process is simple: Any member of the church may nominate any confirmed or received member of the church. (Confirmation is not required for membership and it is not required to nominate someone for vestry, but it is required to serve on the vestry.) Simply send an email with the name of the person who would serve in this role well to our Senior Warden or Junior Warden.
The nomination period will run from November 1-21. After the nominations have been received, they will be vetted by the current vestry, according to the criteria listed below. Those approved by the current vestry will be announced in mid-December, and three names will be drawn by lot from this group on January 6 at the annual meeting.
The criteria to serve as a vestry member are as follows:
Be a mature Christian, and not one who has recently come to the faith;
Lead a life that is above reproach, according to the standards of the Bible;
Worship God regularly in the Church;
Lead an active devotional life, seeking to grow in prayer and knowledge of the Bible;
Faithfully give to Christian ministries, including this Church, in proportion to his or her income;
Have family relationships that reflect strong Christian commitment;
Be willing to devote time and energy to be able to serve effectively as a Vestry member;
Be a voting member of this local Church, as defined by these Bylaws; and
Be confirmed or received into the ACNA.
Paid staff members and their spouses are ineligible for nomination, and only one member of a family may serve on the vestry at a time. If you want more information about the vestry, send me an email! I am happy to talk with any of you about the governance of the church.
Please pray for wisdom and protection from God as new leaders are chosen during this season. If you are a member of the church, please pray about whether you should nominate someone for this role. We will send out a separate email to all members with a list of those eligible to be nominated.
In Christ,
Steven+