Advent Four: The Newborn King
Romans 16:25-27
16:25 Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages
16:26 but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith --
16:27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.
Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20
2:1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2:2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
2:3 All went to their own towns to be registered.
2:4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
2:5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
2:6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
2:8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
2:11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
2:12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."
2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
2:14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
2:16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
2:17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;
2:18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
2:19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thy own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.
-Charles Wesley
Why is it that it seems some people are wanting the Jesus who is supposedly “coming back” than the one we have with us right now? Advent is the season in the church year when we ruminate on the “return” of Jesus, a subject that plays equally well on SyFy, Discovery, and even the Comedy Channel. The “mystique” of Jesus returning far overshadows the “current reality” of God with us—Emmanuel. Talk of “the rapture,” Armageddon, the “tribulation period,” and the magic “Millennium” pegs the “interest” needle for many followers of Jesus way beyond a sermon on the Jesus we have with us. Believe me, I know, having preached 36 years of sermons that focused almost exclusively on the latter.
I didn’t preach much about the “return of Jesus,” mostly because we know so little about it. Oh sure, several authors have made a fortune speculating on the details and timelines of the samples of apocalyptic literature we find in the Bible, but the fact is, these interpretations are not taken seriously by a wide variety of serious Bible scholars. Some don’t believe in a “literal” second coming, believing instead that the Holy Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost that gave birth to the church and became the “presence of Jesus” with all believers, WAS the second coming Jesus, himself, predicted. Then there are those who point to his “no one knows the day nor the hour” word as “proof” that he IS actually coming back. Of course, if this is true, most of the speculation on WHEN is chaff.
“Strong” belief in the second coming of Christ may be a parallel to what is happening in our current political situation—the “next” president, congressman, senator, or Supreme Court justice must SURELY be better than the ones we have? Jesus with us now is nice, but we want the NEXT Jesus, because he will be “no more Mr. Nice Guy!” Isn’t there something titillating about a “tough guy” savior who will harshly “judge” the people we don’t like? Of course, WE are OK—it’s those others who will get the whippin’ they deserve! Problem is, our lists of the “judge-ees” don’t jib, do they? It’s this “we’re in the right” polarization that makes the “rapture” so popular. Serious students of the Bible can point out that the scripture used to “prove” that it will occur couldn’t fill a Buckyball, but I doubt you can find an “evangelical” who DOESN’T believe in it. We want the “King Jesus” who will be OUR kind of “king,” who will rule with a righteous “iron fist.”
Seriously, why is it so popular to believe that the Jesus who loved children, hung out with the poor and destitute, fellowshipped with and healed lepers, chose his disciples from the “riff-raff” of society, and eventually succumbed on a cross, would return as a nasty, vindictive “Super Savior” who would make a fine addition to Marvel’s stable of superheroes? It just doesn’t add up. And what of the idea that a deity who gave people “the law” to encourage them to “get along” with each other, and to live in harmony, would then “snatch up” one segment of society before judging all the rest? Where is the accountability in that? (“Orthodox” Christians have bashed the Jehovah’s Witnesses for decades over their belief that they are “the 144,000” chosen ones mentioned in apocalyptic literature, but isn’t the evangelical idea of the “rapture” pretty much the same thing?) If any of this is true, we’ll have to rewrite the parable of the lost sheep—Jesus sets aside the 99 “good” sheep, while finding and beating the hades out of the one that was lost.
So where am I going with this on the final week of Advent 2023? Here’s the thesis: Jesus was born a king, lived as a king, was crucified as a king, was resurrected as a king, and will forever reign as the King of Kings. He’s just not the kind of king many are hoping for—one who “chooses sides” and returns to separate the “sheep from the goats,” with US getting to make the call as to who makes the cut.
Look at the two lectionary texts cited above. In Romans, Paul is rejoicing that the “mystery of the ages” has been revealed, and that Jesus already on the throne as king (glorified forever). And this benevolent king will eternally “reward” faithful obedience. But obedience to what? How about the law he gave us: love of God, as manifested through love of neighbor. This is a king that IS and WILL preside over a “Peaceable Kingdom” demonstrated by his example in the incarnation, and made possible by the totality of the Christ Event, from wondrous birth through glorious resurrection. That God is WITH US (Emmanuel) is the “mystery of the ages” Paul was writing about in Romans. This truth doesn’t need a “rapture” or a second coming to validate its current and future reality. Jesus Christ IS the “once and future king,” and is, as the Bible tells us, “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
The second text is, of course, the famous “birth narrative” from Luke 2. It has always been my favorite to read and “preach around” on Christmas Eve. We can argue ad infinitum over when Jesus Christ was born, what the actual circumstances of his birth were, whether he was actually “born of a virgin” or just a “young maiden,” and even WHERE this birth took place, but let none of it take away of the meaning of his birth. Jesus was born into the human community as God’s affirmation OF that community, and to “save his people from their sins.” Even as John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, believed that “salvation” DIDN’T just mean being absolved of wrongdoings, but included feeding the poor, caring for the incarcerated, and bringing equity to society, so Jesus came to show us what HIS “kingdom” would look like. That “his kingdom is not of this earth” had nothing to do with heaven, but was a promise that God wanted the world to look very different from what WE have made of it. God’s kingdom is one that looks much more like that for which Mr. Wesley was working. As Paul reminds us in Romans, the “prophetic writings” had it right—Micah, for instance, who told us eons ago that what God “requires” of us is “to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). The kingdom over which Jesus presides will be THIS, coming fully into reality. Friends, this is not a dream, but a promise, and one on which Jesus Christ will not give up until it is “fulfilled.”
So, if you buy this line of biblical reasoning, Jesus IS King and WILL BE King, forever. We have our “marching orders” to follow Micah’s formula for personal discipleship, as well as to “partner” with Jesus to make this world loving, peaceable Kingdom over which Jesus would be proud to reign. So endeth my Advent Four message…but it’s ALSO Christmas Eve on Sunday!
No one but Charles Wesley could say it like this, Dear Ones:
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the new-born king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the new-born king"
"Glory to the new-born king"
With this unusual reality, let me wish for you and yours to have the merriest of Christmases! And let us, once more, revel in that wonderful Lukan birth narrative, which is a remarkable example of biblical myth. Remember that in biblical studies, “myth” does not mean an “untruth” or a fiction, but an ULTIMATE truth—something that is “eternally true,” and that does not rely on it being either factual or historical, to BE true. “Jesus is born” is the truth we celebrate at Christmas time. Luke’s story is a myth. Matthew’s story is a myth. That neither Mark nor John give us their version of Jesus’ birth, nor does the Apostle Paul mention it, should not discourage us from celebrating the colorful stories we get from two of the synoptics. Both narratives tell us that “Jesus is born.” For that matter, Paul’s life was amazingly altered by the fact that “Jesus is born.” So was mine, and I pray, yours! May our world continue to be “saved” by this, as well, one person at a time, if necessary.
Hallelujah, friends! Jesus is born! Amen.
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