Kings, Sheep, Goats, and Following Jesus

Kings, Sheep, Goats, and Following Jesus
a sermon by Doug Keenan
November 26, 2017

We are in the midst of a convergence of seasons – Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, End of Christian year, Advent
it is like the big meal at Thanksgiving when the dressing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce all run together in one delicious bite.

Paul expressed in his letter a sense of gratitude for the Ephesian community, I too am grateful for this community of faith as well as so many blessing in my life; and I hope you found moments of Thanksgiving: can be difficult with religious and political tensions at family gatherings, absence of those we love, financial or personal hardships, isolation or loneliness, you may feel like the least of these that God has forgotten us.
The good news today is that god has not forgotten, God knows your challenges and offers hope in the midst of the storms of life that seek to overwhelm us. May you find moments of peace and blessings in this confluence of seasons.

Today is the last Sunday before Advent which begins a new liturgical year, -- we remember this as the feast day of Christ the King, probably one of the most direct contradictions of the way of Jesus as we could find to celebrate.

Remember in the Gospels the couple of times that people wanted to make Jesus a king and he refused? In fact, he escaped to the mountains to avoid their coronation. When he was on trial before Pilate, Pilate says, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus refused to accept the title: "You have said it, not I." Jesus rejected the whole idea of being a king and calls us to reject this idea as being followers of a king.  Even if we wanted to give him the title, in Jesus's lifetime and in the generations immediately following, to call Jesus Lord or give him the title “KING” was to say that the Roman emperor was not the great authority over human lives and that could be a very dangerous thing.

The danger today is not calling Jesus king but trying to live out the sincere implications of such a pronouncement . Some years ago, Mohandas Gandhi -- the great Hindu religious leader in India who brought about a revolution, an overthrow of the British empire through active love, not violence -- said about Christianity: "Christianity has not failed. It's never been tried."

Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service, and commanded his followers to be servants as well. There are many passages of Scripture where his kingdom is tied to his suffering and death When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose "loving-kindness endures forever." Christ is the king that gives us true freedom. Thus we must never forget that Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of kingship. Christ's kingship is one of humility and service.  The true King, the King God wants to see, the King that Jesus was and is, is like Israel’s second king, David, started out to be: a shepherd: one who cares for the flock.

None the less on this day perhaps we should consider who is really in charge of our life. Which kingdom do we dwell? Remember the “Kingdom of God” or “Reign of God” — to which Jesus constantly pointed is as fully available now and always as it was 2,000 years ago. The Spirit of Christ continues to permeate our world – we may not recognize that Spirit but God is as close as our very breath. The question before us this morning is whether we will choose to live as if the one who reigns is not Caesar or whatever god may seek to influence our lives, but the God revealed in the life of Jesus.

Whose kingdom do you live in? I look around and I find myself caught between the two. I try to follow Jesus but find myself preoccupied with worries on this level: what shall I eat or what shall I wear? Do I have enough to feed myself or my family? Are my barns big enough to take care of myself in retirement? Jesus had something to say elsewhere in the gospels about each of these worries and our preoccupation reflects where our loyalties lie.  Also notice each of these concerns focus on myself; the passage out of Matthew challenges us to remember that it is not all about me.

The Matthew passage falls in the final discourse of Jesus’ teachings; it is about the last days and gives the image of King Jesus. We are living in the last days and we have been living here for two thousand years. I believe this parable is less about judgement or end times and more about how we are to live in these last days.  The primary focus of this discourse is that we are stewards of this world, it is not all about us. It is about how we treat others, how we trust the God revealed in Christ, and what we do with what we have been given. It is about treating others with kindness, serving them as if they were serving Christ Himself. The people described in this parable are the poor and needy.

Henri Nouwen suggests: The poor are the center of the Church. But who are the poor? At first we might think of people who are not like us: people who live in slums, people who go to soup kitchens, people who sleep on the streets, people in prisons, mental hospitals, and nursing homes. But the poor can be very close. They can be in our own families, churches or workplaces. Even closer, the poor can be ourselves, who feel unloved, rejected, ignored, or abused.

It is precisely when we see and experience poverty - whether far away, close by, or in our own hearts - that we need to become the Church; that is, hold hands as brothers and sisters, confess our own brokenness and need, forgive one another, heal one another's wounds, and gather around the table of Jesus for the breaking of the bread. Thus, as the poor we recognize Jesus, who became poor for us.
We are not going as the strong with resources to help the weak, but we come as the weak ready to receive from those to whom we have been sent.

Non-shepherds find it difficult to distinguish such sheep and goats, but the shepherd knows the difference and easily separates them. Those who seek to live following Christ may not be easy to distinguish from those who are not. We live in a complicated world; it may begin with admitting our own level of need and poverty; some may say they follow the Jesus way but their actions towards others belie their dedication both inside and outside the traditional church.  Our job is not to sort out sheep and goats but to do our part, be faithful to our task. We are not to label good or bad because we might misjudge another’s intentions

That reminds me of one of the most memorable characters from recent literature: Severus Snape was a teacher at Hogwarts who kept a close eye,  some thought an evil eye on Harry Potter. Everyone thought he sided with the returning dark lord – who must not be named – but throughout the series no one could tell for sure. Even after all the books were published readers still disagreed which side his true allegiance belonged. But Snape’s motivation, like many of ours grew out of love, for him a love for Harry’s mother that moved him to protect Harry  and turn against Voldemort in the end.
JK Rowling wrote: "Snape died for Harry out of love for Lily. Harry paid him tribute in forgiveness and gratitude."
Because the truth is, he is both. I would argue that Snape is a category all his own: there is good, there is bad, and there is Snape.

The truth is none of us are genuine sheep we all have a little goat in us. We strive to act out of love or our belief in something greater than ourselves but most of us still have equalities of both.

Recently in the clarion we ran a series of I Believe. As I read the stories and reflected upon my own journey I realized that beliefs should not simply be a series of propositions that we hold but should be a window into the actions that reflect whose kingdom we live in.

My belief is based upon my experience as well as my study:

My parents taught me grace. Covenant Players taught me how wide the Kingdom is and that I have a part to play in that kingdom. My challenging times in Beaumont, My time in Iowa and CPE taught me God’s plans will come to pass but my understanding of those plans may need to change.

This was reinforced last year with my daughter’s marriage and celebrating 20 years at one job that taught me anything is possible. God takes care of children and fools, of which I am both.

Grace is the opposite of Karma, and that God offers grace a lot more than Karma

God is not a fixer and there is not a satisfactory answer to the question ”why some things happen?”

Faith is personal but not private, faith needs to be expressed/worked out in community.

Life is not all about you, it requires humility and gratitude.

And we are the least of these and we are called to care for the least of these.

I close with a story about James Taylor, no not the musician, but a friend to many of us in this community of faith. He was a homeless man who lived on the streets for many years and became a fixture on Wednesday nights helping clear the tables and living on the pittance of a disability check that he received each month. I would occasionally share a meal with him or take him to the store to get some item of necessity. One time…He gave away his cigarettes; he needed them more than I did. I just witnessed an act of pure generosity and a reminder that though we may live in both kingdoms there are moments of grace and kindness that reflect our desire to follow Jesus.

What is your opportunity today?

artwork: The Good Shepherd, by Yongsung Kim, lighthaven.net/yongsung-kim