Sermon: November 20, 2011

The King Who Demands Compassion

as a Prerequisite for Citizenship

Scripture: Psalm 100 and Matthew 25: 31 - 46

Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 20, 2011

Christ the King Sunday

Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute, Indiana 

INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE

Psalm 100 read responsively:

One can almost hear the outbreak of jubilation described in this summons to praise. It calls the entire community to lift praises to God. This psalm is the last of a collection of psalms that are known as enthronement psalms (93, and 95-99). These psalms celebrate with an understanding that the Great “I Am” who spoke to Moses is God who is worthy of our adoration and praise.  Let us join our voices in this proclamation of joy. 

¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

²Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
³Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
⁵For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Matthew 25:31-46

Here we have the culmination of the previous parables with the coming of the Son of Man, the King of Heaven, the Messiah, the Christ and the final judgment at the end of time.  As believers, we receive these stories with great anticipation as we have waited to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  We want to be citizens of God realm.  Jesus tells us through this parable that prerequisite is compassion for those who suffer. 

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’⁴⁰And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’⁴¹Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’⁴⁴Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’⁴⁵Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

SERMON

It is interesting that neither the sheep nor the goats connected service to the “least of these” as service for their King.  If you want your faith to be relevant to your life, it doesn’t get any more down to earth, gritty material than Jesus telling us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit those who are sick or in prison.  Then if we still don’t get the point he tells us we are not welcome in his Kingdom if compassion is not a priority in our lives.  It is all about what are your priorities in life?  To what or whom have you made a commitment?

Having been born in the US, I don’t even have to say the Pledge of Allegiance to be a US citizen.  To graduate from High School in Illinois, I was required to pass a test on the main points of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of both the United States and Illinois, as well as on the proper use and display of the American Flag.  Last year I was privileged to watch Min Soe became a US citizen.   Her requirements were much more stringent.

·        Be 18 or older
·        Be a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing.
·        Have lived within the state, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application
·        Have continuous residence in the United States as a green card holder for at least 5 years immediately preceding the date of the filing the application
·        Be physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application.
·        Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization up to the time of naturalization.
·        Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (civics). She had to pass a test and be interviewed.
·        Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law.
·        Then Min had to promise the following:

 I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

It was a very humbling experience to watch as over a hundred people in North High School make this commitment while family and friends present. 

Commitment is what it is all about.  Marriage is a commitment between two people.  They make promises to each other.  In a Christian ceremony they also ask God to bless their union.   When we join the church we are asked to make a commitment by professing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, renouncing evil and affirming our reliance on God’s grace, and declare our intention to participate actively and responsibly in the worship and mission of the church.  It is first a commitment we make with God and then it is a commitment we make with the church, and the church makes with us like in wedding vows, we exchange vows with one another. So whether it is a commitment between two people or with a whole group, it is what gives life meaning.

What happened to the commitment of the goats?  Why did the sheep not even understand the meaning of their purpose?  Perhaps like most American citizens, the sheep were born into life in the church and the commitment to caring for those in need was just an expected part of their lives that they did not reflect on its place in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is what Christians do!  For the goats it was what other people did.

I was talking to Mark Olsen who with his wife pastors the Trinity Parish about this passage.  He said sheep listen to their shepherd’s voice, but goats do not.  So the sheep were feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger and visiting those confined.  Yet they may never have known why.  I have never heard membership vows that included a promise to live as Christ and care for those on the margins of society.  Perhaps we should make a vow to listen for Jesus teaching us about what is important and who is of value in our lives.  Like the bridesmaids with their oil from the first parable or the slaves with their huge fortunes in the story of the talents, we have a commitment to Christ to keep doing what he has asked us to do.

So are you listening to Jesus’ voice, will you recommit your life to his service?  Will you pour out the oil to be a light in the darkness; will you risk all your abundance to make a difference in this world?   It is our citzenship requirement for the Kingdom of Heaven.

I found this icon by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM[1] in Carl Gregg’s commentary.  Perhaps if you take a moment and focus on this image of Jesus, you may hear the voice of the Good Shepherd saying, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these… you did it to me.”  Amen.

---

[1]See: www.trinitystores.com/store/artist/Robert-Lentz and  www.patheos.com/blogs/carlgregg/2011/11/four-spiritual-practices-for-preaching-on-matthew-25