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It happened I'm told in the jungle one day. A lion with a really big ego went around asking the other animals who the king of the jungle was.

"The Reign of Christ"                Luke 23:33-43                            Jack Keating

Cicero United Methodist Church                November 25, 2007                          Christ the King Sunday

            It happened I'm told in the jungle one day. A lion with a really big ego went around asking the other animals who the king of the jungle was.

            "Who's the king of the jungle?" the lion roared at a monkey. "Why you are, Mr. Lion," said the monkey with fear in his voice.

            The lion went on a found a zebra. "Who's the king of the jungle?" he snarled. "There is no doubt about it. You are, Mr. Lion," said the zebra.

            Seeing a turtle crossing his path the lion bellowed, "Who's the king of the jungle?" Scared out of his shell the turtle said, "You are Mr. Lion. You are the king of the jungle."

            Then the lion came upon an elephant. Once again he roared out his question, "Who's the king of the jungle?" The elephant used his trunk to grab the lion by the tail. He spun him around over his head several times, dunked him in a mud hole, and then slammed him into a large tree.

            Dazed and dirty the lion said, "Just because you didn't know the answer ... was no reason to get upset."

            Well folks, we live in a world where not everyone recognizes who the king of the jungle is. We live in this world and there is a king! And some don't recognize him for the person he is and treat him pretty badly.

            Today is the last Sunday of our church year ... the Sunday commonly called "Christ the King Sunday".

            For most of us the image of Christ as King is kind of troublesome. We live in a democracy here after all - and since we aren't subject to a monarchy here in our country like they are in some other parts of the world - our minds can't quite wrap themselves around the whole concept of kingship, even when it's applied to Jesus Christ.

            But maybe it will help us to know the origins of Christ the King Sunday and how this celebration in the life of the church got started.

            The title for this day was created fairly recently - in 1925 in fact - by Pope Pius XI, and it entered into the Protestant Church during the 1960's as more and more Protestant churches began to use the fixed schedule of scripture readings called the Lectionary in their weekly worship services.

            And the reason Pope Pius XI created this Sunday and suggested the readings we've read this morning, was that the church needed the image of Christ the King at that moment in time.

            On its first celebration, Mussolini had been the leader of Italy for three years; and a young rabble-­rouser named Hitler had been out of jail for about a year. Hitler's Nazi party was growing in popularity, and the world lay in a great Depression: a depression that would become far worse over the next fifteen years.

            In such a time, with all these new dictators and false values in the world, Pope Pius XI asserted Christ is the King of the universe.

            So the feast of Christ the King, then, was - and is - basically a language thing, a symbol, a metaphor, designed to be a statement of life's fundamental question for broken times like those and like ours today.

            You see the question is - who exercises dominion over whom? Who or what rules our lives here and now?

             And if we pick up on that question, then the theme of Christ the King makes sense for us today.  Who rules our lives? Who dominates culture?

            And, unfortunately, the answer to that last question - who or what dominates our culture - is fairly obvious. We see daily that the forces of evil hold such great sway here in the United States and around the world.

            Greed, pride, selfishness, and fear motivates much of the world we live in:                              -           in our corporate systems

                        -           in our media, and especially our advertising media

                        -           in our economic and government systems, where what                                       matters most is not whether your are right - but whose side                                              you are on - who you voted for - or who you work for,

                        -           and in the hearts of so many people - of those who think only                             of what is in it for themselves and for those they love, and                                        rarely, if ever, about what is in it for those they don't know -                                             or those they don't like.

            The fruit of those forces that rule in our culture - and in every nation in the world - are as obvious as the huge profits that sit in the bank accounts of oil companies while hard working people struggle to pay for a full tank of gasoline - as clear as the pictures of starving children in Africa and Asia that come into our homes on our television sets each day - as clear as the number of people homeless, or beaten or battered or abused or drug dependent - or the pictures of people who live on our streets or are hidden away in middle class homes.

            These are, in part, the same things that led to Mussolini and Hitler in the 20's and 30's - and they are in part the things that feed Bin Ladens and the Arafats in our world today - the things that even now allow the greatest superpower in the history of the world to instantly raise billions of dollars to wage war in foreign lands - yet have trouble finding the same amount to provide housing and medical care to it's own citizens on a day to day and year to year basis.

            Who and what rules our culture? The answer is, my friends, depressingly obvious.

            And it feels even more obvious - and even more depressing the more we focus on all that trouble out there, the more we look at the negative stuff, the more we experience the body blows of troubles within our own families and the more we are slapped silly by the series of illnesses and deaths within our community. Think of them all. It seems you just get up off the floor from having been hit by one illness or death or tragedy and another comes up and knocks you down again.

            It makes you wonder sometimes who or what is in charge doesn't it? It makes you wonder if it will ever end. If things will ever get better.

            And then comes today - then comes Christ the King Sunday. And today we assert the gospel message - the message that Christ is in charge. And we assert the gospel message that not only is Christ in charge - but the peace we need, the hope we need, can be found in him, now, today. And more - the peace our world needs - the peace our culture needs - is coming through him, on the day that God has chosen.

            And how he does that is by coming into our world and loving and forgiving us and helping us clean up the mess we've made of things.

            Let me use this story to illustrate for you the nature of Christ's Kingship, this Lord of Love, that's been circulating around the internet for a couple of years now. It's a story of a little boy who wanted to do something good. Like most of us ... I would suspect.

            Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parent pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair over to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar and an egg, leaving a floury trail on the floor, which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten.

            Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it seemed to be getting very bad. He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all in the oven or on the stove (and he didn't even know how the stove worked). Suddenly he saw his kitten licking the bowl of mix and tried to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs and landed on the floor ­getting his pajamas white and sticky. Just then Brandon saw Dad standing at the door. Big tears welled up in Brandon's eyes .. All he wanted was to do something good, but he'd made a terrible mess. He was sure a scolding was coming, may be even a spanking.

            But his father just watched him. Walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, and hugged him - getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process of loving him.

            That's how God - our Lord and King - deals with us and the mess we have created. That's how Jesus - our Lord and King - deals with us and the mess we have created.

            He enters into our reality and takes the mess onto himself. He loves us and forgives us - and shows us the way of true love-

-                      the way that gives life - and that abundantly

-                      the way of the kingdom over which he rules

-                      the way of the kingdom in which he serves.

            Jesus provides us with the image of royalty that's totally different from the world's image of royalty.

            His is a total reversal of roles usually assigned to royalty and servitude. He refuses to be master of the world, the mighty monarch, the spiller of blood.

            Rather he is the king who serves others. He is the king who dies for others. He is the king who is ridiculed, scorned, and mocked. He is the king who is described in the Book of Revelation - not as a lion, the usual image for a king, but as lamb, a crucified lamb upon a throne, with sword coming from his mouth by which he smites his enemies.

            Now I don't know about you but in all the years of my life that I've watched nature shows or visited at farms or petting zoos with the kids, I have never seen a killer lamb ... how about you? I have seen lions take down their prey - but a lamb?

            Jesus our Lord, our Righteousness, is one who heals, who forgives, who restores: -One who refuses to take up the sword to protect himself, or call 10,000 angels to keep himself from the cross;

            -One who even as he dies promises us, as he promised the repentant thief on the cross beside him, to remember us when he comes into his kingdom;

            -one whose word is his sword, rather than steel and space age alloys;

            -one who conquers - not by killing others - but by allowing himself to be put to death.

            I will tell you this - although Jesus as a King is a lamb rather than a lion, he is a king I want to obey - ­a king I want to rule over my heart and my life - a king whose ways, whose kingdom, I want to have rule over my world and my culture.

            Jesus is Lord - Jesus is King - precisely because he is not like the kings of this world.

            And it is his faithfulness and his obedience and his love which has conquered death and opened the way to eternal life to all who call upon his name - for all - not just for those who are good enough, or smart enough.

            Who and what rules our culture? I think we know who rules right now.

            But it will not always be so - because I know in here - and from the words of scripture that the one who rules our hearts and minds and our lives is stronger then the one who rules this world.

            Jesus told his disciples, and he told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world" and that is true. But this world will be of his Kingdom one day.

            For now though, let each of us hasten that day by becoming citizens of that kingdom through focusing on its Lord - and living by his direction - his values - his wisdom - here and now.

            If you must look into the darkness - and occasionally we must if we are to do the work of God - then look at it with the light of Christ behind you and within you.

            When the world strikes you - and then strikes you again, remember whose you are - trust in him ­pick yourself up - turn the other cheek - forgive those who need forgiving - and proclaim once again that Jesus is Lord and King and that his way is the way of life.

            As you do you will find within you the peace that he has promised to give to all who follow him.

            It has been said that Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40 and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ's 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all time. Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world's greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human influence, it seems, has been enriched by this humble carpenter from Nazareth.

All hail the power of Jesus' name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all!

Praise be to God - and praise be to Christ Jesus our Lord: our King - our brother - and our friend.

Amen.