Jeremiah 23:1-6, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 1:68-79
Today marks the beginning of the end; and the beginning of something new. Today is the last Sunday in the church year. I am sure it is said every year; it’s good to remember, though, that our celebration of God’s presence does not begin with Pentecost, or Easter, or even Christmas. Our year begins with Advent, a period of expectant waiting.
Our focus for today, though, is today. Today is known as:
The 29th (or Last) Sunday in Proper Time
the 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time
the 25th Sunday after Pentecost
It is celebrated as Reign of Christ Sunday in Protestant traditions or the Feast of Christ the King in Catholic traditions.
In a more secular view, coming barely forty-eight hours from Black Friday, it’s the third-best shopping day for Thanksgiving sale specials!
With some regret, the simple joy of Thanksgiving has come to pass. Celebrations with family and friends are closing, moving us back to our labors and callings. Remembrances of the sorrows and joys of this past year have been shared, and honor given to the bounty of God’s love. That’s it! Back into the race! The celebrations are wrapped up like the leftover turkey and dressing, and our focus forced to return to the struggles of the everyday.
Were that one more week had passed! Then, we would be in December, the real Holiday Season! Already, the radio stations have begun to sing “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Winter Wonderland.” Maybe this year, we’ll see a white Christmas, or be home for Christmas (not only in our dreams).
Just one more week! Then, we would find a different message than this one of daily toils and drudgery. Then we would find a message of the Advent—a struggling, hoping, seeking message. Looking for the babe in the straw, for the angels and shepherds, for the magi—for the fulfillment of God’s promise in our time.
It is easier to sit in expectation, than to hear the call to which we are called today. The call to enter the Realm—to help bring the Reign of Christ into our world.
This feeling, this idea of the Reign of Christ resonates throughout the scriptures, challenging us to remember all that we are called to do. It burns in the hearts of the prophets, as they challenge us to act justly with all of God’s people.
They days are surely coming, we are reminded, when a reckoning will come. Jeremiah calls out to the “pastors,” the shepherds—us—to watch all that we are doing. Be attentive, God says, to all of the sheep. Soon, God’s design will be clear, and the flock will be gathered anew. Something is happening, and we all better stay watchful.
Jeremiah speaks to us from his moment in history, embracing a deep pain. The kingdom of David, God’s beloved, God’s anointed monarchs, has fallen. What will come of this? Have no fear, Jeremiah says, God will do what is needed.
For this wounded people, a righteous Branch will come. God will send one to reign as king. This one will deal wisely, execute justice and righteousness. Judah will be saved; God’s earthly kingdom will be redeemed. Israel will live in safety; the Reign of God will come to be.
But when? When will this redeemer liveth? Jeremiah wrote some six hundred years before our common era. In that time, the faithful watched for God’s Reign to become real. Absolutely real. The Righteous Branch of David was a human being. His name will be God is our Righteousness. And as it came to pass, there was a person called by that name.
His name was Mattanaiah. Mattananiah was the last king of the Branch of David to rule as earthly king in Judah. His reign lasted from 597-587 bce. This passage of Jeremiah could almost be heard as a political endorsement for Mattaniah as he became king in Jerusalem. In that time, the Babylonian empire had conquered the northern kingdoms of Israel. The southern kingdom of Judah suffered under the knowledge that they, too, could fall—and that God’s Chosen Kingdom would fall with them!
Mattaniah came into that moment as the last hope. His name means “Gift of God,” and so he was to these fearful people. Third son of the great reformer Josiah, Mattaniah was renamed Zedekiah, “God is our Righteousness.” Jeremiah sings his praises, in the hope that the Reign of God will come again to the Hebrew people.
But, this was not to be. Zedekiah “he did evil in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Kings 24:19, 20; Jeremiah 52:2, 3) The hopes and fears of all the years rested with him; but the Righteous Gift was not the answer to these wounded people.
If this were Confirmation Class, one of our precocious youth would be asking me, “So why do I need to know this? Kind of a strange story to tell on this Sunday before Advent. What’s it matter?”
Good, good question! The story of the fall of the Davidic kingdoms is hardly a Thanksgiving sermon. It is, however, the one moment that we must understand as contemporary readers. It is the beginning of the long, long, days that led to the coming of Christ. Six hundred years of sadness, of pain, of rebuilding and destruction came to the tribes of Israel. Six hundred years of waiting for God’s anointed King to come and save the people. These long, long days, waiting to be a thankful people.
Then, when it seemed that the long days would never end, something amazing happening. One day, there was a priest named Zechariah. He and his wife, Elizabeth, lived honorably. But they were childless, and now they were quite old.
It so happened that as Zechariah was carrying out his priestly duties, an angel of God appeared to tell him of the next part of God’s plan, the next verse in the song of salvation. “Do not fear,” Gabriel said to him, “Your prayer has been heard You will have a son. You are to name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
This child was to become the prophet of the most high. The long, long days of waiting would soon be over! But, after all these years, Zechariah could not believe that the Realm of God would come true. Because of his disbelief, he would be unable to speak until the child was born. Today’s passage from Luke were the first words spoken, the beginning of the new prophesy. This was the culmination of the Realm of God, the Reign of Christ.
A mighty Savior would be lifted up from the fallen branch of David. Then ancient covenant would be renewed. The ages of waiting were over! God had remembered.
What’s in a name, this Sunday with so many? Juliet’s famous words echo into our time and place. This celebration of the fulfillment of God’s promises is a message of hope, a psalm of praise.
These scriptures are full of names. Names, and jobs, and callings. Some are sweet, and easy to hear. Others challenge us with a harsh flavor. But they all point us to one moment in time.
God will lift up the people (Jeremiah).
God will send the gift (Mattaniah).
God is our righteousness (Zedekiah).
God has remembered (Zechariah).
God is my oath (Elizabeth).
God is my strength (Gabriel).
God is gracious (John).
And the final chord—God is our salvation (Jesus).
Can you hear the continuing message through these three voices? Jeremiah begins the song, calling out for God to send a savior. Zechariah hears this message, and sings his hymn to his newborn child.
Paul finds the melody, and adds harmony and fullness to the verse.
On the eve of Advent, this song of salvation needs to be heard anew.
It is the Good News of great joy for all humanity.
What is in this name, Jesus? And in the Reign of Christ? Like Zechariah’s song, it is a reminder that whether we know it, realize it, or dream it, the Realm of God is in us and surrounds us. This holy day sings to us, preparing our way for the Advent.
Today, and every day, celebrate the Reign of Christ in our hearts. Lift up the good teachings of our faith. This week, as we get ready for the Advent of the Christ child, listen for the song that comes in your everyday. Look to today, and listen to the Good News that our Still-speaking God has sung to us. Amen.