“Oh, king eh? Very nice. And how’d you get that, eh?”
Preacher: Revd Giles Dove, Assistant Chaplain
Readings: Revelation 1:: 4b-8; St John 18:33-37
“Jesus answered (Pilate) ‘You say that I am a king.’”
Israel was a captive nation under the rule of the Roman Empire. As Roman Governor, Pilate wants to know whether Jesus was setting up a rebel government. A rival king might have threatened Rome. As far as the rule of the Roman Empire was concerned, anyone purporting to be ‘King of the Jews’ was guilty of sedition – a crime punishable by death. The Jews, however, used the description ‘King of the Jews’ to refer to their long-expected religious leader – the Messiah.
Pilate asks Jesus a straightforward question “Are you the King of the Jews?” and Jesus gives him a straightforward answer – Jesus is a King but His Kingdom is not of this world. It seems quite clear that Pilate believed that Jesus was speaking the truth, and yet he chose to reject the truth. It is one thing to fail to recognise the truth. It is quite another to recognise the truth but then to fail to heed it.
As Christians, we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and as Saviour. We recognise Jesus as Messiah. We serve Jesus as King.
“At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;”
The Scottish Prayer Book Kalendar names today as ‘The Sunday Next Before Advent’ with its wonderful Collect for the Day: “Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful people, that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of Thee be plenteously rewarded…”
With its references to stirring up and to fruit, this is the root of the more light-hearted name for this Sunday – Stir Up Sunday – the day on which we take turns to stir up the fruit and other ingredients for our Christmas cakes and puddings. If that happens to be your plan for this afternoon, let me wish you a Happy Stir Up Sunday – but spare a thought too to consider what ‘good works’ you might undertake this coming Advent. Perhaps there is some way in which you can be of service to your community or to your neighbour as part of your preparation for Christmas?
Being of service to others is not something we would normally expect of a monarch or ruler, is it? Yet, today is celebrated in our churches as the Feast of Christ the King. Jesus, born in such humble circumstances. Jesus of Nazareth who spent His earthly life serving others. That same man and God we celebrate this Sunday as Jesus Christ the King – the Servant King.
Back in July, as I scrolled through the BBC News, my eyes came to rest on a photograph of our King Charles III. His Majesty was wearing fine clothes, had a hint of ermine fur upon his shoulders, and was bedecked with more decorations than an Aldi Christmas tree. Jauntily sporting the Imperial State Crown upon his head , he sat resplendent upon his royal throne.
Curious (and, if nothing else, I am curious), I indulged in a short surf of the Internet to find the official ‘Court Circular’ report of the occasion. I should like to read it to you (just in case you missed it at the time):
Buckingham Palace
17th July, 2024
The King, accompanied by The Queen, travelled in State to the Palace of Westminster today to open the Session of Parliament.
Their Majesties drove in a Carriage Procession, escorted by a Sovereign’s Escort of The Household Cavalry, under the command of Major William Charlesworth, The Blues and Royals, and were received at the Sovereign’s Entrance by the Earl Marshal and the Lord Great Chamberlain.
Guards of Honour were mounted at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster by 1st Battalion Welsh Guards with The King’s Colour, under the command of Major Andrew Campbell.
A staircase party of The Household Cavalry was on duty at Victoria Tower, House of Lords, under the command of Major Dean Owens.
Royal Salutes were fired in Green Park by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, under the command of Major John Baileff, and from the Tower of London Saluting Battery by the Honourable Artillery Company, under the command of Major Amanda Wheeler.
The Imperial State Crown, the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State were conveyed previously to the House of Lords in a Carriage Procession, escorted by a Regalia Escort of the Household Cavalry.
His Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms was on duty in the Prince’s Chamber and The King’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard was on duty in the Royal Gallery.
The King’s Bargemaster and Watermen were on duty.
The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Household and the Pages of Honour to The King (the Hon Guy Tryon, the Hon William Sackville, the Hon Alfred Wellesley and Ralph Tollemache) and the Pages of Honour to The Queen (William Keswick and Arthur Elliott) were in attendance at the Palace of Westminster.
Their Majesties returned to Buckingham Palace and were received by the Lord Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.
So, another simple, understated piece of British pageantry!
Reading this made me wonder about our Christ the King. How would the Court Circular column have read in the Galilee Times on any given day? Well, here is one eyewitness account:
“When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.’…This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
And on a colt, the foal of
A donkey.’
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and He sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosannah to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord!
Hosannah in the highest heaven!’
When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’”
So, what is a king? The most simple definition of a king is a male sovereign who exercises supreme and permanent authority over his subjects. The king is the one who exercises supreme and permanent authority over his subjects.
I wonder whether any of you have seen the 1970s classic comedy film, ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’? In one section, filmed not far from here at Doune Castle in Perthshire, King Arthur is cantering about his realm when he encounters a group of peasants grubbing about in the mud. He has an exchange with one of the peasants which goes as follows. The peasant looks up at the King and says:
“What I object to is you automatically treat me like an inferior.
King Arthur: Well I am king.
Peasant: Oh, king eh? Very nice. And how’d you get that, eh? By exploiting the workers. By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.
King Arthur: I am your king.
Peasant: Well I didn’t vote for you.
King Arthur: You don’t vote for kings.
Peasant: Well how’d you become king then?
King Arthur: The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king.
Peasant: Listen, strange women lyin’ in ponds distributin’ swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”
Hardly the sort of exchange one might expect between the one who exercises supreme and permanent authority over his subjects and one of his loyal subjects!
Whatever we may think of the role of a king in our society today, we must not strip King Jesus of His kingly title. Above all others, King Jesus demands the loyal service of us His followers.
We should be prepared to serve Christ the King in our day-to-day lives, from morning until evening, from our childhood, through adulthood and to the very end of our days. I believe we serve Him best as we serve those around us – as we serve our families, our neighbours and our communities – in the Name of Christ the King.
So that, ultimately, “At the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.