Sermon – St. John’s Episcopal Church, Corbin
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, CSW
November 24, 2013
Proper 29, Track 1, Christ the King

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Col. 1:19-20

Please be seated….

Today is the end of our Christian year.  It is our New Year’s Eve, so to speak.  It is the end of “ordinary time” or the weeks after Pentecost… the green season of the year.  We take stock of our year as Christians.  What kind of year has it been?  What were the highlights of the year?  What lessons have you learned?  How is your faith?  Have you deepened your faith?  Have you started a new spiritual practice?  What is your spiritual condition?

As a conclusion to our Christian year, we celebrate the center of our faith…Jesus Christ, the King.  You’ve probably noticed our readings and hymns have a more than usual focus on Jesus.  In today’s Epistle from Colossians, we receive a blessing wrapped up in a teaching about Jesus.    These words were an early Christian hymn and proclaim Christ as the supreme power over the universe and over the church. 

In addition, we are told we will be changed when we follow Jesus.  We are given strength and we are prepared to endure everything with patience.  Well, at least we hold out that vision for ourselves.  But you must admit that reminding ourselves of the teachings of Christ can help us be more patient.  I know wearing this collar makes me think twice about my behavior….

We hear that our lives have been changed.  We have entered the kingdom of God’s beloved son.  Through Jesus we are restored and through Jesus we experience forgiveness for those things that oppose God and God’s dream for our lives and our communities.  Jesus is the firstborn, the head of the church, the incarnation of God here on earth, the one who brought reconciliation with God.

And in our gospel today, we hear once again, about the depth of God’s love for us.  God deigned to come to earth.  Jesus was born like we all are born, living a human life and ultimately suffering the worst indignities possible.  He was not guilty of any crime, having called people to the life God had continually guided and taught as the best way to live in God’s creation. He came and modeled that life for us.

Now in this gospel today, he is on the cross, suffering indignity after indignity.  And even then, Jesus holds out the vision of forgiveness and redemption.  Even on the cross, Jesus shows the centrality of love in his interaction with the two criminals. 

In 2012, I was blessed to take a trip to Israel.  I attended the Jesus of Palestine course at St. George’s College in Jerusalem, on the grounds of the Episcopal Cathedral.  It was an amazing experience and I regret not having done it sooner.

On our last full day in Jerusalem, we left the college at 5am to walk the “Way of the Cross” or the Via Dolorosa.  We know this pilgrim walk has been done nearly the same for at least 1600 years.  You can read the diary of the pilgrim Egeria, who wrote about her pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 393.  These stations of the cross…we have them up around our sanctuary…we usually pray them and “walk them” here each year.  There I was in the very place.

I want to share with you my reflections from that walk.  Interspersed through the poem are the verses and refrain of the hymn “At The Cross.”  This hymn came to me as we ended our walk at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  I believe it summarizes the joy we feel today as we remind ourselves of the importance of Jesus in our lives.  I invite you to sing along…

To be Sung with the Poem Via Dolorosa