I usually don’t start my sermons with a disclaimer, but every now and again it’s worth it. This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday. It’s where as a community and as leaders in the church we’re challenged to examine our allegiance to God versus our allegiance to earthly authorities. I’ll confess this is one of my personal favorite minor festivals to preach on. But because we’re in a still relatively hot political climate with a national election just completed, I thought it important to let you know that what I’m saying today isn’t specifically directed at the results of this election. Had the other candidate won, you would be hearing a sermon not that different than the one you’ll be hearing today, because the message of this Sunday should encourage and challenge all of us regardless of any political affiliations.
But this Sunday brings us back to one of those critical moments in scripture, when Jesus is before Pilate, and Pilate is trying to figure out what to do with this strange Jewish prophet from Galilee. And Jesus isn’t going to make it easy on him. Jesus doesn’t cower to Pilate’s earthly power. He doesn’t try to appeal to Pilate’s authority to escape what he knows is to come. He also doesn’t use his divine authority as a reason for Pilate to let him go free. Instead, he reflects back Pilate’s words, and reminds him that Jesus’ authority is not the same as that of Pilate. And although Jesus doesn’t come out and say it, Jesus certainly implies that his authority could marshal more power than Pilate could imagine to his cause. And yet, he doesn’t. Because God’s power in this instance comes through obedience and humility – not power as the world knows it.
And yet we often seek this worldly power, don’t we? It’s a natural inclination. We think if we get our way, then the world will be a better place – at least for us. We’re tempted to think if we are able to elect the right kind of leader, then everything is going to be okay. Please forgive me for saying, if we have the right people in government, then our nation will finally be “great again.”
But the problem with that is every nation that has considered itself great has ultimately fallen short. Because the greatness of a nation depends on a person’s point of view. And if we think a single person or party can solve all our problems, we are at risk of placing them in a place of authority over and above God, the one in whom we should seek to define what it really means to be great – not nostalgia or grievance or personal success. Remember, the God that we serve – the Christ who humbled himself – is most concerned for the vulnerable in our midst – not the victory of the powerful.
Which is why I think it’s important to remember for all of us our natural inclination to credit victories to God’s favor is a little naïve, isn’t it? I like to think of the sports athlete who – after an impressive victory, whether as underdog or extreme favorite – gives glory to God for the win. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with thanking God for a victory, often these types of comments are tied to an idea that God’s favor was for the victor against the opponent. Like maybe the right fan made the right bargain with God – which reminds me, ASU fans, if you’re looking for some more ways to get involved in the church, there are a lot of service opportunities coming up in the next few weeks.
But we have a tendency to want to connect being on God’s side to earthly victories, don’t we? Many years ago when I was still in college, I voted in a hotly contested national election. The day after the election, after the results had become clear, a number of students on campus began wearing a button celebrating their preferred candidate’s victory in the election. The button claimed, “I voted for God’s party and won.” Now, even though I was a young college student, and had only recently begun to consider the possibility of going to seminary, I saw that there was something deeply problematic about that button. Maybe you’ve caught it as well.
First, there’s just the pure arrogance of it – the gloating and the lording it over another that their preferred candidate won. If you’re supposedly attempting to claim to be members of “God’s party,” wouldn’t you be trying to make peace with your brother or sister you disagree with? Wouldn’t you be showing mercy and kindness for those who might not be feeling the same hope that you’re feeling this day? No, this button had one purpose – to increase hurt for those who were feeling the loss especially harshly.
Second, and most obviously, I can say with certainty that God does not ascribe to a specific political party. No matter how pure you think your party’s ideology is, no matter how much a party might try to align itself with the values they think God honors, the moment they seek worldly power to establish those powers, God has left the room. A professor of mine once said – and this is one of those things that has always stuck and rung true, “When people draw a line between them and others, Jesus is always on the other side of that line.” Which is a challenge for those of us who hold any sort of group affiliation, isn’t it? Because political parties, fan bases, and yes, even sometimes churches, are defined to some extent by who they are not, which then excludes, when God is the one who includes. So if we seek to place God first – if Christ is the one on the throne, then we are called first and foremost to seek God’s purpose not through exercising power over others, but instead by using the power that we have for others. And it starts not with party politics, but with our own walk of faith. Because God’s will is found in humility, not in earthly power. God’s salvation is found in Christ – not in the candidate of the day who is claiming they will make your life better. And if salvation belongs to Christ, who is alpha and omega, then we know as people of faith – and people who live in this world, we look first to Christ and God’s will for us, and use that to then engage in this world.
So regardless of candidate, regardless of ideology or hope, my question for you all today is this: we have earthly leaders, this is true. But how do we challenge them in the name of Christ? Because our earthly leaders have never and will never be perfect. They aren’t the messiah. Only Jesus is. So seek the will of Jesus. And ask your leaders to live into their responsibility to serve all people, for the sake of God’s mercy that seeks to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and bring hope to the oppressed. And the work of serving all and advocating for all? It begins here in this place, where we do the work that God has put before us, and in doing that work, and then expanding our advocacy from this, we proclaim Christ the ruler of our lives, and the one on whom we can all truly rely.