Sermon 11/25/07 (Luke 23:33-43)

“Reigning When it Rains”
Luke 23:33-43
Rev. Désirée H. Gold
St. Mark’s United Church of Christ, Baltimore, MD
Sunday, 25 November, 2007
Reign of Christ Sunday

Have you ever taken a close look at the United Church of Christ logo, pictured on the cover of this morning’s bulletin? We are familiar with the logo by now, the symbol of our denomination which we see emblazoned on various posters, mailings, the back of our bulletins, my business cards, and the pendant I’m wearing around my neck this morning. We see it and say, “Oh! That’s the symbol of the UCC!” ...But have you ever really looked at it?

There is a little UCC symbol on the back of the small print bulletins, but this morning you’ll notice a larger copy of the symbol inside your bulletin. Take a look at it. What do you see in that hodgepodge of symbols? There’s a cross there, right? That’s pretty obvious. The cross is the common symbol of our Christian faith. But what’s the rest of it?

At the bottom of the cross, there is some kind of circle, or orb. According to our denomination’s web site, “The orb, divided into three parts, reminds us of Jesus' command to be his ‘witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). The verse from Scripture reflects our historic commitment to the restoration of unity among the separated churches of Jesus Christ.” In other words, the circle at the bottom of the cross symbolizes the globe, and is a reminder that we are to be witnesses to the gospel throughout the earth. Okay, that makes sense.

...What about that thing at the top of the UCC symbol? A crown?! At first glance, this symbol may not seem so strange to us. We Christians have become so familiar with the idea that Jesus is a king or Lord, that we almost take the image of a crown of glory for granted. “Christ the King?! Well, of course!”
Indeed, we refer to today, this last Sunday of the Christian year as “Christ the King” or “Reign of Christ” Sunday. We celebrate our “Lord” Jesus Christ, who will “reign forever.”

But think about it for a moment! Herein lies the paradox of our faith. Think: ...What is a crown doing at the top of a cross? Crucifixion was one of the most gruesome and horrifying execution methods used by the Romans. It was humiliating and extraordinarily painful -- one of the worst ways to die. In this morning’s gospel lesson, Jesus and his neighbors on the cross are seen talking normally to one another, but I wonder if such conversation would really be possible for three men nailed to trees and facing their very imminent death. Crucifixion was an abominable way to die. And yet, the cross, used for that execution method, has become a positive symbol of our faith. We wear jeweled crosses around our necks, we hang decorative crosses on our walls, we fill our churches with crosses simple or ornate. ...And, of course, we place a cross cheerily in the middle of our UCC logo.

So, how did the crown come to be placed atop the cross... and how did the cross come to be associated with the crown? This morning’s gospel lesson does not necessarily clear things up. Notice, for example, that in this scripture we read on “Reign of Christ” Sunday, it is Jesus’ executioners and one of his fellow “criminals” who call him “king” and “Messiah.” Jesus himself does not proclaim his kingship or role as Messiah in this scene, nor do Jesus’ followers. While later followers -- including those who wrote our New Testament -- ascribed the role of king, Lord, and Messiah to Jesus, it is his enemies who must name him thus first... albeit mockingly.

What kind of sense does this make? A cross and a crown?! Jesus never wore an earthly crown, despite the image of the nicely stylized crown we see atop our UCC logo and in many other Christian images. Why do we venerate him so? ... And why, just as we are preparing to begin the season of Advent, the season leading up to Jesus’ birth are we suddenly drawn back into Good Friday? Why the tragedy mixed with celebration?

This we should know. It is in the mixture of Good Friday and Easter, the contrast between the great highs and the enormous lows of Jesus’ incarnation, life, and death, that we see our own lives mirrored and that we are able to know God. We may not have been able to see God in a Christ whose life was entirely without suffering, because our own lives are not without suffering. In the same way, we would not have been able to see God in a Christ whose life was only suffering -- the death without the resurrection. Instead, we are able to see our own lives, and thus see God, in a Christ for whom the darkness of Good Friday is followed by the glory of Easter. We are able to find hope, and to proclaim that God really will reign forever, because we know that the execution that took place at “that place called the Skull,” in which a popular rabbi named Jesus was crucified, was not the end of it. The crown comes, and our own fear of death disintegrates, because we know that Jesus’ crucifixion was not without meaning, and it was not the end of the story.

The executioners, and that man on the cross beside Jesus, called Jesus “king” in order to mock him -- because they thought that an influential man such as he should be able to use the “powers” people had ascribed to him in order to save himself from the cross. But Jesus knew better. Saving himself from the cross would have only given him a few more years on this earth -- years that could have been used well to heal the sick and reach out to the poor, but which would only have been a few years. Instead, he chose to die. Not only was this an act of humility in response to God, his Parent; it also allowed his legacy to live on in the hearts of his followers... for more than two thousand years after his death. We say that he “reigns forever and ever,” because we know that he continues to live on within us.

Why the Good Friday glum when we’re just getting ready for Christmas? This, too, is a reminder of who Christ was and is to us. Take that crown, again, for example. Does the shape of the crown remind you of anything? Next week, as we begin the season of Advent, we will light an Advent wreath. If you look at the wreath closely, with its four candles and Christ candle, you may notice that the circle of the wreath looks a little like a crown. This is no accident. The Advent wreath was created to look like the crown of thorns Jesus wore at his crucifixion... and like the crown we place on him now, in our belief that the message he brought, that the Spirit of God, will take over our lives and thus will reign forever.

Remembering the crucifixion before we begin the joyous march to Christmas Day is symbolic of how mixed up life and death are, of how joy always has mixed with it a little sorrow, and vice versa. The Advent wreath that leads us to the manger with its gentle light, yet is also a crown of thorns and a royal headpiece, is a reminder that God is life and death for us. As we lift up Jesus’ reign in the remembrance of his death, let us remember the steps that we need to take. Remember the humility of the prisoner beside Jesus’, remember Jesus’ own hope in time of death... and remember, as they both did, to pray.

Now let us pray.