Christ the King

Trinity Parish Church, Seattle

Luke 23:35-43

The Rev. Bob Gallagher

Today is the Feast of Christ the King

· A feast for a king who is no king.

· A feast to remind ourselves that we share in the Glory of God and in the humility of God.

· Christ the King is a day we celebrate the one who could save others; but not save himself

I want to tell you a story about a story.

At the clergy conference of the Diocese of Milwaukee a bishop from another Midwest diocese told this story. He had stopped in a diner for breakfast. The woman waiting on him bought his coffee and said, "That certainly is a big cross." [Referring to the pectoral cross or bishop's cross around his neck.]

Assuming her interest the bishop began to explain the tradition of the cross and how his cross was made; what the jewels were and where they came from. As he was going on, she looked straight at him, stood very still, and said, "well, la de da."

She wasn't finished with him. When he later asked for more toast, she yells to cook - "his holiness wants more toast." - well la de da.

I'll return to this later.

We share in the Glory of God and in the humility of God.

Our sharing in the life of God, this participation in Glory is about everyone; everyone we know and everyone we will ever know. It is a proclamation of something that is universal and invites us "to respect the dignity of every person."

C.S. Lewis wrote about that hidden glory, "the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to, may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship... There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."

I know you are aware of it - the beauty that we are. Maybe the awareness strikes us during communion and we notice others walking to and from the rail, or maybe it happens in your home at a meal, or in your workplace. It can come to us as an act of insight, a prayerful recollection - just on occasion it may occur to us that there is something utterly amazing and wonderful about that person with whom we worship, live or work.

There is in the church a custom of reverencing people and things. It's a kind of sacramental action (an outward and visible sign of some spiritual reality that is hidden). As we enter the pew Many of us bow to the altar, the place of the Eucharistic feast or we may bow to the cross in procession. If we are observant we might notice that the clergy and those who serve at the altar reverence one another on several occasions during the Liturgy.

In some parishes the tradition is extended to a ceremony at the beginning and end of worship. As the ministers of the altar arrive at the foot of the altar, they first reverence the altar; they then turn and face the congregation and they exchange with the congregation a solemn bow.

These are outward and visible expressions of the usually hidden reality of the Glory of people fully alive.

When we pass the peace - when be offer one another the blessing of Peace - we acknowledge the glory and we accept our own glory.

Acknowledging the Glory of one another can be difficult to manage emotionally. In my experience it needs liturgy. The formality of liturgical actions allows us to say things to one another and recognize things about ourselves that we otherwise can't easily do.

We share in the Glory of God and in the humility of God.

As the procession comes down the aisle there are a few people who engage in an ancient custom of reverencing the cross and then as the priest-celebrant walks by - reverencing her or him.

So you may be thinking - hmmm .. bowing when Paul walks by, bowing when Rachel or Carol walk by...  Well, they are wonderful people and they do so much for the parish. George Herbert thought the priest was a window to God's grace. ... Paul is a kind man, generous and compassionate, tolerant of human frailty and insightful in the "habits of heaven." Maybe not the most organized man though. So reverencing Paul - no I better not, it will go to his head.

A somewhat low church priest became the interim priest at an Anglo Catholic parish. He went along with all the customs including having the servers take off and put on his vestments during the Mass.

At first he was annoyed. It offended his democratic instincts. But after having it happen Sunday after Sunday he said, "I didn't feel pride I felt humility. It took humility to allow others to care for me." It only "goes to the head" of those already inclined to narcissism. For those inclined by grace to humility, it reinforces the humility.

Three things about "the habits of heaven;" ways of participating in God's glory and humility.

The first is thoughtful listening and talking (what the tradition calls "restraint of speech"). The second is bearing one another's burdens.

Thoughtful listening and talking is about respect for others and for the community. It's an inner silence that seeks the voice of God. It's making room for the ideas of others, stepping aside from gossip and grumbling about all the little things of life; it's having a lightness of spirit but not taking everything as something to make light of. It is a form of mutual obedience in which we make decisions in consultation with others.

Most of us have had the experience of someone being with us an in a genuine manner being a thoughtful listener and talker. Those are times of God's glory and humility.

The second "habit of heaven" is bearing one another's burdens.

For some of us the difficulty is in being willing to bear the burdens of others; for many of us it's the reverse, we have a hard time allowing others to carry us in some way.

Recently, with great hesitation, I asked a close friend, "if I get ill will you do what you can to help me?"  I had never asked that before.  I knew I would do it for that friend. That was easy. What was not easy was to ask the friend to consider taking care of me.

There are two biblical understandings involved here: First - "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) Second - "He saved others; he cannot save himself" (Matthew 27:42)

The idea might be taken at several levels. There are the acts of courtesy in which we give way for another or reverence each other. We allow the other car to move through the intersection ahead of us. And, we submit to the other driver waving us ahead of her. We acknowledge the street person's

presence and receive his blessing or curse with grace. Another level may be in the acts of physically assisting one another - helping someone move or picking up another's bag. We can take on one another's emotional and spiritual burdens of pain and fear.  That might include something as limited as sympathizing with another, but it moves far beyond that to the idea that we might actually bear the weight of another's pain and fear. It is not just being willing to pick up one end of a heavy load; it is taking upon ourself the full weight of that load. In that process the burden of the other is relieved.

Here's the third way of Glory and Humility.

The ways of the Holy City are such that if we begin to take it ourselves too seriously - there will soon be a invitation to "get a grip."

A few weeks ago I was at Evening Prayer in the Diocese of Colorado. Erika was walking toward me. She and I had huge fight a year earlier and had since then developed a friendship.

This was at the Church Development Institute of that diocese. To make sense of this you need to know that I founded CDI many years ago, that it is one of the largest leadership training programs in the Episcopal Church, that I am very good at consulting and training, and I am the lead trainer in Colorado. The day had gone very well.

In some people's minds, and occasionally in my own, it makes me an important figure. So, I'm at Evening Prayer with these 40 people there in Colorado Springs. Erika was about to walk past me and as she does she turns to me and makes a profound bow with a smirk on her face. Just in case I was feeling full of myself - with reverence and affection she offered her -- "well, la de da"

The point of all this isn't that you should bow to Rachel and Paul - though a certain sacramental reverence might be good for the soul

We share in the Glory of God and in the humility of God.

There is  a polarity to hold in mind --

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal."

 AND

If you find it all going to your head - "well, la de da"