Our God Reigns: Let us Reign with Him in Truth!
Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37
On Christ the King Sunday, a priest preached a sermon on the need for every Christian to join the regular army of the Lord, so that the kingdom of the Lord may expand upon earth. At the end of Mass, the priest was greeting and shaking hands with parishioners, when he noticed a man whom he didn’t see regularly at Mass; so he said to him: you need to join the Lord’s regular army. The man responded, I am already in the Lord’s army, Father. The priest protested: I only see you twice a year at Mass – at Christmas and Easter. The man responded: Father, I belong to the Lord’s secret service!
Christ-the-King Sunday speaks about time, everlasting time with God! In order words, there is time for every activity under the earth: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to sow and a time to reap – today, it’s time to celebrate Christ our King, who reigns and continues to reign! The theme of the reign of God suggests itself for this week for two reasons: 1) should we understand that the powers of evil and destruction can never topple the power of God and goodness, despite the cataclysmic and doomsday day scenarios depicted last Sunday, then, we understand that God comes to pick up his elect reign with him; and, 2) this Sunday’s readings do not mince words but make the reign of God emphatic even now!
Yes, our God reigns! Daniel, centuries back, testifies to the kingship of God, thanks to the visions granted him, in our first reading. The same Daniel who testified to the cataclysmic end of creation, testifies today to the fact that God is more powerful than creation; he testifies too that the destiny of the human person is not destruction, but imperishability with God – a God who is imperishable.
Yes, our God reigns! The reign of God is about the reign of human beings: for God to intervene to save human beings shows a God who is not a loner, but one who enjoys human fellowship and company; a God who does all that is necessary to save human beings: not even cosmic powers and phenomena can withstand him.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? because our second reading shows that he sent Jesus to die to make us heirs of God. He reigns to lift us up to the heavenly realms with him; he comes to earth to tell us about our dignity and citizenship, a dual citizenship: a temporary one here and now on earth, and when earth gets transformed, we begin to enjoy our second citizenship – an eternal citizenship in heaven with God.
Yes, our God reigns! His kingship was, is and continues to be – to use a time frame language – no wonder he is the Alpha and the Omega: he has neither beginning nor end. And if time exists, it exists only to measure his/God’s activities. If we have ups and downs in life, these are just theaters for the drama of God’s power to unfold, even Jesus himself did not escape from these realities of life – he died to save us.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? “Every eye shall see him,” says our second reading, even the eyes of “those who pierced him”: for they killed him in ignorance, so his mercy also extends to them too because he is almighty – not even sin can stand in his way of salvation, free salvation for sinners.
Yes, our God reigns! Why? The Jewish people who handed him over to Pilate for crucifixion, according to our gospel reading, are his children as well. Pilate, a Roman governor, albeit, a coward who fails to stand up for truth and justice, but blames the Jewish leadership for Jesus’ misfortune, is loved by Jesus who tells him my kingdom is not of this world. A fearful and frightful Pilate gets consolation from a prisoner/Jesus whom he thought he had powers over his life – the author of life, Jesus, becomes a victim of life and human power and domination, but just for a time.
Yes, our God reigns! “Am I a Jew?” Pilate asks Jesus, Jesus who makes both the Jews and the Romans children of God! “Your nation and the chief priests handed you offer to me,” says Pilate: an accusation against the bad guys, and he and the Romans are the good guys, even though he fails to mete out justice that stirs him in the face – he needs to defend Jesus, but he scapegoats others! You know what, Jesus loves him and says to him: “you say I am king,” but I am here on the side of the Truth: if I were to judge, everybody is condemned, but I bring the Truth – God reigns, and human powers and kingdoms cannot impinge on God’s reign!
God reigns or Christ-the-King Sunday pleads that we need everyone to join the regular army of the Lord to show our world that God reigns! The secret service members are the cowards who have gone into hiding and need to come into full view! Pilate shows us the cowardice of those in the secret service because they escape from confessing that our God reigns through their lives. Each time Truth is persecuted, there goes a secret service Christian! Each time a Christian stands and confesses our mighty God before the world, behold a regular army of God
The Truth is: Our God reigns! He reigns here and now because he has the whole world in his hands; he reigns here and now in our governments, should they rule in Truth; he reigns in me and in you, should we become channels of Truth and justice (members of the Lord’s regular army); he will continue to reign, for even our sins cannot bring his reign to an end – our God reigns: long live Christ our King!
Assignment for the Week
Can you tell nothing but the truth, no matter the cost, this week?