The King of Life
Sermon
Doors To God
SPECIAL OCCASION SERMONS
Each person has a king. Restated, each person has something that they hold to be most important in life.
Some people make money the king of their lives. In the United States money is the king for many. Alexis de Tocqueville said in 1835:
I know of no country, indeed, where the love of money has taken stronger hold on the affections of men.1
Ogden Nash, with tongue in cheek, expressed the disillusionment of many whose king has easily disappeared:
O money, money, money, I’m not necessarily one of those who think thee holy,
But I often stop to wonder how thou canst go out so fast when thou comest in so slowly.2
The author of the first letter to Timothy was expressing a basic truth when he wrote, 'The love of money is the root of all evil.' (1 Timothy 6:10a)
Some make power the king of life. John Godfrey Saxe put it this way:
In the struggle for power, or the scramble for pelf,
Let this be your motto, -- Rely on yourself!
For, whether the prize be a ribbon or throne,
The victor is he who can go it alone!3
Yet as Lord Acton said, 'Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.'4
Zechariah spoke of the dangers of making power king when he wrote, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.' (Zechariah 4:6)
Still others make pleasure the king of life. Spinoza put it this way:
The things which… are esteemed as the greatest good of all… can be reduced to these three headings: to wit, Riches, Fame, and Pleasure.5
Yet those who make pleasure king often become the most miserable. All human kings are fickle; therefore, we should give ourselves only to the highest, heavenly king.
On that first Palm Sunday, as Jesus made his way into Jerusalem, the disciples cried to him, 'Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' As he made that triumphal entry some in Jerusalem believed that he would lead a revolt to drive out the Romans. Others looked upon him as a troublemaker. Still others thought of him as a prophet. Most probably paid no attention to him. Yet, some saw God in him, and it was these who made him King of life.
Before the week was over, he was crucified like a common criminal. How could such a person be a king? Jesus did not aim to set up a political kingdom. Earlier he was said to have withdrawn to the hills when a group was about to make him king by force. Yet his kingship may be verified in three ways.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in that he meets the deepest needs of the human spirit. All are in need of the salvation which the Christ as King of life gives. All need to be saved from sin, injustice, mortality, unbelief and fear.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in the people who have made him King. Jesus took a wavering fisherman named Simon and made him into a 'Rock.' He saw the cheating Zacchaeus to be a potential 'son of Abraham.' He has literally changed the course of history, and that means the lives of countless people within history.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in the social and political world. Neither through greed nor hate shall world peace be found. World peace and security are possible only if people will practice the love taught by the Christ.
On that first Palm Sunday, as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples to a village nearby; there, he told them, they would find a colt upon which no one had ever sat. His instructions were that the colt was to be untied and brought to him. If anyone asked them, 'Why are you untying it?' they were to reply, 'The Lord has need of it.' (Luke 19:31)
The Lord today has need of the lives of people. On this Palm Sunday millions about the world again are proclaiming 'Hosanna.' The word 'king' means 'one who is able.' Christ as King of life is able to lift life to eternal dimensions. Let all of us join today with those early disciples in proclaiming, 'Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord.'
Prayer
'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' (Psalm 90:1-2)
At this season, when we are reminded again of the Cross of the Christ, we thank You, God, for him. For his life, his death, and his Resurrection we are grateful. With the crowds of that first Palm Sunday we cry, 'Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord!' (Matthew 21:9b)
Forgive us for those times when we have crucified the best by our worldliness, our timidity, our fickleness, our cowardice, our cruelty. Look with compassion on us and forgive us, for so often we know not what we do.
Help us to accept him as the King of life who will lead us into greater paths of service. Make us more sensitive to the needs of the poor, the hungry, and the cold, lest we cry, 'Hosanna' with our lips but go on living selfishly without the suffering servant as our Lord.
On this Palm Sunday fill us with joy, and strengthen us for the tasks which fall to us. May the entry of the Christ be a triumphal one into each of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Some people make money the king of their lives. In the United States money is the king for many. Alexis de Tocqueville said in 1835:
I know of no country, indeed, where the love of money has taken stronger hold on the affections of men.1
Ogden Nash, with tongue in cheek, expressed the disillusionment of many whose king has easily disappeared:
O money, money, money, I’m not necessarily one of those who think thee holy,
But I often stop to wonder how thou canst go out so fast when thou comest in so slowly.2
The author of the first letter to Timothy was expressing a basic truth when he wrote, 'The love of money is the root of all evil.' (1 Timothy 6:10a)
Some make power the king of life. John Godfrey Saxe put it this way:
In the struggle for power, or the scramble for pelf,
Let this be your motto, -- Rely on yourself!
For, whether the prize be a ribbon or throne,
The victor is he who can go it alone!3
Yet as Lord Acton said, 'Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.'4
Zechariah spoke of the dangers of making power king when he wrote, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.' (Zechariah 4:6)
Still others make pleasure the king of life. Spinoza put it this way:
The things which… are esteemed as the greatest good of all… can be reduced to these three headings: to wit, Riches, Fame, and Pleasure.5
Yet those who make pleasure king often become the most miserable. All human kings are fickle; therefore, we should give ourselves only to the highest, heavenly king.
On that first Palm Sunday, as Jesus made his way into Jerusalem, the disciples cried to him, 'Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' As he made that triumphal entry some in Jerusalem believed that he would lead a revolt to drive out the Romans. Others looked upon him as a troublemaker. Still others thought of him as a prophet. Most probably paid no attention to him. Yet, some saw God in him, and it was these who made him King of life.
Before the week was over, he was crucified like a common criminal. How could such a person be a king? Jesus did not aim to set up a political kingdom. Earlier he was said to have withdrawn to the hills when a group was about to make him king by force. Yet his kingship may be verified in three ways.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in that he meets the deepest needs of the human spirit. All are in need of the salvation which the Christ as King of life gives. All need to be saved from sin, injustice, mortality, unbelief and fear.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in the people who have made him King. Jesus took a wavering fisherman named Simon and made him into a 'Rock.' He saw the cheating Zacchaeus to be a potential 'son of Abraham.' He has literally changed the course of history, and that means the lives of countless people within history.
The kingship of the Christ is verified in the social and political world. Neither through greed nor hate shall world peace be found. World peace and security are possible only if people will practice the love taught by the Christ.
On that first Palm Sunday, as Jesus approached Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples to a village nearby; there, he told them, they would find a colt upon which no one had ever sat. His instructions were that the colt was to be untied and brought to him. If anyone asked them, 'Why are you untying it?' they were to reply, 'The Lord has need of it.' (Luke 19:31)
The Lord today has need of the lives of people. On this Palm Sunday millions about the world again are proclaiming 'Hosanna.' The word 'king' means 'one who is able.' Christ as King of life is able to lift life to eternal dimensions. Let all of us join today with those early disciples in proclaiming, 'Blessed be the King who comes in the name of the Lord.'
Prayer
'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' (Psalm 90:1-2)
At this season, when we are reminded again of the Cross of the Christ, we thank You, God, for him. For his life, his death, and his Resurrection we are grateful. With the crowds of that first Palm Sunday we cry, 'Blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord!' (Matthew 21:9b)
Forgive us for those times when we have crucified the best by our worldliness, our timidity, our fickleness, our cowardice, our cruelty. Look with compassion on us and forgive us, for so often we know not what we do.
Help us to accept him as the King of life who will lead us into greater paths of service. Make us more sensitive to the needs of the poor, the hungry, and the cold, lest we cry, 'Hosanna' with our lips but go on living selfishly without the suffering servant as our Lord.
On this Palm Sunday fill us with joy, and strengthen us for the tasks which fall to us. May the entry of the Christ be a triumphal one into each of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
