"'All Be Safely Gathered In': Gathering of Treasure"

Text: St. Luke 23:33-43
Theme: “’All Be Safely Gathered In’: Gathering of Treasure”
Christ the King/Reign of Christ
November 21, 2010
First Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
The Rev. Paul R. Dunklau

+In the Name of Jesus+

33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus* there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]]* And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah* of God, his chosen one!’ 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38There was also an inscription over him,* ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding* him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?* Save yourself and us!’ 40But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into* your kingdom.’ 43He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

There are three items that I want to talk about in this morning’s message. I assure you there will be only one message and not three! Last week, these three items, topics, and/or themes (whatever you wish to call them) have been bouncing around in my head and heart. It was very frustrating, quite honestly, because the topics would not sit still. They all demanded equal time. The minute I isolated one theme, the other two started complaining. If I looked at only two themes, the third theme would sit in the corner of my brain and pout. Compounding the problem is the fact that each of these items are so rich in meaning that an entire sermon wouldn’t come close to doing a justice to a single one of them.

At one point, I thought about setting aside all three items and talking about something different altogether. I toyed with the idea of having no sermon at all today. (Admit it! Some of you are thinking: “That’s a novel idea! Why didn’t you do that?”) But then I discovered something that could tie all three themes together and deliver them to you – each one of you! – as a gift. And what a precious, powerful, spiritually effervescent gift it is!

But first, we consider three themes, and here they are: 1) Christ the King; 2) Thanksgiving, and 3) money.

Consider Christ the King! The Scriptures declare that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, God in the flesh. That’s who Christ is. Along with that, the Bible goes to great lengths to present to us what Christ does. What He does revolves around His three-fold office as prophet, priest, and King. Those are the roles He plays, the charges He keeps. A prophet speaks the Word of God. A priest is involved with worship and the sacrifices that go with it. Kings rule. So today, on the last Sunday in the church year, which is traditionally known as Christ the King Sunday, we gather to celebrate the rule and reign of Jesus Christ. Our God is not dictator, tyrant, emperor, emir, city council member, legislator, mayor, governor, or president. Our God is King. Therefore, you and I are ultimately the subjects of a monarchy. Pontius Pilate said to Jesus: “So you are a King then.” Jesus replied: “It is for that reason that I came.”

Just yesterday I visited with a gentleman from England, and I was reminded that our friends in Great Britain have their royalty. Currently, Queen Elizabeth, who resides at Buckingham Palace, sits on the British throne. Then we have Prince Charles and his son, the recently engaged Prince William, waiting in the wings. But for quite awhile now, the actual governmental power in Britain has not resided at Buckingham Palace with the Queen. Rather, it is lodged with the Prime Minster, at Ten Downing Street, and with the British parliament. The Queen is a figurehead of government, a vestige of what once was.

Folks, let me be the first to admit that I often treat my King, Jesus Christ, like a figurehead, or like a vestige of what once was. Oh, I respect and honor Jesus Christ – as our friends from England respect and honor their Queen. I acknowledge His influence down through nearly two thousand years of recorded history. But then I see the world in the clear light of day, and I take note – again, in the clear light of day – that the world is going nuts. Or I seem to think it is. It’s like no one is in charge, and so you must get up each day, roll the dice, wish yourself luck, and look out for #1 – and for the handful of peeps you care about most! That’s it! The fightings and fears in my head and heart readily gain the upper-hand, and they dispute the monarchy, the rule, the reign, or – to use a favorite term of Presbyterians – the sovereignty of Christ the King. So essentially, Christ becomes a figurehead but not the real deal. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Now let me reflect on our second theme, Thanksgiving. Set aside the turkey, the dressing, the pumpkin pie, the Cowboys game, and the Black Friday shopping plans for just a second to consider this: at the heart of Thanksgiving is gratitude. Gratitude is an emotion. Emotions are things you feel. Anger is an emotion. Sorrow is an emotion. Joy is an emotion. So is gratitude. Someone has said that gratitude, of all the emotions, is the least felt. Whoever said that is onto something, I think. Folks, when I look at my life there are so many things to be grateful for that I don’t know where to begin. And at times, on account of that, I don’t begin at all. Instead, I start to think of areas in life where emotions, other than gratitude, start to arise. As result, instead of gratitude, I end up with a vague – and, at times, very clear! – sense of entitlement. A sense of entitlement is first in line to fill the void when gratitude is missing.

Now, here are a few thoughts on money. Some folks have lots. Some folks have little. Some have none at all. Others have already spent what they have yet to earn. Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha”, once said of money: “It comes in paper and it goes out paper.” But that was before BillPay. Now money comes in electronically and goes out electronically. Speaking of the accumulation of money, Andy Rooney, of 60 Minutes fame, once said: “It’s not that I want to be rich. I just don’t want to be poor. I want to stay even.” John D. Rockefeller, an extremely wealthy figure in American history, was once asked when he was most content. He quickly replied: “When I have more money than I have right now.” Follow the logic on that; he was never content.

There are all kinds of thoughts on money. The Bible itself has thoughts of its own. But what ultimately – and, I might add, helpfully – emerges from God’s Word is a picture of faithful stewardship. It involves managing – or, better yet, caring about – who you are and what you have been given. This certainly involves money.

In the May of this past year, First Presbyterian Church marked its 132nd birthday. The history of our congregation is well-chronicled in a hard-bound book – titled, simply, History of The First Presbyterian Church – put together to celebrate the congregation’s 125th in 2003. What emerges from the book is a picture of faithfulness to God coupled with a stewardship that is quiet, deep, and generous. In this year alone, through some uncertain and rocky times, you dear people have been led to support the ministry of Word and Sacrament in this place, in the residences of the homebound, and in the broader community; you have enabled music and the arts to flourish in our midst; you have supported the faith formation and Christian education of people – particularly our young people; you have made provision to care for this house of worship and the facilities that go with it. You have supported the work of Christian mission worldwide through Grace Presbytery, the Synod of the Sun, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). Your gifts have assisted the Denton Christian Preschool as it seeks to share smiles, love, laughter, and tangible support to some of the neediest children and families in Denton. Your generosity, together with that of other congregations in town, have enabled hundreds meals a week to be shared – free of charge – to the hungry and homeless through Our Daily Bread.

One of my favorite writers, Richard Neuhaus, once wrote a prayer, and it goes like this: “God, give us the lightheartedness of those who know that every cause of ours that is good is Yours before it is ours.” The causes of First Presbyterian Church are good because they are God’s!

Finally, I repeat those three themes: Christ the King, Thanksgiving, and money. What ties them all together is today’s Gospel, the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. Yes, Christ is our King. Kings are enthroned. Christ the Kind was enthroned upon a cross. A king wears a crown. Christ was crowned with thorns. At Thanksgiving, the better angels of our nature pause to count the blessings. Christ the King counted the cost, and He paid for it with His life.

Last week at Sotheby’s auction house, a 24ct pink diamond was sold for over forty five million dollars. Contrast that to when they cast lots for Jesus’ clothing. Yet, in actual fact, it was our sin that auctioned off the life of Christ on that cross. But through that cross He gave us a gift to which no dollar value could ever be assigned. He shed His blood, and our King gave us the victory of suffering love.

Not long ago, someone asked me: “Paul, are you good at asking for money?” “I don’t think so; I’m never comfortable doing it,” I replied. But I will ask you to join me in doing this: put the suffering love of Christ the King at the top of our Thanksgiving gratitude list. And realize, down to the very marrow of your bones, that the cause of Christ the King – the cause of suffering love – is worthy of our full support.
Amen.