{"id":973,"date":"2020-11-21T23:06:57","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T23:06:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=973"},"modified":"2020-11-21T23:06:57","modified_gmt":"2020-11-21T23:06:57","slug":"reign-of-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/21\/reign-of-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Reign of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-982\"\/><figcaption>Image of Jesus from the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, The University of Edinburgh<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dave, Cor, and Heather!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRELUDE: \u201cWalk in the Spirit of Love\u201d (Seabough\/Blankenship)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/walkinthespirit.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>OPENING PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>May your Reign begin, Lord:<br \/> And then all that has divided us will merge <br \/> And then compassion will be wedded to power <br \/> And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind<br \/> And then both men and women will be gentle<br \/> And then both women and men will be strong<br \/> And then no person will be subject to another\u2019s will <br \/> And then all will be rich and free and varied<br \/> And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many<br \/> And then all will share equally in the Earth\u2019s abundance<br \/> And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old<br \/> And then all will nourish the young<br \/> And then all will cherish life\u2019s creatures<br \/> And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth<br \/> And then everywhere will be called Eden once again. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN OF PRAISE: \u201cCrown him with many crowns\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/crownhim.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Crown him with many crowns,<br \/> the Lamb upon his throne:<br \/>     hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns<br \/>     all music but its own!<br \/> Awake, my soul, and sing<br \/> of him who died for thee,<br \/>     and hail him as thy matchless King<br \/>     through all eternity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Crown him the Lord of life,<br \/> who triumphed o&#8217;er the grave,<br \/>     and rose victorious in the strife<br \/>     for those he came to save.<br \/> His glories now we sing<br \/> who died and rose on high,<br \/>     who died eternal life to bring,<br \/>     and lives that death may die.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Crown him the Lord of peace,<br \/> whose power a sceptre sways<br \/>     from pole to pole, that wars may cease,<br \/>     absorbed in prayer and praise.<br \/> His reign shall know no end;<br \/> and round his pierced feet<br \/>     fair flowers of Paradise extend<br \/>     their fragrance ever sweet.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Crown him the Lord of love;<br \/> behold his hands and side,<br \/>     rich wounds yet visible above,<br \/>     in beauty glorified.<br \/> All hail, Redeemer, hail!<br \/> for thou hast died for me;<br \/>     thy praise shall never, never fail<br \/>     throughout eternity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRAYER OF CONFESSION<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of power and love, <br \/> you raised Jesus from death to life,<br \/> resplendent in glory to rule over all creation.<br \/> Free us from sin,  <br \/> and free the world to rejoice in his peace,<br \/> to glory in his mercy,<br \/> and to live in his love.<br \/> Unite all humankind in Jesus Christ your Son, <br \/> who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,<br \/> one God, forever and ever.  <br \/> Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>ASSURANCE OF PARDON<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God will give us what we need:<br \/>\nstrength for today,<br \/>\nhope for tomorrow,<br \/>\nand forgiveness<br \/>\nfor all that is past.<br \/>\nAmen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-10-1024x699.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-985\"\/><figcaption>Detail of a mosaic, East Village, New York City. Photo by Washingtonydc, Creative Commons, (BY-NC-SA 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>SPECIAL MUSIC: \u201cWe meet you, O Christ\u201d (Kaan)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/wemeetyou-dave.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>FIRST READING: Psalm 100<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Shout to God, all the earth:<br \/>     <strong>worship with gladness and joy.<\/strong><br \/> Come before God with laughter,<br \/>     <strong>our maker to whom we belong.<\/strong><br \/> To the Shepherd who tends us like sheep,<br \/>     <strong>let us raise our voices in song.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Come to God&#8217;s gates with thanks;<br \/>     <strong>come to God&#8217;s courts with praise.<\/strong><br \/> Praise and bless God&#8217;s name.<br \/>     <strong>&#8216;Truly you are good:<\/strong><br \/> you are always gracious,<br \/>     <strong>and faithful age after age.&#8217; \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>SECOND READING: Ephesians 1.15-23<\/p>\n\n\n<p>15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God\u2019s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cJesus shall reign where&#8217;er the sun\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/jesusshallreign.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus shall reign where&#8217;er the sun<br \/> does its successive journeys run;<br \/> his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,<br \/> till moons shall wax and wane no more.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>People and realms of every tongue<br \/> dwell on his love with sweetest song,<br \/> and infant voices shall proclaim<br \/> their early blessings on his name.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Blessings abound where&#8217;er he reigns;<br \/> and prisoners leap to lose their chains;<br \/> the weary find eternal rest,<br \/> and all who suffer want are blest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Let every creature rise and bring<br \/> peculiar honours to our King,<br \/> angels descend with songs again,<br \/> and earth repeat the loud Amen!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/november22sermon.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>If you know me, you know I like a good metaphor.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>A good metaphor can change the way we think, it can alter our sense of the world around us, and it can even direct what we do.  A good metaphor can reveal hard truths, it can mobilize people into action, and it can sometimes lead us in the wrong direction.  In other words, a good metaphor may not be good at all\u2014but it can be extremely effective.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Case in point: In 1964, Lyndon Johnson announced the War on Poverty, a comprehensive response to the poverty rate in the US approaching twenty percent.  Now, to our war-weary ears\u2014having lived through \u201cwars\u201d on drugs, cancer, and terror\u2014calling to mind the War on Poverty doesn\u2019t have the same impact as it had in 1964.  Back then, just nineteen years after the Second World War, using the war metaphor was highly effective.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You see, the war metaphor creates a mindset.  Nations at war must band together, confront a common enemy, and make sacrifices.  The appeal is obvious, and in 1964 it led to the creation of numerous social programs as well as a general sense of concern for something that was often hidden.  The shadow side, of course, can be seen in the War on Drugs, an effort that took hold in several countries and led to criminalization of addiction, militarization of the police, and the disproportional targeting of racialized communities.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Most recently, we have witnessed the use of the war metaphor in relation to the pandemic.  It is perhaps the closest parallel to an actual wartime situation, where the public is urged to make sacrifices for the sake of safety, warned against hoarding, and generally urged to \u201cdo our part.\u201d  One foolish man in Washington even declared himself a \u201cwartime president,\u201d before losing interest in the whole thing.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Again, there is a shadow side to the use of the war metaphor in the context of disease.  There is no \u201cfront\u201d in this war, with the virus lurking everywhere.  It has led some to cast blame on the people and places the disease began.  And it can lead us to celebrate sacrifice, especially among frontline heroes, without always asking what they truly need, like better hours, paid sick leave, or greater access to PPE.  And then there is the question about disease generally: is it something you conquer or something you learn to live with?  We need to handle our metaphors with great care.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Along with great care, we also need to lend metaphor great respect.  In the realm of scripture, we know that when seeking to describe the sublime, we often reach for metaphor.  The Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Alpha and Omega.  These are things we can see and touch, used to describe that which we struggle to comprehend.  We try them on, we adopt a favourite, and it transforms our understanding.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>St. Paul, master of words, is also busy giving us figurative language to try on.  And he\u2019s pretty transparent about it, famously admitting \u201cI have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.\u201d (1 Cor 9)  Some have cast \u201call things to all people\u201d in a negative light, but for Paul it points to his concern\u2014bordering on desperation\u2014about the state of our soul.  And so we read these words today: <\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Again, metaphor.  Having eyes on your heart would be awkward\u2014but in the poetic realm, it\u2019s magic.  He could have simply said \u201copen your eyes to the hope he has given you\u201d but he chose to add another image instead.  And before we really dig into this image, I want to point out one more thing.  Metaphor is a literal \u201crabbit hole\u201d when you consider these two short verses.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t see hope, unless you use imagination. <br \/>\nThe riches of this glorious inheritance can\u2019t be taken to the bank, they live inside us.  <br \/>\nThere is no outward sign that we are holy people, but God can see it.<br \/>\nWe are given \u201cincomparably great power,\u201d but it\u2019s not the power that the world would recognize.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The richness of symbolic language only works if you set aside the literal meaning of these words and enter the world that God has made, the \u201crealm of God\u201d where these words have power.  And with Paul as our guide, we can truly appreciate what the eyes our heart might see.  To do this, he might have us open our Bibles and go back, way back, to see where all this began.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>An early version of the \u201ceyes of the heart\u201d might be found in Genesis 6, where God is confounded by the creature God has made, and tries to understand.  The author reaches for the word <em>yetser<\/em>, meaning \u201cthoughts of the heart\u201d (Gen 6.5) or \u201cwhat is framed in the mind\u201d (BDB, 428a).  In a word, this is imagination.  And in Genesis it\u2019s generally about the mischief we can get into when we really put our minds to it.  Still, it frames this idea of imagination, and it begins in the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Likewise, the Greeks, when pondering imagination (what could be more Greek than pondering imagination?) gave us the word <em>phantasia<\/em>\u2014literally things that appear.  Obviously, we don\u2019t have to go too far out on a limb to see what Paul is conflating for us: thoughts of the heart and things that appear come together to give us the \u201ceyes of the heart.\u201d  Here is Paul, all things to all people, bringing together his Jewish self and his Greek thought to help us see God.  You need the eyes of our heart to see the glorious inheritance God has given us through Jesus Christ. Full stop.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>To conclude, we need a final metaphor, and that would be Christ the King, or the Reign of Christ, whichever you prefer.  It takes considerable imagination to make Christ the king of your heart\u2014 with all your mind, and all your soul\u2014but once you do, the riches of God dwell in you.  Put another way, we can \u201cput on Christ,\u201d (Rom 13) and be transformed.  Whatever metaphor you choose, Christ becomes the Lord of your life, and the eyes of your heart will open.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>I want to give the last word to Charles Wesley, words from a hymn that first appeared in the wonderfully named collection Hymns for those that Seek, and those that Have Redemption (Bristol, 1747) I think that describes all of us!  And I think his words best describe the Christian hope, when the eyes of your heart are open:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus, thou art all compassion,<br \/> pure, unbounded love thou art;<br \/> visit us with thy salvation,<br \/> enter ev&#8217;ry trembling heart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/image-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-984\"\/><figcaption>Detail of King from a Tree of Jesse window, Cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, Soissons, France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p>We thank you, compassionate God, <br \/>\nthat you hear the prayers of our hearts:<br \/>\nall who have found new life in Christ,<br \/>\nall who are seeking, dreaming, asking,<br \/>\nall who find comfort in their daily walk with you,<br \/>\nall who are grateful for opportunities to serve, <br \/>\nall who are surrounded by the love of family and friends,<br \/>\nAll who find hope in you.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>We thank you, compassionate God, <br \/>\nthat you hear the prayers of our hearts:<br \/>\nall who are vulnerable,<br \/>\nall who are tired of being tired,<br \/>\nall who are lonely,<br \/>\nall who struggle to get through each day,<br \/>\nall who are ill, or fear they may get ill,<br \/>\nall who grieve the loss of a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>We thank you, compassionate God, <br \/>\nthat you hear the prayers of our hearts:<br \/>\nall who seek justice, for a world made new,<br \/>\nall who cry for creation at risk,<br \/>\nall who advocate others, or for themselves,<br \/>\nall who assume risks for the sake of others,<br \/>\nall who wait for your reign to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Thank you, God, for hearing us in every situation of life.<br \/>\nHelp us to support one another always:  <br \/>\nrejoicing with those who rejoice, <br \/>\nand weeping with those who weep.  <br \/>\nWe want to be joined together <br \/>\nas members of the body of Christ, <br \/>\nloving one another and serving the world, <br \/>\nseeking your Kingdom.  <br \/>\nLike Jesus, we want to respond<br \/>\nto each human being who crosses our path <br \/>\nwith sensitivity and compassion.  <br \/>\nThis we pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>THE LORD\u2019S PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Our Father who art in heaven,<br \/>\nhallowed be thy name.<br \/>\nThy kingdom come,<br \/>\nThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread;<br \/>\nand forgive us our trespasses<br \/>\nas we forgive those who trespass against us;<br \/>\nand lead us not into temptation<br \/>\nbut deliver us from evil.<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom,<br \/>\nand the power, and the glory,<br \/>\nfor ever and ever. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cEternal, Unchanging, we sing to your praise\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/eternalunchanging.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Eternal, Unchanging, we sing to your praise:<br \/> your mercies are endless, and righteous your ways;<br \/> your servants proclaim the renown of your name<br \/> who rules over all and is ever the same.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Again we rejoice in the world you have made,<br \/> your mighty creation in beauty arrayed,<br \/> we thank you for life, and we praise you for joy,<br \/> for love and for hope that no power can destroy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>We praise you for Jesus, our Master and Lord,<br \/> the might of his Spirit, the truth of his word,<br \/> his comfort in sorrow, his patience in pain,<br \/> the faith sure and steadfast that Jesus shall reign.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>BLESSING<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,<br \/>\nand may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless<br \/>\nuntil our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.<br \/>\n\u20141 Thessalonians 5:23<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/meetagainredux.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>God be with you till we meet again;<br \/> loving counsels guide, uphold you,<br \/> with a shepherd\u2019s care enfold you;<br \/> God be with you till we meet again.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dave, Cor, and Heather! PRELUDE: \u201cWalk in the Spirit of &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/11\/21\/reign-of-christ\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Reign of Christ<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}