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Lectionary Notes -
Reign of Christ/Christ the King Sunday
(view
sermon or sermon for this text)
Readings for Christ the King/Reign of
Christ, 11/26/06:
2 Samuel 23:1-7, Psalm 132:1-12, Revelation
1:4b-8, John 18:33-37
2 Samuel 23:1-7:
- "the last words of David." Handily, David's last
words are eloquent and of faith. What do you hope your last words will be? We
never can be sure which will be our last. My grandfather's last words were "I
love you," and my family all carries the comfort of those words wit us.
- In verse 3, David talks about a just ruler. Do you
think he sees himself that way, or do you think he wishes he could have been
more like the description he gives?
- Unfortunately, the last of his last words are about his
enemies being consumed "in fire on the spot." I hope I'm not worrying about
enemies on my deathbed. But I guess David was worried about the future of the
nation he had rules as a whole.
Psalm 132:1-12:
- This Psalm ties into the Old Testament lesson, a sort
of eulogy or prayer for David's soul, perhaps right at the time of his death.
What do you think others will say about you at your death? In the immediate
context? Years later?
- "until I find a place for the Lord." It is funny to
think about having to find a physical place for God to 'hang out' in. But I
can relate to trying to find a place for God in my heart. Where is your place
for God?
- There is a lot of concern in this Psalm over family
legacy. What do you want to be passed down and kept in your family for
generation after generation?
Revelation 1:4b-8
- People have a fascination with the End Times. Just look
at this recent
Cnn.com article about the 'Left Behind' series account of the Rapture and
second coming of Christ. Revelation is a book that confuses, and scares, but
in my mind is rarely interpreted in congregations in a way that is helpful. I
took a class at Drew last year on
Revelation with Dr. Stephen Moore.
Everything, while still over my head sometimes, made more sense after learning
much more about the context in which Revelation was written. Learning that, I
could finally let the text speak to me in meaningful ways! Anyway...
- "I am the Alpha and the Omega" - Unfortunately I have
read this text too many times recently, at the funerals of dear church
members. But there is comfort in knowing that our beginning and our ending and
everything before, after, and in between, is with God, in God, of God.
- "Look, He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see
him, even those who pierced him." Human nature wants to make sure people pay
and get what they deserve, right? All while being convinced that we deserve
better than they do! Here is Jesus returning, and the biggest concern is that
the bad guys get what's coming to them. Where is the joy at being with Christ?
John 18:33-37:
- Before moving to Advent, we're suddenly jolted to the
last days of Jesus' life on Reign of Christ/Christ the King Sunday. The move
is a bit jarring, and I think it is mean to be. In Christmas, we always must
have some Easter, and vise versa.
- "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus wants to know why
Pilate asks this question. What do you think? Pilate evades a direct answer.
He implies no knowledge of Jesus prior to this exchange. Do you think Pilate
had heard of Jesus already? What would it be like to hear of Jesus first and
only from those who hated him, like the chief priests?
- What does it mean to testify to the truth? Have you
ever had to give testimony in court? Can two people describe the scene of an
accident differently and still think they are telling the truth? Jesus says we
"belong to the truth." What do you think he means?
- Jesus talks about his kingdom being "not form this
world." Some people take that to mean that God's kingdom has no earthly place,
but I don't think that's what he means. The kingdom of God is here and now and
arriving and at hand. But I think he reminds us that the source - the origin -
is with God.
Pastor’s Note: (I use the
Greek-English Lexicon from Liddell and Scott,
the “little Liddell” and the Metzger et. al Greek New Testament in my translation
work.)
Lectionary Notes are from
Rev. Beth Quick.
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