We plant the seeds of the Kingdom here,
And we trust that God will bring them to fruition,
That God will bring about a new heaven and a new earth,
A world where justice and peace will reign forever.
-Bishop Ken Untener
Dear Siblings in Christ,
First of all, I must apologize for not starting our Bible study last month – we will start it after my ordination/installation on October 19th, and after the Day of Discernment November 2nd, which are both just around the corner. Time is flying by this fall, as we approach one of my favorite days, which used to be called Christ the King, and now is sometimes called Reign of Christ. This holiday, celebrated on November 23rd, marks the end of the liturgical year – it is the Sunday before Advent, which comes on November 30th this year. (On a side note, please do join us for that Fifth Sunday joint service, when the cantor choir will sing Advent songs both old and new.)
The Gospel readings from Luke, as we move towards the end of the liturgical year, focus on this concept of the “Kingdom of God,” as Jesus calls it. This coming Sunday, we will hear Jesus speak the famous words reminding his disciples that the Kingdom of God is “in your midst,” or “within you,” or “among you,” depending on which translation you read. We may find the word “Kingdom” as outdated and distasteful as we find the phrase “Jesus is Lord.” Especially nowadays, when we hear most American Christians using dominator language to describe Jesus, we tend to cringe and want to change the language to something like “Kin-dom” or “Realm of God” and change the word “Lord” to “Love.” These are wonderful and appropriate sentiments, but we should not forget, as we witness the hegemony of the white supremacist, misogynistic, militaristic cult known as Christian Nationalism in our country, that during the time of the Romans, saying “Jesus is Lord” would have gotten you killed by the imperial government. It is a radical statement of resistance to empire.
This past summer, Pastor Alfredo Lopez of Downey Memorial Christian Church in Los Angeles confronted ICE agents in his church parking lot as they were arresting a man there. He asked for their identity and if they had a warrant. Not only did they refuse, but they pointed their rifles at the pastor. When Pastor Lopez told them they were on church property, the masked agent responded, “This whole country is our property.”
My siblings, this is why the authors of the 1936 Barmen Declaration in Germany proclaimed Jesus Christ as their “One Lord.” In response to the rise of the so-called “German Christians,” who “took the union of Christianity, nationalism and militarism for granted,” these pastors, theologians, and other church members resisted by writing a confession of faith which rejected the false doctrine of the German Christians. I encourage you to read the document in its entirety; here is just one passage:
“As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures.”
The concepts of “joyful deliverance” and “free, grateful service” lie at the heart of the celebration of the Reign of Christ. As we prayerfully approach the end of the liturgical year which proclaims that Jesus Christ as the head of our church, we call out the lie—and the sin—of Christian Nationalism. We proclaim the peaceful realm of God, in which all people are welcomed and protected, where all have food and shelter and safety—a realm of justice, of love, and of deep community and communion with each other, with the earth, and with our loving Creator. May we continue to work together for collective liberation, to bring about the freedom and joy which enfleshes the Kingdom of God among us.
With Love and Blessings,
Pastor Adina