"Allegiance to the King" - John 18:33-37 (11-22-09)

Christ is at his own trial before Pilate and is about to receive the Royal Treatment! Christ stands before the throne of Pilate. Jesus is facing the greatest test and challenge in his calling by the Father to be a sacrifice for sin and an example of love to us. Pilate enters the room and Christ is summoned and questioned! Pilate, the representative of the dominant Roman Empire is concerned that the King of the Roman Empire might be threatened by someone here in this small outpost who has been causing enough trouble with the locals that they have accused him of a political crime.

Are you the King of the Jews? Pilate asked him. The life and ministry of Jesus is not in alignment with the powers of allegiance of the kingdoms of this world. Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. The reign of God is both hidden and revealed. Jesus was born that the reign and kingdom of God might break into our lives! When we hear this good news, God’s reign breaks in and pulls us into alignment and allegiance to a different way of doing life!

Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday in the Church Calendar year. We do not order our faith lives around the Roman Calendar of January-December; or around the budget year or around the school year. Our Allegiance to time and order is based upon the King of Kings. Someday, Jesus will come on the clouds the way the Revelation, chapter 1 passage says.

Christ the King Sunday is always the last Sunday of the Church Year. It is the end of the season of our spiritual journey and next week is the beginning of a new spiritual journey starting with Advent. Advent is the first Sunday of the church calendar, a season of waiting and preparation. So it is with this ending and this new beginning that we remember the promises of God that have been with us throughout our lives.

I know the announcement this week was a surprise. The resignation was something that took many by surprise. I wasn’t expecting Oprah to announce her resignation. She will be done on September 9, 2011 so that gives us over 600 days to worship her as the Queen of Day time talk shows. I’m not sure if that will give us all enough time to grieve her resigning from her role in the church that Oprah built. Perhaps she is close to royalty in our culture so it with sadness that we heard that she will be surrendering her throne.

Well it was not easy for me to resign and surrender to the king. You must be willing to surrender your will and ask God to lead and guide. When I told the council president of the upcoming call to serve Zion Lutheran Church in Rockford, IL a few weeks ago, it was not something I was looking forward to. I wasn’t looking forward to standing in front of you today and tell you about my resignation as the Pastor at Living Waters. You all have received the letter that I sent out this week announcing my resignation as the Pastor here. Today we remember the ministry we have shared together. We have seen the reign of God break in through the various joys and sorrows we have shared. We remember the trials and tribulations that have taken place in our personal lives and the body as a whole and wondered when the hiddeness of God’s kingdom will break in.

As I gathered with the Church Council on Tuesday evening to formally resign as the Pastor of Living Waters Lutheran Church, we joked about whether or not they would accept the resignation. The church council unfortunately had to accept it. Today we all need to resign. We need resign as general managers of our little world. We need to resign from trying to fix every person, problem and place in our world. We need to resign to the truth that we must lay our crowns down! Wonder of wonders, God will accept your resignation.

About seven years ago, I went to visit the Francis family in their new home to offer a prayer of blessing. As we visited, Luke showed me a label maker he was getting using. I was wearing my cleric that day and I let him put a label on my cleric that read, “Pastor Mike”. I never took that label off and actually never used it. I saw it this morning in my pile of clerics and decided to wear it. I too must pledge my allegiance to the king and lay down this role as the pastor of Living Waters.

We are being called to lay down our crowns at the foot of the cross. We are the subject of the king and we lay our crowns down again today. God is calling you and me to recommit our allegiance to Christ and to lay down our crowns. Our allegiance calls us to place all of our time, talent and treasures at the throne of the cross. God will bless them for the sake of the God’s kingdom.

Let us pray: Gracious God, it is never easy to pray “thy kingdom come and thy will be done” but we gather today again to seek your will and to renew our allegiance to your reign and rule. Guide us as we kneel before you today. Renew us as your subjects, we pray in Jesus name. Amen.