Finding Faith ... in God's open book test

EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 3 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. This sermon took place on Nov. 17, 2020. This was the 30th digital service we performed after our church was shuttered because of the COVID pandemic.

After listening to Jesus' parable here in Matthew tonight, I have a question for you: When I use the word "empire," what visual images come to mind for you? ... Or how about the word "kingdom?"

Do you picture people who are possibly rich, rich with money or other riches? ... Do you picture people with lots of power? ... Is there uh a presidential seal in that picture that you think of when I use the words "empire" and "kingdom?" ... Are there thrones or scepters?

I'm just curious what it is that comes to mind when I use the word "empire" or the word "kingdom." ... I wonder because I've been thinking about that this week myself.

Tonight, being it is Christ the King Sunday, a day that we celebrate at the end of our Christian calendar, a day that we celebrate throughout this week, from our Tuesday service tonight to Sunday the actual day that is Christ the King Sunday ... it seems an appropriate question to ask of ourselves? ... Because, after all, Christ the King Sunday is a day on which we affirm God's reign over empires that do not hunger and thirst for righteousness. Or in other words, we celebrate his reign over earthly empires and kingdoms.

That isn't something that rulers of earthly kingdoms and earthly empires want us to hear. They are just as content for us to think about their riches and their power and their might. After all, that is how the powerful stay in power.

But what if as tonight's gospel suggests to us we had a different image or different images of what empire or kingdoms are made of? ... What if those images were something more like the pictures of a worker at the Dorothy Day house providing a meal for someone without a home? ... What if those images were the picture of a Salvation Army officer offering a cup of warm coffee to a thirsty person waiting in line on a cold winter's day for a meal? ... What if the images that came to mind were pictures of a jail chaplain visiting someone who is incarcerated and locked away from their loved ones? ... What if those pictures of empires and kingdoms that we thought of were the pictures of low-paid nurses aids working long hours caring for COVID patients who are lonely and afraid?

Today, Faith Family, we are being urged in our gospel by our anointed king, our savior, to view an empire or a kingdom in entirely different ways.

I'd like to for you to flip back to the gospel tonight and go about halfway down and listen to what Jesus tells us: "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink. And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing. And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you.'" And the king -- our king -- answered them, "Truly, I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me."

I don't know about you, Faith Family, but when I read that this week it really struck me as a poignant vision of what our anointed king expects in his kingdom here. ... Our mighty king, in this scripture, is telling us what his kingdom is like in heaven in the days to come, but also what his expectations of his kingdom is in the now! ... And I'm afraid this is very little like what the world tells us a kingdom or an empire is like.

And, if you ask me, it couldn't have come at a more important time. ... This message of our gospel tonight, this message from our anointed king, our heavenly king ... because Faith Family we are about to live through some very dark days, I'm afraid.

You can read the headlines as well as I can. ... You can see the news coming out of our hospitals just as well as I can. ... And the news seems even darker, believe it or not, than what we've lived through in the past nine months.

The COVID pandemic is spreading exponentially, not only here, but worldwide. But we are especially feeling the effects of it in the Midwest, and the next couple of months seem more dire than any time in the past year in which we have been lonely and afraid and locked in our homes. ... Deaths are going to continue to rise, and our hospitals will continue to bust at the seams. ... And our king tonight, Christ the King, is asking us how it is that we are going to respond in this time.

Are we going to feed the hungry? ... Are we going to give something to drink to the thirsty? ... Are we going to clothe the naked? ... Are we going to visit those in prison? ... Or perhaps more poignantly on this evening, our king -- Christ the King -- is asking us if we are going to wear those masks? ... Are we going to wash those hands? ... Are we going to practice social distancing, and take it seriously? ... Are we going to take care of the least of who are members of God's family? ... Or on this night, are we going to allow politics to continue to divide us and get in the way of what our king is asking? ... Or even worse yet, are we going to let the worldly empires and kingdoms determine our responses to caring for God's family?

Because tonight's gospel is asking us a very tough question: Will we be among the sheep on God's right hand? ... Or will we be among the goats on his left?

The message is pretty clear: There's no gray area in God's kingdom in this message of the gospel tonight. ... We are either sheep or we are goats. ... And it is in how we live our lives the determines which we are!

Faith Family, we are lucky because this is a test for which God gives us an open book! ... Do you remember back in school when the teacher said, "It is an open book test?" ... Tonight's gospel is an open book text, and we get to be sheep by taking care of the least of these! ... The least of God's family members by wearing those masks and staying home when necessary and respecting our most vulnerable among us!

And the fact that God gives us an open book to this test tonight, Faith Family, is our Good News for this Tuesday night, Nov. 17, and Sunday, Christ the King Sunday, Nov. 22. ... Amen.