Rev. Mary Shipley, November 26, 2006

The Alpha and the Omega

Revelations 1:4b-8

O Lord, we pray, breath into us your living word - your guiding spirit - your peace giving presence. Speak we pray by the words of my lips and in the meditations of our hearts. Touch us for your servants are open to your leading. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen

I must confess, I am a Bible junky and a church junky. I even love and know about things like what color the paraments should be when. The paraments are these lovely coverings that help us visually make the church seasons of the year. I know way too much information about the entire Wesley family. John Wesley is credited with being the founder of the Methodist church. I even know why today is an important day in our church year. Here are a few questions for you -

1. How many of you know what we call this Sunday in our church calendar? Today is Christ the King Sunday
2. Did you know that today is the last Sunday of our church year? Yes
3. Next Sunday starts a new year with which Sunday? First Sunday of Advent.

The book of Revelation is a remarkable early Christian writing. It is a fitting final document for the New Testament (and the Bible), for it testifies to that which is anticipated in all that went before-namely, the ultimate triumph of God.

The verses of our lesson come after the title and introductory statement at the outset of Revelation. It is difficult to imagine more doctrinal and confessional material being packed into four and a half verses of scripture than we find in this lesson. The author is assumed to be John, who was an early Christian leader.

John pronounces grace and peace upon those reading Revelation. This grace and peace is specifically associated with God and Jesus Christ. God is named in such a way that the reader ponders God's eternal character and majesty over all. Jesus is the faithful witness - a reference to his life and ministry, especially to his Passion and death.

He is called 'the firstborn of the dead', an unmistakable reference to his resurrection. And he is called 'the ruler of kings on earth', a recognition of his exaltation and Lordship. In combinations with the ways John names God and Jesus Christ, we may also think of grace as God's nature or character and peace as God's goal in relation to humanity.

The doxological pronouncements at the conclusion of the thanksgiving are more than lofty phrases heaped on the greeting like frosting on a cake. In the initial Christological doxology we learn of the meaning of the work of Jesus Christ. The phrase 'by his blood' indicates that John is offering an interpretation of the significance of the death of Jesus. It occurred for us out of Christ's love, and it gives us the freedom from our sins that grant us the peace that God desires for us.

Verse 7 employs words, phrases, and images related to the day of the Lord - a day appointed by God on which this world will be judged. As always in such eschatological passages, we are reminded that God through Christ rules the future, and the demand that God's standards regulate our lives is registered with force.

I personally connect with the words that John claims are God's own. The phrase "alpha and omega" refer to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, so that God is everything from A to Z. This inclusive 'omni-image' even picks up on the language used when God is referred to as the Almighty - recognizing that indeed God is the Lord of all.

When you "image" Christ - when you think of Jesus - what image or metaphor do you come up with for him?

I am rather fond of calling Jesus teacher and healer, and thinking of him as one who walks the journey of life with me, sometimes beside me - sometimes ahead of me and always as someone who talks with me - and counsels me on the way, someone with whom it is comfortable to be with - at least most of the time.
When you image Christ - when you think of Jesus - what image or metaphor do you use most often? Some people think of Jesus primarily in terms of the song that the Choir sang - they think of him as the good shepherd, as one who guides and leads, as the gentle Savior - who seek out the lost and injured sheep and carries the wounded and the lame on his shoulders till they are safe back in the fold. And I am partial to that image as well.

What image do you have of Christ? What metaphor are you partial to? I would wager that the image of Jesus as a King is not one that would win the most votes as the most common image among us here today -- or as the favorite image we have. When you think of a king what do you think of? What does the word "king" conjure up for you?

We name Jesus, here in our worship together, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. We hold him up as the one anointed by God, to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the one chosen by the ancient of days to be the deliverer and the Savior of the world. Jesus the King - it is an interesting and an important title in our tradition about Jesus -a title that bears looking at.

Being a king really meant something in Jesus' day. A king was the most powerful human being on earth. When a king would speak, the common people would tremble.

For nations, the king was the only means of securing order and peace. The king was, civilization and domestic tranquility personified in one person. He was to be honored and respected and served. He was to be revered and feared and obeyed. A king was everything and everybody rolled up into one. He was of utmost importance - so much so that time itself was calculated on the basis of when the King began his reign. In the fifth year of the reign of Julius Caesar… in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King David… in the year of our Lord, two thousand and six….

What does it mean for us to name Jesus King? Especially when you consider what we have done to kings in our day and age, indeed what have we done to all sources of authority. There is often little respect, or honor, there is little reverence for those who rule over us in the political realm. We have reduced our royalty to the status of soap opera stars. We sometimes regard politicians as corrupt or uncaring or out of touch.

The image of Jesus as King is an image that is hard to get hold of, and once gotten hold of, it is an image that is hard to take seriously. It is, I believe for most of us, a fantasy image, an image that belongs to stories that begin with the words, "Once upon a time, in a land far far away…"

What does it mean to call Jesus King? I came up with a few images: from childhood:

- fairy-tale kings: benevolent, often dead, with a wicked queen
- king of the hill: the game where the strongest pushes everyone else off the hill
- "king me": checkers king jumps in all directions, taking over and winning

From adult years:

- "the" King - Elvis Presley - of which no more needs to be said
- the King in the "Wizard of OZ" - a self-centered bumbling dictator
- king crab, king-sized ..., - the biggest and best
- king o' the road - a wanderer with no cares
- A chess king - one of limited movement and power to protect

What about you? What do you think of when you think of the word King? Do you, like some, think of people like Pilate? Like Caesar Augustus? Like David? Or George the III, or Louis XIV or Queen Elizabeth? Or even like President Bush? Do you think of people of immense power who are unafraid to issue orders and compel obedience, unafraid to ask others, no, to command others?

The simple fact is that lots of folk have difficulty with the concept of Jesus as a King and difficulty with the whole idea of the Kingdom of God. Can we imagine Jesus as a king? And does our image of Jesus as king extend to making him Lord over our lives? Do we even bother asking Jesus about the little things that happen each day seeking help, giving him thanks, asking guidance on what he would like us to do next? Do we ask ourselves before speaking to someone who has made us mad or talking to someone about what is happening in the house next door or between us and our boss? "What would Jesus say and do here?"
"What would Jesus want us to say or do here?"

Claiming Jesus as King is not just about what we do here during our worship time. It is more about what we do the other 166 hours a week. That is the issue at the heart of the Jesus is King language that the church employs. That is at the heart of the Kingdom of God language that Jesus employed. Sometimes being faithful is a difficult thing. Sometimes loving someone or being dedicated to them means doing things we do not want to do, a kind of tough love approach, but when we trust in God and believe that he will be faithful to us when we try to do what is right then, as Jesus says over and over again in the gospels the Kingdom of God is not far from us - indeed it is at hand - it is over us - and in us.

This compact, complex opening informs John's readers and us still today who God is, who Jesus Christ is, what God has done, is doing, and will do in Jesus Christ, and reminds us all that God's work in Jesus Christ places a claim on our lives. We are freed, but we are free for a purpose; and, God through Christ evaluates or lives. This declaration is more promise than threat, being meant to encourage those in difficulty to trust in God despite difficulties.

King language is uncomfortable for me, it is not something that I relate directly to - but it is an image that is worthy of Jesus Christ. It is an image that is important for us to wrestle with and claim as our own. There is a hymn that may not be the most upbeat and triumphant hymns to end with today, but it is one that I think is reflective of the text from revelation that we have been looking at today. It is a hymn that first and foremost reminds us that indeed, Jesus was part of the very creation of everything that we know - the Alpha.

The hymn describes the difficult time that Jesus had when he walked on this earth and was even killed. A death that Jesus accepted for each of us. The hymn declares Jesus' victory over death and reminds us of our eternal promises - the omega. Jesus is, has been and will be the King of all.

The hymn is called the Lord of the Dance. And the refrain states, "Dance, then wherever you may be; I am the Lord of the Dance, said he. And I'll lead you all wherever you maybe, and I'll lead you all in the dance said he." We are all part of this life or 'dance' as the hymn writer states. It is our choice whether we dance and whether we are graceful peace dancers or not.

In Junior High, I loved going to the monthly dances. As a girl it was so much fun to get ready. I would work on my '80's big hair." I would wear my imitation Jordache jeans. I had this pink ruffle shirt that I thought was great for dancing. And if I was lucky my mom would even let me wear a little make-up. So the big night would arrive and I could not wait until the slow dance time - of course, hoping that that one particular boy would ask me to dance.

But then the awkwardness of trying to figure out how to dance and have someone else lead the way was difficult. Sometimes we went in a different direction that I would not have picked, or twirled near people that I did not want to be with, or sometimes I would just step on the boys toes or vice versa. It was not easy, but I quickly adapted.

It is not easy to seek out help or guidance in life. Like dancing, it can be awkward. 'I will lead you all wherever you may be.' What does that mean for each of us? What does this mean for Nardin Park United Methodist Church?

Jesus is the Lord of the dance, of our lives. He always has been, he always will be. Blessed be the name of Jesus - he who is our friend, our brother, our shepherd, our teacher, our healer, our Lord, our Alpha and Omega, and our King, now and evermore.

Amen