Lucia Lloyd’s sermon: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Nov 24, 2019
Last Pentecost, Year C
Luke 23:33-43
Actions speak louder than words. Jesus has been telling us about what the Kingdom of God is like, and now he shows us in his actions what the Kingdom of God is like. Today is a holiday in the church calendar, which is why the hangings are in festive white. It is the last Sunday of the church year, because Advent starts next Sunday. The last Sunday of the church year is always Christ the King Sunday. Christ the King Sunday always has a strong sense of irony in it, exactly because the way Christ presents kingship is very different from the old kinds of kingship humanity is used to. This year we have been reading through the gospel of Luke in our lectionary cycle, and in it Jesus has told us a lot of parables about what the Kingdom of God is like. The kingdom of God is about forgiveness. Jesus tells us:
- the parable of the Prodigal Son,
- the parable of the rich man who gives a banquet and when the rich are too busy to attend he invites the poor, the blind, and the lame,
- the parable of the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep.
In today’s gospel as we finish reading the gospel of Luke, we see that all of Jesus’ words about the Kingdom of God are fulfilled in his actions as a very different kind of king. Kings in the secular world are the people who have the most power and prestige, and they often use it to consolidate even more power and prestige for themselves. Ironically and paradoxically, Jesus shows his kingship in exactly the opposite way, as the crucifixion is the ultimate expression of his humility, sacrifice, and forgiveness.
Today’s gospel presents us with two responses to this kind of behavior. The first is exemplified by the first criminal, who resents Jesus for not acting like a secular king in power to save himself and the rest of the people who suffer, the way secular kings exercise power.
The second criminal says, “what’s the matter with you? We are criminals who deserve this punishment for our crimes, but this guy is innocent.” Then he turns to Jesus and says, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That’s it. He is a hardened criminal, but he knows innocence when he sees it. And he recognizes that there is something in Jesus very different from the way the world normally operates; so different that it’s the opposite. There is something in the humility of Jesus that brings forward his own humility, even though he is a hardened criminal, and instead of making him feel defensive about his guilt, to be open about his guilt, and to have the humility to ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Jesus, even as he is dying himself, says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
This moment has a beauty and a purity that cannot be destroyed by the ugliness or the pain or the cruelty. And that’s the whole point of this kind of kingship, that its beauty comes not from power and prestige, but from humility, innocence, and forgiveness. Raw power is not what saves us; what saves us is this forgiveness that we cannot earn, but which we receive as a gift.
What is the appropriate response to a gift? Thanksgiving. It reminds us that even when we are not innocent, we can be thankful that we benefit from the innocence of Christ. Even when we are not humble, we can be thankful that we benefit from the humility of Christ. Even when we, like the rest of humanity, do not deserve to be forgiven, we benefit from the forgiveness of Christ.
We value Christ not only for his teachings, but for his actions. We can continue to be judgmental and bitter until our dying breath, like the first criminal. Or we can respond to Jesus’ humility with our own humility, and we can respond to Jesus’ forgiveness with gratitude as we hear the words, “you will be with me in paradise.”
- the parable of the Prodigal Son,
- the parable of the rich man who gives a banquet and when the rich are too busy to attend he invites the poor, the blind, and the lame,
- the parable of the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep.
In today’s gospel as we finish reading the gospel of Luke, we see that all of Jesus’ words about the Kingdom of God are fulfilled in his actions as a very different kind of king. Kings in the secular world are the people who have the most power and prestige, and they often use it to consolidate even more power and prestige for themselves. Ironically and paradoxically, Jesus shows his kingship in exactly the opposite way, as the crucifixion is the ultimate expression of his humility, sacrifice, and forgiveness.
Today’s gospel presents us with two responses to this kind of behavior. The first is exemplified by the first criminal, who resents Jesus for not acting like a secular king in power to save himself and the rest of the people who suffer, the way secular kings exercise power.
The second criminal says, “what’s the matter with you? We are criminals who deserve this punishment for our crimes, but this guy is innocent.” Then he turns to Jesus and says, “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” That’s it. He is a hardened criminal, but he knows innocence when he sees it. And he recognizes that there is something in Jesus very different from the way the world normally operates; so different that it’s the opposite. There is something in the humility of Jesus that brings forward his own humility, even though he is a hardened criminal, and instead of making him feel defensive about his guilt, to be open about his guilt, and to have the humility to ask Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. Jesus, even as he is dying himself, says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
This moment has a beauty and a purity that cannot be destroyed by the ugliness or the pain or the cruelty. And that’s the whole point of this kind of kingship, that its beauty comes not from power and prestige, but from humility, innocence, and forgiveness. Raw power is not what saves us; what saves us is this forgiveness that we cannot earn, but which we receive as a gift.
What is the appropriate response to a gift? Thanksgiving. It reminds us that even when we are not innocent, we can be thankful that we benefit from the innocence of Christ. Even when we are not humble, we can be thankful that we benefit from the humility of Christ. Even when we, like the rest of humanity, do not deserve to be forgiven, we benefit from the forgiveness of Christ.
We value Christ not only for his teachings, but for his actions. We can continue to be judgmental and bitter until our dying breath, like the first criminal. Or we can respond to Jesus’ humility with our own humility, and we can respond to Jesus’ forgiveness with gratitude as we hear the words, “you will be with me in paradise.”
