“Where is the Kingdom of God?”
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NOTE TO READER: Sundays (at least for a while) I will be posting a one hour video in two parts: Part One will be a worship service, and Part Two will be something else. The video is directly below this text. Below the video on this page is the Order of Service for the worship. And below that is the text of this video (but not the music), in case you would rather read than watch.
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ORDER OF SERVICE:
Bell/Call to Worship
Opening Prayer “Day by Day”
Confession of Sin and Forgiveness
Kyrie
Gospel: John 18:28-38
Hymn “Be Thou My Vision”
Sermon
Hymn “Blest Be the Tie That Binds”
Offering
Creed
Prayer of the Church / Lord’s Prayer
Benediction/Bell/Prayer
(PART TWO: “Still Waters” by Leanna Crawford)
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PRINTED TEXT OF THE ABOVE SERVICE
INVOCATION / CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS / KYRIE:
PASTOR: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pray with me as we confess our sins unto the Lord:
All: Merciful God, for the things I have done that I regret, forgive me;
for the things I have failed to do that I regret, forgive me;
for all the times I have acted without love, forgive me;
for all the times I have reacted without thought, forgive me;
for all the times I have neglected to care, forgive me;
for all the times I have failed to forgive, forgive me.
For hurtful words said and helpful words not said, for unfinished tasks and unfulfilled hopes, Merciful Father, forgive me and help me to lay down my burden of regret. Amen.
Pastor: In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you, and for his sake God forgives you all your sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. Amen.
KYRIE: In peace let us pray to the Lord… Lord, have mercy.
For the peace that is from above, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord… Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord… Lord, have mercy.
For all who in faith, piety, and fear of God offer now their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord… Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, O God, by thy grace. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and forever shall be, world without end. Amen.
GOSPEL:
Let us pray:
Living God, help us to hear your holy Word with open hearts so that we may truly understand; and, understanding, that we may believe; and, believing, that we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience, seeking your honor and glory in all that we do. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen. –Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
John 18:28-38
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38a “What is truth?” replied Pilate… The Gospel of the Lord.
SERMON
Let us pray: Show us your ways, O Lord, and teach us how to walk in your paths. Guide us in your truth and teach us, for you are our God and Savior, and our hope is in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.–based on Ps. 24:4,5
Vidkun Abraham Quisling was a Norwegian military officer, diplomat, and then politician in the first half of the twentieth century. In December of 1939, three months after the Nazi invasion of Poland that began WWII, Quisling went to Germany, unofficially, to meet with Adolph Hitler. Quisling had his own Fascist political ambitions, and he liked what Hitler had to offer, so he said to Hitler, “Let’s work together in Norway.” When Hitler invaded Norway and easily defeated it, Quisling was made the president of a puppet government. Though Quisling had hoped for more power than he was given, he did all he could to serve the Nazi regime. Quisling recruited soldiers to be slaughtered in the German army, he worked hard to crush the efforts of those resisting Hitler, he controlled the churches, he confiscated Jewish property, and finally, he rounded up all the Jewish citizens he could find for deportation to concentration camps. While his fellow citizens suffered greatly under Nazi rule, Quisling did very well, living in a mansion and enjoying the political position and power he always craved.
Then the Nazis were defeated, and a legitimate government was returned to power in Norway. Quisling was arrested, tried, and found guilty of multiple murders, embezzlement, conspiring with a foreign leader, and high treason. In October of 1945 he was executed by a firing squad.
So contemptable was Quisling’s betrayal and collaboration with the Nazis, that his name has become a word, in several languages—a word to describe a disgraceful person. The word ‘quisling’ is in our dictionary, defined as “a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country.” Quislings are of great help to occupying forces, and are well rewarded for their betrayal. But they are always hated by their fellow countrymen.
Yet, Jesus invited a quisling to be one of his disciples. Matthew, the writer of the first Gospel, was, when he first met Jesus, a tax collector. He collected taxes for the Roman government, that hated foreign power that was occupying the nation of Israel at the time of Jesus. The Jews have always been fiercely independent, and a quisling collaborator like Matthew was despised by everyone. So hated were the tax collectors that it was against Jewish religious law to even associate with them. Jesus was often criticized for the way he reached out to Matthew, and then to Zacchaeus, another tax collector, and to others like them.
The opposite of quislings on the political spectrum in occupied nations are those that work to undermine the enemy. Those who are in underground resistance movements are sometimes called freedom fighters, or, revolutionaries. Quisling hunted down and killed all of these people he could find. Fidel Castro was also such a revolutionary, and he fought for a regime change in Cuba. We in America also have a revolution in our history, and we honor such freedom fighters and resistors as Samuel Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and John Adams. Some revolutions turn out better than others. But it is safe to say that quislings and freedom fighters do not ever get along, and each would usually prefer to see those on the other side dead.
There were also freedom fighters at the time of Jesus. The Zealots were the latest in a long line of Jews that resisted any kind of foreign presence, believing that God had intended that his people free. These zealots were a ragtag bunch of fearless guerilla fighters who had no chance of defeating the Roman army in open warfare; but were very successful at annoying the Romans. These zealots would attack small bands of Roman soldiers, killing however many they could at a time; and then they would blend back into the population. You have heard of Barabbas, the prisoner that was released for the Passover instead of Jesus. Barabbas was one of these freedom fighters. Mark 15:7 tells us this: “A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising.” These revolutionaries were dedicated to killing Romans, and, quislings. In fact, all zealots had to take a vow that if they ever had the opportunity, they would slit the throat of a tax collector.
And, Jesus invited one of these violent revolutionaries to be his disciple. Always listed among the twelve disciples is Simon the Zealot. Now think about that. In this small band of men that followed Jesus everywhere, there was Matthew the quisling tax-collector, and there was Simon the Zealot, a man pledged to kill tax collectors. My guess would be that Matthew, at first anyway, always slept with one eye open.
Most people in occupied nations are not quislings and they are not revolutionaries. Rather, they are somewhere in the middle, trying to keep their head down, live day to day, and make the best of a bad situation. Somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum in Israel at the time of Jesus was the religious establishment. The scribes and Pharisees that we hear so much about in the Gospels were not quislings. They strongly opposed any interference by the Romans in their Jewish religion, and they were willing to sacrifice even their lives to preserve the faith of their ancestors. They were by no means collaborators– but neither were they revolutionaries. These religious leaders were realists who understood the power of Rome, and for the sake of the safety and well-being of the nation, wanted to keep the peace, and so worked with the Roman rulers whenever possible. And Jesus could get along with many of these also. Though none of them were in his closest circle of twelve disciples, he would have frequent, often friendly discussions with them, even dined in their homes, and, two men of the ruling council, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, were among Jesus’ good friends and strong supporters.
We are not the first nation of people to be divided politically. Jesus also lived in a divided nation. And Jesus said we should follow him, and obey him, and live like he wants us to live. So let’s look at how he handled those divisions.
In the Gospel reading from John 18, Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate, the Roman appointed governor, and the most powerful man in Israel. Jesus would also appear before King Herod, the Jewish quisling who the Romans allowed to have some power, but who was loved by neither Romans nor Jews. A few verses after our text, the crowd would call for Pilate to release Barabbas, the revolutionary, instead of Jesus. And a few verses earlier, the religious leaders were trying to work with Pilate to get rid of Jesus, who they saw as a threat to their religious establishment, and, who they want Pilate to see as a threat to peace in the nation. The whole political spectrum is present in the trial of Jesus. And Pilate, efficient leader that he was, got right to the heart of the issue and asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews,” because no such political ambitions would be allowed. And Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world, but is from another place.”
Now on one level, this was obvious to anyone who knew Jesus. Jesus never gave any indication of any interest at all in political power. He never tried to exploit the popularity he enjoyed with the people, in order to turn it into any kind of political revolution. In fact, John chapter 6, the story of the feeding of the five thousand, ends with these words: “After the people saw what Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the one we have been waiting for;’ and Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew, again, to a mountain, by himself.” Jesus was here for a much more important reason, and he had absolutely no political ambitions.
One the other hand, on another level, people might well have wondered what kind of kingdom Jesus was here to establish. After all, in the Gospel of Mark, at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, in the very first words we hear from him, Jesus said this: “The time has come. The kingdom of God is at hand.” And then, Jesus talks non-stop about this kingdom throughout all four Gospels. Fifty-four times that phrase appears in one form or another– “The kingdom of God is near you, it is in your midst, the kingdom of God is in your heart, proclaim the kingdom of God, receive the kingdom of God, be ready for the kingdom of God,” and so forth. Along with all that, in many of his parables, Jesus begins by saying ‘the kingdom of God is like this or like that.”
After all of that, you can expect that there might be some confusion about this ‘kingdom of God.’ People were no doubt asking What is this kingdom and where is it? A short and easy answer might be, well, the kingdom of God is heaven, and that comes after you die, so that settles that— ‘Any more questions?’ And that is certainly true. Heaven is the complete and eternal fulfillment of the kingdom of God. But when you read all of those references, it becomes clear that Jesus is not only talking about some distant future, but also about the here and now. Jesus wanted people to live as members of the Kingdom of God not only in heaven, but right now.
In Luke 17 (20-21) it says: “Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Lo, here it is!’ or ‘There it is! For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.'”
“The kingdom of God is in the midst of you,” Jesus said. And if anyone asked where, he could point to his own disciples and say, “Right here, folks, right here—look, here is Matthew the former tax-collector, and Simon the former Zealot, and now they are changed men, they don’t hate each other anymore, and they are friends. And there is Mary Magdalene, and you know what she used to do—and now she is a different person. And Zacchaeus, remember how he used to cheat everybody? Well, he paid it all back to everyone, and then some. And you know how you have always heard it said, “Love your neighbor and hate you enemy? Well, I want you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Not only that, said Jesus, but I want you to “do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.” Jesus was gathering around himself a group of people who were beginning to live like that, and so when people said ‘Where is this kingdom of God you are always talking about?’ he could point to the lives that were being changed and say, ‘Right here in the midst of you!’ And when he taught them, taught us, to pray in the Lord’s Prayer “Thy Kingdom come,” he meant not only heaven in the future, but a better world and life for us right now if we would just do what he said. Jesus really wants us to follow him in obedience; and not just say, “Oh well, I am forgiven,” and leave it at that.
Christ is indeed the King over everything, over all times and places. But Jesus did not want to be a king like Herod, or an emperor like Caesar, or a governor like Pilate, or a president like Biden or Trump. Christ wants to rule in a far grander way that any of them. He wants to rule in each and every heart, and then and only then will your life and the life of the whole world be different.
So what might that mean for you right now, today? Well, there are a thousand directions one could go with that, and each week in worship you get a little glimpse of what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom. But let’s look at just one example, just one concrete command to you from your King Jesus. It is one I already mentioned, from the words of Jesus in Luke 6:28 where he says, “Bless those who curse you.” Well, who ever feels like doing that? Apparently not everyone, because Paul had to repeat the command in Romans 12:14 where he writes, “Bless those who persecute you—bless and do not curse.”
I will pause for a moment here for you to think of someone who is cursing you or persecuting you or bugging you or making life difficult for you….. Can you think of anyone? I bet you can. Now hear this again: God wants you to bless them and not curse them. So what does that mean? It doesn’t have to mean give in to them, and it doesn’t have to mean let them walk all over you. But it can mean to treat them kindly and with respect, even when you do not receive that from them; it can mean forgive them in your heart, even though you still have to oppose what they are trying to get away with; it can mean reopen the lines of communication—there are no grudges allowed in the kingdom of God; and it can mean that you not slander them all over the place, even if it seems they deserve it, but as it says in the catechism to try to understand them, to speak well of them, and to explain their actions in the kindest way possible.
God really wants us to do this, so take one person, and work on it this week. And if there is another one, work on that one next week. And keep right on doing that until all are forgiven. Why? To get saved? No, but for the good life for you and those around you, and to bear witness to others of the kingdom of God within your heart.
Do you remember hearing the news a few years ago the story about Dan Crenshaw? Crenshaw was a newly elected representative to Congress from Texas. He is a veteran, having served three tours of duty as a Navy Seal. His military career was ended when an IED blew up in his face, causing him to lose an eye, so he now wears a black patch over it. In a style that has become typical comedy these days, on Saturday Night Live, comedian Pete Davidson ridiculed Dan Crenshaw’s appearance, saying he ‘looks like a hit man in a porn movie,” because, as Davidson said mockingly, “he lost his eye in some war or whatever.”
Such calloused disrespect for a wounded veteran, and coming just before Veterans Day, outraged so many people of all political persuasions, that the story quickly became national news. One person who was not outraged was Dan Crenshaw. He said, “I wasn’t outraged when people were shooting at me, why should I start now?” So Crenshaw didn’t demand an apology and he didn’t call for anyone to be fired. He agreed the comments were unacceptable, but said he did not want to fan the flames of our outrage culture where so many people are always being outraged and offended by everything. So Crenshaw used it as a teaching moment to help us move a tiny step toward a more civil way of talking about things.
So dignified was Crenshaw’s response that Saturday Night Live and Pete Davidson did offer an apology, even though it was not demanded. And they invited Crenshaw to appear on their show to receive the apology in person. Crenshaw did so, on the day before Veterans Day, and he graciously accepted the apology in person. They also recognized the fact that Davidson’s father was a fire-fighter who died in New York on 9-11 when Davidson was only seven years old. They then did some hilarious clowning around. After the jokes, Crenshaw ended by saying, “There are some lessons to be learned here—not just that the left and right can still agree on some things, but also this—Americans can forgive one another.” It was one of television’s finer moments.
In an article he wrote later about the whole ordeal, Crenshaw had this to say: “When all else fails, try asking for forgiveness– or, granting it.” This is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Bless those who persecute you. Bless, and do not curse them back.” Perhaps doing what Jesus said we should do is so rare that it makes national news.
Christ is King, and Christ rules by commanding us all to do what leads to a better life and a better world. When we do so, we begin to see and demonstrate what Jesus meant when he said that the Kingdom of God is in the midst of us. Amen.
OFFERING
At this time, if you have not already done so, make a decision about what you will give to the Lord’s work this week. Reading from God’s Word, as written in Deuteronomy 16:17: Each of you shall give as you are able, bringing a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.”
Now, for a few words on preachers and money.
Phil Robertson is the bearded patriarch of the Duck Dynasty clan. He is a good Christian man and I once heard him say he speaks in churches once in a while. However, he was quick to add, “I am not a preacher; preachers are those guys that are always asking for money, and that’s not what I do in church.”
Now, I like Phil Robertson. He is a funny guy and he is a good witness to his faith and maybe he doesn’t ask for money when he is speaking in churches. But he is in the business of selling duck calls. I have seen his displays at Fleet Farm stores, and guess what: he is always asking for money for those duck calls. Of course, he has to. His company has people hired and bills to pay and materials to buy and a building to keep up. And so does the church. I am sure Robertson knows that too, and I suspect his comment was not made in all seriousness.
But that is a common objection to the church, made by many people who are serious when they say it. But think about it. First of all, the church isn’t always asking for money. There is an offering taken at almost every worship service in every church. But in every church I have ever been in, you can let that offering basket go right on by without putting anything in it; and the ushers don’t say a word, and you are allowed to stay sitting right where you are, and nobody even gives you a dirty look. Once in a while, the pastor or someone from the council has get up to remind church members of their responsibilities, or inform them of particular needs. And granted, there are preachers that do talk too much about money. But even those ministers aren’t always talking about money.
But what most churches are always doing is being very generous, because that is what Jesus wants us to do with our resources. For example, at the church that I served just before I retired, we hosted the local Food Shelf and four days a week, and there we handed out food without ever asking anyone for money. Once a week the fellowship hall was full of donated clothing and people from the area could take whatever they want, and we didn’t ask them for money either. Once a month we made several hundred sandwiches for the homeless, which were picked up that evening by a man who handed them out under bridges and on the streets of downtown Minneapolis for free. And, we were the main source of support for an orphanage and school in Haiti. In addition to all that we were very generous in allowing the use of our space, and my time, for weddings and funerals—even for people who had never given us a dime. Most Christian congregations are like this, being very generous in many ways, sometimes asking for money, but always giving money away. That’s what Christians do. This doesn’t mean that every congregation makes the best use of every dollar received. No two people in any marriage are always in total agreement on budget issues, so I never expected that all 1200 members of a congregation would always have the same priorities and be on the same page when it came to designating the offerings. But most Christians are familiar with the call of Jesus to serve others, and do want their church budget to reflect that. And sometimes the pastor has to provide some leadership and talk about money.
Think about how your congregations serves others through your offerings, and how you may contribute to that this week. Let us pray… O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature. All that we possess is from your hand. Make us always thankful for your loving providence. Give us grace that we may honor you with all we own, always remembering the account we must one day give to Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —Lutheran Book of Worship, 1978, (from prayers #157 and #183)
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH/LORD’S PRAYER/BENEDICTION
Almighty God, conform the Church to your Son, Jesus Christ, and not to the world. Use it to model his self-giving love, forgiveness, and purity to those who deny, or have forgotten, such things even exist. And through its words and deeds, lead all people to the foot of the Cross, there to receive life and salvation. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy God, we proclaim you as Lord of Life. We pray that you would guard and guide us safely through this earthly life, with all its troubles, trials, and temptations. Fill us with confidence that we can always turn to you with all our needs and all our cares. And raise us up on the last day, to be with you in your home forever. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We pray that you bless husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers, and all whom you have entrusted to us to cherish as family. Knit us together in the enduring bonds of affection, respect and fidelity. Bring healing and peace to all households fractured by sin, sorrow, and suffering. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Guard and protect this nation. Give wisdom and right judgment to all our elected and appointed leaders. We pray that you heal the deep divisions in our nation, enabling us to live together with good will, peace, and understanding. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
We plead on behalf of all who are in special need of your merciful care, healing, and guidance. Comfort with the grace of your Holy Spirit all who are in sorrow, sickness, or adversity. We pray especially for those we now name in our hearts before you….. Have mercy on the dying, comfort the grieving. and to all, grant a measure of your love, shielding them with your tender care. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Dearest Father, help us to bear one another’s burdens; to be content no matter what our circumstances may be; and to be at peace with everyone. And lead us, dear Lord, through the valley of death’s dark shadow, into the glorious light and joyful homecoming feast that you have prepared for all whom have looked to you for the fulfillment of your promises. And all God’s people said… AMEN.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you
And give you peace.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
PART TWO:
Lyrics to “Still Waters (Psalm 23)” by Leanna Crawford, Justin Richards, and Jonathan Campbell
Great Aunt Maurine said at a hundred and three
Write scripture on your heart for when you need it
Cause anxiety hates Psalm 23
So just say it to yourself ’til you believe it
And I’m feeling like I’m needing it right now
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He leads me by still waters ’til my fears are gone
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Oh I know You are with me
My father, my friend
Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days
I know by Your still waters I’m safe
Lord I believe You can set me at ease
Turn this broken piece in me to peace and quiet
I know there’s power in Your word
So I’ll say it over and over til my soul’s reminded
Oh The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He leads me by still waters ’til my fears are gone
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Oh I know You are with me
My Father, my friend
Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days
I know by Your still waters I’m safe
Still waters run through
Any valley I could find
I’m laying fear down
Here at Heaven’s riverside
Your word has been true
In every season of my life
I believe, yes I believe
Still waters run through
Any valley I could find
I’m laying fear down
Here at Heaven’s riverside
Your word has been true
In every season of my life
I believe, yes I believe
Oh The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He leads me by still waters ’til my fears are gone
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Oh I know You are with me
My Father, my friend
Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days
I know by Your still waters I’m safe.
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