Surprise!

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

A Christ the King – 26 November 2017

Text: Matthew 25:31-46

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

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There’s a tv show called “Undercover Boss,” in which the CEOs of some very big companies go undercover to see how things are managed by the employees of his or her company. So, the CEO of a delivery company goes on a bunch of deliveries, or the CEO of a waste management company goes out to pick up trash. The employees (supposedly) have no idea that they’re taking their boss out on the job.

As you might expect, the bosses learn some things while they’re out doing the jobs that their employees do every day. They see how hard it is to accomplish tasks that should be easy; one boss even saw how hard it is for his employees to find time (or a place) to go to the bathroom when needed. In the episodes that I’ve seen, the boss is usually surprised by their discoveries.

The employees themselves are surprised, too, to find out that this “new guy” is really their boss – and not just their supervisor, but their boss. I’m absolutely positive that when they find out who they’ve spent the day training, they go over and over in their brains: “Oh my – what did I say to her? What did I do? How did I treat him?”

Today is Christ the King Sunday, a day that marks the ending of our church year. Christ the King Sunday is a rather recent addition to the church calendar  – it was added in 1925, so less than 100 years ago. Taking one Sunday each year to focus on Christ as King was meant to remind the Christian faithful that it is Christ who is our head, our sovereign, and our king.

Today, we are also ending another year of gospel readings drawn from the Gospel of Matthew. So on this Christ the King Sunday, today’s lesson from Matthew shows us what kind of king Jesus is, just as other parts of Matthew also show us. In Matthew 1, Jesus is “Emmanuel” – or God with us. At the end of this gospel, Jesus says he will be with us, to the very end of the age. So, Jesus is a king who is with us, but as today’s reading shows us, he is with us in some ways that might be surprising to some.

As I said last week, the end of the church year brings us again and again to stories about the end of time, and the lesson I just read is no exception. Jesus says that when he comes again, much will be revealed about how we have cared for the hungry and thirsty, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.

The surprise for some is who Jesus identifies with in this story he tells. He aligns himself not with the well-fed, not with those who wear the best clothes, not with the healthy and strong, or those who live with the privilege of freedom. “I was hungry,” Jesus says, “and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was naked, and you gave me clothes. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was imprisoned, and you took time to visit me.”

Jesus then tries to head off any confusion by reiterating his point: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” And so, in this story, we find that Jesus is God with us, but also, that God is with us in some very surprising ways.

God is with us in the ones who need food. God is with us in the ones who need clean water. God is with us in the ones who will receive the clothes we’ve collected this month. God is with us in the loved ones and the strangers who are sick. God is with us in the ones imprisoned by addiction, or the ones who are bound by oppression. God surprises us by showing up in the unlikeliest of places, present in those whom society loves to hate.

Take an early look at the Christmas story. We will, of course, spend time on this at the end of December, but the very circumstances of Jesus’ birth and early childhood show us the surprises of God. Jesus, born to a young and probably poor woman, someone not settled into married life. Jesus, a child refugee with his family, on the run from a dangerous government hell-bent on ending his life.

Surprise!

And how about the surprises found in Jesus’ death and resurrection? We’ll get to those stories next Spring, but the circumstances of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and rising again also show us the surprises of God. Jesus, executed by the state as a criminal. Jesus, dead in the tomb – and then, three days later – Jesus is risen! (He is risen indeed!)

Surprise!

What kind of king is Jesus? A king who loves us so much, that he has come to us, to live as one of us, to die, and to be raised to new life. What kind of king is Jesus? A king who surprises us with grace and mercy, and this grace and mercy also show us the surprises of God.

For maybe we are the ones in the story who are hungry or thirsty, maybe we need care or company. Maybe we are hungry for peace. Maybe we are thirsty for justice. Maybe we feel vulnerable, or unsure, or we are just plain worn out. Surely, then, Jesus is the one who steps into our world of need.

Surprise!

Amen.

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