More than a Benevolent Monarch – 26 November 2023

Matthew 25:31–46

This year the Christ the King Gospel reading shows the Son of Man as having power to judge. The familiar scene plays out with the righteous clearly not having done their good works in order to gain favor and the unrighteous giving the impression that, if they had only known, they would have done the right thing. The division here is not really about doing good works or not doing them. It is about the heart of the believer. The hungry were fed out of love, without thought of personal gain. To know that you are beloved by God frees you to care about others without keeping score. The hungry, thirsty, naked, and imprisoned ones are unlikely to be able to return the favor. In addition, since God is not keeping score, either, you are able to make a pure gift. –– Judith Simonson

Ezekiel 34:11–16, 20–24

The prophet speaks words from YHWH. The sheep, that is, the people of God, have experienced terrible days of “clouds and thick darkness” (v 12) and are scattered from their homeland (referring to the exile). YHWH comes to shepherd them back to their homeland. God will provide everything they need: good food, flowing waters, rest, and healing. God will favor the weak, lost, and injured but will punish those who use their authority for selfish gain. –– Eric T. Meyers

Ephesians 1:15–23

There are specifically two things that this Ephesians text assures us that God's power means for our daily lives. First, we can be assured that as we grow in faith, our eyes will be opened to more of the breadth and depth of what a relationship with Jesus as Lord of our lives, as Lord of the universe means. We would name this aspect of Christ's kingly power shared with us as spiritual discernment or wisdom. Little by little as we seek to be in relationship with Christ and to know God more fully, God will reveal more of God's own self to us. This doesn't mean that we are going to hear a loud voice from on high giving us a list of answers to all our questions about religion or tomorrow. But, it does mean that it is possible to grasp the size and shape of the hope to which we have been called … that God has more in store for us than we can ever imagine.

And by daily walking in grace we will one day be the people God created us to be. This is the process of sanctification—growing daily to become more holy—becoming more like Christ.

The second blessing of God's power is that we have access to an unlimited source of strength. When we rely on our own strength, we fail. We go it alone, we try to succeed based on our own merits. But, as God's children, our success is not measured by the world. Our success is measured by our faithfulness to the call of Christ. And God has given us unlimited access to

God's own self in Christ. So, there is nothing we cannot do as long as it is for the glory of God and the furthering of the kingdom here on earth. –– Kelly Lyn Logue

Kelly Lyn Logue is pastor of White Plains United Methodist Church in Cary, North Carolina.

Eric T. Myers, a former church musician, is pastor of Frederick Presbyterian Church in Frederick, Maryland, and adjunct professor of worship at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Judith E. Simonson, an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was for eleven years Assistant to the Bishop of the Washington Metro DC Synod.

Homily Service 41, no. 4 (2008): 130–138.