Who Rules?

Sunday 24th November
Reign of Christ the King

Texts:
Revelation 1: 4-8
John 18:33-37
 
Like leaves skipping over the carpet of grass,
God comes to us, the One who was and is and is to come.
Like the first glimpses of the sun peeking over the hori­zon:
God comes to us, the One who was and is and is to come.
Like the moon lighting our way on a cloudless, autumn night:
God comes to us, the One who was and is and is to come.
We have chosen to be here, where God remembers us.
God comes to us, the One who was and is and is to come.
 
Who rules and how do they rule? That question lies behind our reading for today. The question of who holds political power is not modern.
The reading seems a bit out of context as we approach Christmas. We would normally associate this reading with Easter. But as today is Christ the King Sunday, this is the reading where Pontius Pilate and Jesus, in an extended discourse, discuss the issue of political power and what this entails.
Over the centuries, because of this encounter with Jesus, Pilate has tended to be viewed as a villain with Jesus being an innocent victim of a political conspiracy. But the truth be told, Pontius Pilate is actually following the best of Roman rule and jurisprudence, which was a kind of triumph for its day because it was just and fair to all.
 
Watch the recorded sermon here: https://youtu.be/4a7UegTNZIc