The Last Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 29C), Nov. 25, 2007
BCP: Jer. 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Col. 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43 or 19:29-38
RCL: Jer. 23:1-6; Canticle 4 or 16 or Psalm 46; Col. 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43
 
The Old Testament prophets were messengers imbued with a consuming passion: to make “the invisible God audible” (Abraham Heschel). In this passage from Jeremiah, the Lord proclaims “woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture” (23:1). Then, as now, the Lord undoubtedly possessed a very large supply of woe.
 
But Jeremiah’s prophecy moves beyond “the evil doings” (23:2) of the shepherds. First, the Lord promises to “gather the remnant of my flock” and give them shepherds who will “care for them” (23:3-4). Then a righteous member of David’s line will be established to rule over a restored Israel. “He shall reign as king [who] shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (23:5).
 
The vision presented by Jeremiah is echoed by St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Writing while imprisoned, Paul is concerned about false teachers who have emerged in the community at Colossae. In the first two chapters Paul emphasizes the supremacy of Christ in the cosmos, in the church, and in the individual. Thus Christ is “the image of the invisible God” (1:15), who makes “peace by the blood of the cross” (1:20).
 
Christ is not merely the king of the world but of the entire cosmos, of all things “in heaven and earth, visible and invisible” (1:16). In Christ “the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (1:19). The Gospel passage from Luke at first glance seems completely incongruous with the passages from Jeremiah and Paul. Jesus is on the cross under a sign which reads “this is the king of the Jews.” The wayward shepherds of the day and nearby soldiers also mock him: “He saved others; let him save himself.” The two criminals with Jesus are also preoccupied with being saved: “Save yourself and us,” says one (23:39).
 
Is this Jeremiah’s king, “who shall execute justice and righteousness in the land?” Is this “the image of the invisible God?” Well, in a word, yes. We cannot save ourselves. Even the polity of The Episcopal Church, about which so much has been said and written recently, will not save us. We are saved by God’s forgiveness and grace. The kingship of Christ draws its power from the well of suffering love. If we, the gathered remnant, can drink from that well and offer our own suffering love to our world and our church, then we will “be strengthened ... to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12).
 
Look It Up
When Jesus says “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), he intimates that God’s power is a present reality, not merely a future hope (see Matthew 6:10).
 
Think About It
Many of us are keenly aware of our own suffering but fall short on being able to love in the midst of that suffering.
 
Next Sunday
The First Sunday of Advent (Year A), Dec. 2, 2007
BCP: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Rom. 13:8-14; Matt. 24:37-44
RCL: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Rom. 13:11-14; Matt. 24:36-44