Worship - 24 November 2024

Summary of this week's theme

As we heard last week, Mark’s gospel concludes with Jesus’ words, ‘These are merely the birth pangs,’ a hint that Mark's entire account is about the messy yet joyful birth of God’s kingdom. This kingdom, celebrated on Reign of Christ (or Christ the King) Sunday, was and still is unconventional.

Our gospel today revisits the interrogation of Jesus by Pilate, where the itinerant rabbi - likely appearing unimposing - provokes Pilate’s sarcastic question, ‘So you’re a king?’ This contrast invites us to reflect on the nature of Christ’s kingship. Pilate’s worldview is rooted in earthly power, sustained by control and violence, whereas Jesus embodies a kingdom of vulnerability, servanthood, and sacrifice. This kingdom defies traditional notions of rule; it advances not through violence but through peace, justice, and the ongoing quest for truth.

When Jesus declares, ‘My kingdom is not from this world,’ he is not deferring his reign to a heavenly domain, but defining its character: a transformative rule opposing the destructive power structures of humanity. The struggle to understand Christ’s kingdom mirrors a scene from the 1966 film King of Hearts, where asylum inmates escape, briefly rule a town, and ultimately return to the asylum, questioning who is truly sane - the so-called mad people, or the warring armies. Similarly, Pilate misinterprets Jesus’ kingship, framing it within his own terms, just as humanity has long wrestled with imposing its own meanings onto Christ’s message. This struggle extends into modern culture.

Peter Gabriel’s song, Solsbury Hill, hints at the challenge of living differently in Christ’s kingdom, with lyrical references that echo biblical themes from the life and ministry of Jesus. Its unused lyric, ‘Make your life a taxi, not a tomb,’ offers a compelling metaphor: we are called to carry others, not isolate ourselves, as participants in God’s realm.

The kingdom Jesus heralds, born through his life, ministry, and sacrifice, is not static but unfolding. It rejects violence, values every person, and invites us to act as midwives and conveyors of its continuing delivery. Yet, this is God’s kingdom, not ours to possess or define. Our task is to join in its construction with humility, recognising our limitations in fully grasping truth or wielding power responsibly. Christ’s reign calls us to build a community of faith - a ‘kingdom of taxi-people,’ carrying others toward this vagrant king’s domain, marked by peace, justice, and service. Together, we can act out Jesus’ words and strive for the now-and-not-yet kingdom breaking into today’s world.