Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Just a glimpse

This week, we mark the end of our Christian year as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Which we like to catch a glimpse of the much-better work we think possible through God. As we were peering into God's Kingdom...

Which, really, is a little like what we tend to do on Thanksgiving every year: share in a meal that looks like the kind of eating we'd always like to do. It gathers together extended and often separate family and friends, plenty of nourishing and delicious food, and is as lovely as possible. And, as far as I can tell, it's the one day when more of us are more likely to take time to pause and give thanks for the good stuff we enjoy. Even if these things don't happen every day, maybe we do them once a year to remind us that they're possible.

The thing is, this Christ the King Sunday celebration is even better: it gathers together a wild and diverse assortment of people and is open to the whole world, the sacrament of Holy Communion sustains our souls and is divinely beautiful. As usual, we pass time in worship giving thanks, confessing our failures, and seeking to be remade in God's image.

And, most importantly, it reminds us that we belong in a reality even bigger, more powerful and important that the perfect Thanksgiving holiday feast.

(This is very good news for those of us whose Thanksgiving feasts won't look like the pages of Martha Stewart Living. Nothing against Martha; I just know that distance from loved ones, grief over those missing from the table, budgets that are already stretched and cannot include the foods or decorations we might rather have, work schedules, ongoing interpersonal conflicts and tensions and many other things get in the way of our "perfect" holidays.)

We're reminded this weekend that Christ is Alpha and Omega, A-through-Z. God's power is bigger and more amazing than anything else. And, though it's not always fully obvious in the midst of our current troubles, God's truth is on a whole 'nother level. It means justice, peace and life for all creation.

So, come help us peek ahead to the kingdom, and get a glimpse of the other world that is possible.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

... life is more than food and clothing... do not worry about those things ... our needs will be met ... which would indeed give us peace, justice, and life ... and time for giving thanks.
Fred

offbeatpoet said...

Fred your statement goes well with my understanding of prayer and my relationship with the Lord's prayer. I see Gods kingdom akin to finding a four leaf clover. The Holy trinity and me is a four leaf clover, with more Christians it is a field of four leaf clovers. Jesus Christ is the mexican garderner that pour waters on us(the holy spirit) and the light of the sun is God's presence or...
Shalom
Arthur

offbeatpoet said...

On second thoughts, The sun will represent Jesus Christ. As a patch of Four leaf clovers we would grow towards the sun. God will be the mexican garderner seeing that we are growing to the light of the sun and would pour water (the holy spirit)on us to make us grow. Forgive me.
Shalom
ART