Sermon Notes — November 23, 2025
“No Kings … but Jesus”
Matthew 6:24-33 (read by liturgist)
11/23/2025
Rev. Terry Carty
Today is the last Sunday of the Christian Calendar. It is designated as Christ the King Sunday. Next Sunday we will decorate our sanctuary and begin the season of hope and anticipation – Advent. It occurred to me just this morning that Psalm 95 seems appropriate for our worship today because it helps us to bridge between our celebration of generosity last week and the beginning of our push toward Christmas.
1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God
and a great King above all gods. (Psalm 95:1-3)
The Roman Catholic Church introduced Christ the King Sunday just 100 years ago to honor Christ’s kingship over all earthly powers. At that time, Hitler’s Nazi Party was gaining strength across Europe, dictator Mussolini was in power in Italy, Christians were suffering persecution from an anti-religious government in Mexico, and the Western world was struggling with the Great Depression. In the midst of all these challenges, Pope Pius IX urged the church to remind everyone that Jesus Christ is, indeed, the eternal King of the Universe.
The closest I have come to actual royalty was Sir Durward Knowles. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1996 at Buckingham Palace for his outstanding community service and for being the first to win bronze and gold medals in the Olympics for the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Years later, I had the honor of being Sir Durward’s pastor when he was 99 years old.
In the time I served as Sir Durward’s pastor, he became seriously ill with a raging bacterial infection that was treated experimentally by putting him in an oxygen tank for hours each day. The cure worked, but he spent much of the rest of his life convalescing on his large, covered porch overlooking the ocean. I visited there with him often for hours at a time. He had many visitors, but not many who would pray with him and discuss religion. I confess that I always tried to steer our conversations to his stories of racing sail boats in world and Olympic competitions, being a captain on the deck of a sinking ship, piloting big ships through the reefs in and out of Nassau harbor. He reveled me with stories about how he eventually became a community leader focused on raising the standard of living for every person in the Bahamas. He was especially interested in efforts to treat every soul as equal in this British Commonwealth nation.
Although Sir Durward became very wealthy when Nassau’s economy boomed, he remained a person of humility. He knew he had gained much influence, but he consistently used it for the common good of his people. I found him to be a man who steadfastly loved his people and sought justice and righteousness for each one of them.
I think that if I had still been his pastor when he passed away at age 100, I may have used the words of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah to the last king near the end of the kingdom of Israel. Jeremiah said:
23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom; do not let the mighty boast in their might; do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast, boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
I think that Sir Durward used his royalty in a way that delights the Lord: steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
(Will you pray with me and for me? Pause for prayer)
I am well aware that ‘No Kings’ protests have taken a decided leading toward one side in today’s political environment … but am NOT making a political statement in my message. I titled my sermon this way (“No Kings … but Jesus”) to catch your attention. I generally group kings alongside of emperors, dictators, tyrants, czars, pharaohs, potentates, sultans, and other rulers who have power not afforded to them by election or consensus of the people they have power over.
My focus on kings (specifically) is influenced by our Monday Night Men’s Group study of the book “Journey to the Common Good” by Old Testament professor and author Dr. Walter Brueggemann. His book is rooted in our Old Testament (Hebrew scriptures) beginning with Pharaoh’s harsh rule that controlled access to food and had enslaved the citizens of Egypt; especially the Israelites. That led to the famous Exodus of the descendants of Jacob into the wilderness (maybe the most well known ‘No Kings’ protest in history).
God sent Moses to free the Israelites and provided an abundance of food and water for 40 years in the wilderness. The Israelites came to depend completely upon God’s grace and guidance. In the wilderness, God taught them how to live together for their common good.
Then, Brueggemann’s book fast forwarded us to the time when the people had their own land and no longer depended on God’s providence for daily bread. They demanded a king like other nations had. After a couple of good starts with Saul and David, they came to King Solomon and the failing succession of kings after him.
Our study group was surprised to discover that King Solomon had not been the perfect king we thought he was. In fact, while being known for his great wisdom and power, his reign resembled the hunger for power of a Pharaoh. Solomon built an empire. He had 600 wives and 300 concubines. Most notably, he was married to the Pharaoh’s daughter. Many of his other marriages were political alliances giving him great power, or trade arrangements giving him great wealth. During the 40 years that he reigned, he built the temple and many other elaborate buildings. He also built structures to worship the various gods of his many wives.
Solomon’s reign was anything but for the common good of the people of Israel. He reigned by amassing a fabulous treasury of gold while the people lived in poverty, by having the most powerful army in the region to protect and expand the boundaries of his rule, and by presenting himself as the smartest guy in the kingdom. Wisdom, might and wealth.
After Solomon, no king of Israel or Judah for the next 400 years could come near the power and accomplishment he had achieved. Most often they turned to the gods of the Canaanites to seek power and control. They did not remember their own God (YHWH), the God of the common good who had sustained them in the wilderness centuries before.
Kings came and kings went until their nation was lost. Once again, God sustained the people in another kind of wilderness. But the prophets were silent and the people waited for God to send a new king - a messiah to save them.
This cycle seems to continue in world history over and over. Kings come and kings go. But our God’s love remains steadfast.
Listen again to Jeremiah’s words that should ring clear to us even today, ‘Don’t boast in your wisdom, don’t boast in your might, don’t boast in your wealth. Instead, understand and know your God who acts with steadfast love, justice and righteousness. That’s what God delights in.’ (my paraphrase)
Love, justice and righteousness is the very essence of Jesus, the Messiah, who came to us as the Prince of Peace and now reigns as King over all kings. In Jesus we see our God above all kings, who delights in those who live for the common good in steadfast love, justice and righteousness for all.
The Christian calendar helps us to remember our holy history. It leads us annually through the lessons learned over the centuries. Today is the last Sunday of the old year and we are assured that Christ is King. Next week we begin the new year with a season of Advent – we will be reminded of the people who waited with anticipation and hope for a great king.
What is it we are hoping and praying for? King Jesus to come to us anew. How do we wait? We delight the Lord with steadfast love, justice for all, and righteous action. I pray that we will find our lives devoted to the common good.
Please join me in this prayer of Confession:
Prayer of Confession (Jeremiah 23, Colossians 1)
Imagining your reign can be difficult, eternal God.
It is difficult to picture a world governed by your justice and righteousness alone.
Our minds are held captive by the worst images of human kings, rulers, and powers.
When nobler visions fail and we settle for kingdoms of our own making,
correct and forgive us.
Free the borders of our imaginations, that we may envision your greater good
and celebrate the coming of your reign on earth as in heaven. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon (Luke 1)
Hear the prophecy of Zechariah:
Tender mercy and forgiveness
are the ways of God. We are forgiven.
Let the church say,
Amen.
Benediction
Though the days increase in their darkness, the Lord of light and love reigns supreme. May the power of God’s love be in your hearts and reflected in your lives now and always. Go in peace, and may God’s peace be with you. Amen.