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<DIV><FONT size=4>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">They Write Better Than They Know</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It is the accepted wisdom of priests and soldiers alike
that one who possesses power always uses it for his own advantage. Why be a king
if you cannot prove it by spectacular demonstrations of force and might? For
Jesus these mocking words must bring back the echo of an earlier time when he is
standing on the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem and hears the voice of the
Tempter: "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here" (Luke 4:9).
He resists such a temptation then, and resists it yet again. But the criminal
evidently sees in Jesus' refusal to bend to the demands of his powerful
tormentors an authority which is not compelled to prove itself. Is there a
greater act of authority, courage, and dignity than to refuse to save oneself in
order to save others? The criminal, with great effort, turns his head and looks
again at the inscription on the central cross. "This is the King of the Jews."
Perhaps he thinks, "They write better than they know."</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">J. Will Ormond, Good News among the Rubble, CSS
Publishing</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">____________________</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Prose</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">What kind of a Kingdom has Jesus? No castle nor palace
has he. No congress nor parliament sitting, deciding what laws there will
be. Perhaps he has need of but two laws: Love God and your neighbor as well. To
obey them is all that is needed, as all of the saintly can
tell.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">He has neither army nor navy, no air force to guard the
frontiers to keep out the strangers unwanted and maintain the enemy’s fears.
Immigration he seems to encourage, of some quite disreputable, like fishermen,
publicans, sinners. To such he is hospitable.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">It seems there’s no revenue service or taxes we must
calculate. He surely cannot run a kingdom on what we put into the plate! No 1040
form comes in April to fill out before the fifteenth, with penalties charged for
nonpayment, beginning upon the sixteenth.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">No currency’s here with his picture, no coinage engraved
with his name. And where are the posters and slogans proclaiming his power and
fame? And I see no trappings of kingship, no robes made of velvet and fur, no
crown made of gold set with diamonds, to befit our supreme
arbiter.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Jesus said that his kingdom was really not what Pilate
had thought it had been. It was not of this world. And its glory was not of the
kind to be seen. For those of us here in his kingdom, there is one other thing
we have known: of the kingdoms around in his lifetime, it’s the only one left
with a throne.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Andrew Daughters, The Kingdom of Jesus, CSS
Publishing.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">______________________</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Freedom Riders</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Recently I heard someone tell a story about the
experiences of the Freedom Riders in the American South during the '50s and '60s
and their struggle for civil rights. The story was a vivid illustration of how
life changes when Jesus has the last word, when Jesus is
King.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When the Freedom Riders traveled through the South
staging their sit-ins and marches and protests, they were often arrested and
jailed. The guardians of racial segregation and the status quo were not going to
let them have the last word. While in jail the Freedom Riders were often treated
poorly and brutally in order to break their spirits. They were deprived of food
or given lousy food. Noise was blasted and lights were flashed all day and night
to keep them from resting. Sometimes even some of their mattresses were removed
in order that all would not have a place to sleep.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">For a while it seemed to work. Their spirits were
drained and discouraged, but never broken. It happened more than once and in
more than one jail. Eventually the jail would begin to rock and swing to sounds
of gospel singing. What began as a few weak voices would grow into a thundering
and defiant chorus. The Freedom Riders would sing of their faith and their
freedom. Sometimes they would even press their remaining mattresses out of their
cells between the bars as they shouted, "You can take our mattresses, but you
can't take our souls!"</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Freedom Riders were behind bars in jail, but they
were really free. They were supposed to be guilty, but they were really
innocent. They were supposedly suffering, but they were actually having a great
time. They were supposedly defeated but they were actually
victorious.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Why? They may not have said it, but they could have:
because Jesus has the last word, because Christ is King!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain -- Words for a
Politically Incorrect Church, CSS Publishing</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">_____________________</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">History of Christ the King Sunday</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This is actually a pretty new festival in the church
year. Its roots go back only to the late 1800's, when the world's great
empires--British, American, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese--were all
at war or about to go to war somewhere.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The man who was the pope of the Roman Catholic Church at
the time wrote a letter in which he dedicated the world to Christ the King. In
the letter, he reminded the empires that God is present with the whole human
race, even with those who do not know God.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">After World War I, another pope designated the last
Sunday in October as Christ the King Sunday, a day to remember that Christ
received power and honor from God and was thereby made ruler of the universe.
Eventually, Catholics moved Christ the King Sunday to the last Sunday of the
church year, when they were already accustomed to reflecting on Christ's return
at the end of time to rule over all creation, a theme which echoes throughout
Revelation, the last book of the Bible. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">David W. Miller, Reign of Truth</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">______________________</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Gandhi's Strength</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the published diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the
infamous Nazi Propagandist, there are two or three references to Mahatma Gandhi.
Goebbels believed that Gandhi was a fool and a fanatic. If Gandhi had the sense
to organize militarily, Goebbels thought, he might hope to win the freedom of
India. He was certain that Gandhi couldn’t succeed following a path of
non-resistance and peaceful revolution. Yet as history played itself out, India
peacefully won her independence while the Nazi military machine was destroyed.
What Goebbels regarded as weakness actually turned out to be strength. What he
thought of as strength turned out to be weakness. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Kevin M. Pleas, Sufficient Grace </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">______________________</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">King and Kingdom</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Ironically, it is not so much the priestly or prophetic
aspect of the work of Christ which John highlights in his narrative of the
crucifixion. Rather it is the kingly role of Christ as the dying Savior which
dominates John's account of our Lord's final hours.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I say ironic because John's gospel does not feature the
kingdom of God; nor does he focus upon Christ's claim to be the coming
king—until chapter 18. Whereas Matthew, Mark and Luke from the very beginning of
their gospels describe Jesus proclaiming the imminence of the kingdom of
heaven—the miracles of Christ as signs of the kingdom breaking-in to history—the
parables (which are completely absent from John's gospel)—as parables of the
kingdom, John only mentions the words "king" and "kingdom" six times prior to
chapter 18. The kingdom of God and the kingship of Christ are written boldly
over the first three gospels…</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The conclusion to this illustration and for many
additional illustrations and sermons for Christ the King, as well as
Thanksgiving, can be accessed at <A title=http://www.sermons.com/
href="http://www.Sermons.com"
target=_blank>www.Sermons.com</A>.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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