Sunrise on a cloudless morning

Lectionary Readings

November 25, 2018

2 Samuel 23:1-7, Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, Psalm 93

Revelation 1:4b-8

John 18:33-37

The common theme this week is that of rulers,

which initially was a non-starter for me. Even in an election year, there doesn't seem to be much I can do about who is in charge. And even if good people are elected, the system is so slow to change, it's just frustrating to think about.

Truthfully, the examples of rulers even in the Bible leave a lot to be desired. What could be inspirational about the people who rule?

But the more I read through these passages, the more I actually am moved by the words for this week.

In 2 Samuel, David reflects on the ruler whose reign is marked by two things...

first, ruling justly,

and second, ruling in the fear of God.

The reign of such a ruler would be

“like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,

gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”

Can you imagine what it would be like to have a ruler like that,

someone so in tune with God

and so committed to justice,

that when they take office it's like the sun rising on a cloudless morning?

Of course, even David was not always such a ruler. But right now, with so much in the world that needs justice, I long for the kind of leadership that would be like a cloudless and gleaming morning freshly washed by the rain.

Psalm 132 continues the theme, with God promising to be present, promising bread for the poor. And then Daniel 7 speaks of the vision and the hope of such a rule, but not only over a nation. There would be that kind of a dawning of justice and light for the whole world and for all of time. And this everlasting monarchy is echoed yet again in Psalm 93.

Revelations 1 also speaks of the eternal reign of God, who frees us from our sins.

Most of the time when I read this, I read the word 'sin' as personal failure,

but in light of this promise of a just and eternal rule, the scope seems larger.

What if we are freed from all the sins?

The sins of centuries long systems of injustice...

the sins of being so blinded by our privilege that we fail out of our own ignorance...

the sins of fearing change more than fearing maintaining a status quo that leaves too many people out.

And this reign spoken of in Revelations is a global reign.

What if there was a just, life-giving global reign?

No countries would be poor. No places would be dangerous. No one would be hungry.

No groups would be persecuted or marginalized.

This is just a little of what I imagine it might look like if the whole earth was freed from our sins.

And then lastly, in John 18, we come to Jesus before Pilate, who is demanding to know if Jesus is a king. And Jesus, as usual, answers beyond our understanding.

He responds that he has a kingdom, but it isn’t what we are thinking it is.

Humbling, isn’t it?

All this dreaming that I’m doing about what that kingdom could be, and it is more than likely on a whole higher plane that I have yet imagined. Because, of course, I'm imagining the same thing as Pilate was...a ruler like the ones we see now, only nicer, better, more just.

So the thing is, it’s better than I’ve imagined, and more than I can understand.

And I want to live into that.

Maybe this reign somehow includes each of us not just relying on rulers for justice, and on leaders for commitment to relationship with God...but it includes each person also taking on the desire for justice and relationship.

Oh yeah, like, Love God and your neighbor....

I'm sure I'm still not fully getting it, and that it's beyond my comprehension.

What a fitting theme for the last Sunday before advent.