Pastor Lynn's
Weekly Sermon
A Glimpse of the Kingdom
Nashville UCC, June 3, 2018
Don’t we all love fairy tales? Maybe that’s because they can lift our spirits and fill us with hope. Who doesn’t love to read about an ordinary person who marries royalty and lives happily ever after? “Maybe that could happen to me!” we think; and we keep on reading! There’s a good reason why stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White have been popular for such a long time. We don’t have royalty here in our country, of course, so we keep an eye on our cousins “across the pond.” When we look at the British royal family, we catch a glimpse of a kingdom just like the ones that are at the center of all those fairy tales: a kingdom with a queen, princes and princesses, men and women with stately titles. That must be why so many of us got up at an insanely early hour to watch the fairy-tale wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. If you didn’t get up at 6:00 a.m. (or even earlier), I’ll bet that you watched it later on one of the many reruns of the event. We all want a glimpse of the kingdom!
And it didn’t disappoint us, did it? From the first arrival of the beautifully-dressed guests to the very last glimpse of the newlyweds as their horse-drawn carriage disappeared into the castle, it was a grand affair! There was Queen Elizabeth, ruler of the kingdom for 66 years, sitting next to her husband, Prince Philip. Next to her were three generations of princes and princesses, some of whom will sit on the throne of Britain one day. The wedding included all the dignity and tradition of a monarchy that dates back almost a thousand years! And the backdrop of all of it was the glorious Chapel of St. George: part of Windsor Castle and built in the 13th century. Yes, the royal kingdom that we glimpsed was awe-inspiring in its splendor. But at that wedding, I saw another kingdom that was even more awe-inspiring. Through the event that was intended to celebrate the power and tradition of the British monarchy, I caught a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
Now, let’s be clear. The British monarchy is very different from the Kingdom of God. Monarchies exist, after all, to set royalty apart from commoners. But this wedding threw aside the walls that divide us, and invited all kinds of people to celebrate together, commoner and royalty alike. And isn’t that what God’s kingdom is all about? In God’s kingdom, we’re not divided but united through the Spirit in love and peace. In God’s kingdom, all people are welcome no matter what their gender, race, religion, or nationality. That’s what we glimpsed at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. We saw old and young together: a royal couple who are in their 90s next to pageboys and bridesmaids who are not yet old enough to really understand what was going on. We saw European and African all together celebrating God’s presence in music, liturgy, and sermon. We saw both women and men sharing in the leadership of worship. We saw three different Christian traditions – Anglican, Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox – setting aside their differences and joining together in worship. We saw cultures and traditions blended as British royalty and the descendants of African slaves sat shoulder to shoulder. We saw even those who have passed into glory included, as Meaghan’s bridal bouquet included Princess Diana’s favorite flower. As Bishop Michael Curry said so appropriately in his sermon, “…the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we are all here. Two young people fell in love and we all showed up.”
We did indeed. Men and women, black and white, young and old, British and American and African and Asian and all kinds of people from all over the world showed up, both in person and through television and the internet. We came together not to quarrel with one another, but to demonstrate the kind of love that the fullness of God’s Kingdom will offer us one day. And it all happened on the day before Pentecost, the day celebrating God’s ability to unite us through the Spirit. Oh, it certainly wasn’t the fullness of God’s kingdom. Many of the Brits were a bit uncomfortable with Bishop Curry’s African-American style of preaching, and only the upper class was represented at the ceremony; the guests were all well-dressed and affluent. But it was a start; and every good thing has to start somewhere! In this world of divisions – race vs. race, faith vs. faith, culture vs. culture – it was a breath of fresh air. And when the God’s kingdom comes in fullness, it will truly be the fairy-tale ending that we all yearn for! May God’s Spirit continue to blow into our broken communities with its power of healing and reconciliation, and open our eyes to even more glimpses of God’s Kingdom!
Nashville UCC, June 3, 2018
Don’t we all love fairy tales? Maybe that’s because they can lift our spirits and fill us with hope. Who doesn’t love to read about an ordinary person who marries royalty and lives happily ever after? “Maybe that could happen to me!” we think; and we keep on reading! There’s a good reason why stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White have been popular for such a long time. We don’t have royalty here in our country, of course, so we keep an eye on our cousins “across the pond.” When we look at the British royal family, we catch a glimpse of a kingdom just like the ones that are at the center of all those fairy tales: a kingdom with a queen, princes and princesses, men and women with stately titles. That must be why so many of us got up at an insanely early hour to watch the fairy-tale wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. If you didn’t get up at 6:00 a.m. (or even earlier), I’ll bet that you watched it later on one of the many reruns of the event. We all want a glimpse of the kingdom!
And it didn’t disappoint us, did it? From the first arrival of the beautifully-dressed guests to the very last glimpse of the newlyweds as their horse-drawn carriage disappeared into the castle, it was a grand affair! There was Queen Elizabeth, ruler of the kingdom for 66 years, sitting next to her husband, Prince Philip. Next to her were three generations of princes and princesses, some of whom will sit on the throne of Britain one day. The wedding included all the dignity and tradition of a monarchy that dates back almost a thousand years! And the backdrop of all of it was the glorious Chapel of St. George: part of Windsor Castle and built in the 13th century. Yes, the royal kingdom that we glimpsed was awe-inspiring in its splendor. But at that wedding, I saw another kingdom that was even more awe-inspiring. Through the event that was intended to celebrate the power and tradition of the British monarchy, I caught a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.
Now, let’s be clear. The British monarchy is very different from the Kingdom of God. Monarchies exist, after all, to set royalty apart from commoners. But this wedding threw aside the walls that divide us, and invited all kinds of people to celebrate together, commoner and royalty alike. And isn’t that what God’s kingdom is all about? In God’s kingdom, we’re not divided but united through the Spirit in love and peace. In God’s kingdom, all people are welcome no matter what their gender, race, religion, or nationality. That’s what we glimpsed at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. We saw old and young together: a royal couple who are in their 90s next to pageboys and bridesmaids who are not yet old enough to really understand what was going on. We saw European and African all together celebrating God’s presence in music, liturgy, and sermon. We saw both women and men sharing in the leadership of worship. We saw three different Christian traditions – Anglican, Episcopal, and Eastern Orthodox – setting aside their differences and joining together in worship. We saw cultures and traditions blended as British royalty and the descendants of African slaves sat shoulder to shoulder. We saw even those who have passed into glory included, as Meaghan’s bridal bouquet included Princess Diana’s favorite flower. As Bishop Michael Curry said so appropriately in his sermon, “…the power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we are all here. Two young people fell in love and we all showed up.”
We did indeed. Men and women, black and white, young and old, British and American and African and Asian and all kinds of people from all over the world showed up, both in person and through television and the internet. We came together not to quarrel with one another, but to demonstrate the kind of love that the fullness of God’s Kingdom will offer us one day. And it all happened on the day before Pentecost, the day celebrating God’s ability to unite us through the Spirit. Oh, it certainly wasn’t the fullness of God’s kingdom. Many of the Brits were a bit uncomfortable with Bishop Curry’s African-American style of preaching, and only the upper class was represented at the ceremony; the guests were all well-dressed and affluent. But it was a start; and every good thing has to start somewhere! In this world of divisions – race vs. race, faith vs. faith, culture vs. culture – it was a breath of fresh air. And when the God’s kingdom comes in fullness, it will truly be the fairy-tale ending that we all yearn for! May God’s Spirit continue to blow into our broken communities with its power of healing and reconciliation, and open our eyes to even more glimpses of God’s Kingdom!
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