Fr. Birch's sermon for Christ the King Sunday, 11/20/22

 Father Birch Rambo gave an excellent sermon this morning for Christ the King Sunday.

"Good parenting has to be good pastoring; good shepherding. Parent's can't be just another friend; they have to be different; they have to be more; they have to be better; they have to be set apart. Children need parents... who are wiser than they are, who are stronger than they are, and who are good.

...A parent must always have a child's well being in mind: not the child's present happiness, but the child's well-being. A child must grow up knowing that they can trust their parent utterly; that when a parent says "no" or "yes" they say it for a reason, and that reason is the child's good. A child needs to grow up with examples and boundaries that are not just strong but consistent...and you know what, strangely that means that a child feels safer to push against the bonds, because they know that a parent won't let them break through and be hurt. Bonds make us freer. Isn't that funny? Rule makes us freer. A fence around the yard means we can go outside and play.

A parent is wiser, a parent is stronger, and a parent is good. And a  king is wiser, and a queen is stronger, and our monarch is good...

Democracy is a fantastic thing, but it's not enough. We need a monarch that is beyond us. We need a monarch who  is outside our understanding.  The image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, in whom all things in heaven and earth are created, things visible and invisible, thrones and dominions and powers. We need a monarch who is stronger than we are; who will establish boundaries that we can trust, who will gather us so that we shall not fear any longer or be dismayed; who shall reign as King and deal wisely; who shall execute justice and righteousness in the land; who makes wars to cease and all the world and breaks the bow and shatters the spear and burns the shield with fire. We need a monarch who is good, in whom we can place all our faith; who will save us from ourselves by offering himself under the sign that proclaims his rule,the King of the Jews.  

We need our mother. We need our father. We need our big brother. We need Christ, to be not just our friend, but King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. So we need to wear white. And we end this church year and begin the next with the deepest prayer of the church:  may your kingdom come, may your will be done. Amen.



--Rev. Birch Rambo, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Eugene, OR 
Christ the King Sunday, 11/20/22


entire sermon here: 22:00-34:45

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1FtivM36fw