Christ The King 2005
Rev. Cynthia O’Brien
PL 11 “The Head of This House”
November 20, 2005
Colossians 1:15-20
John 18:33-38
COL 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
John 18
JN 18:33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
JN 18:34 "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
JN 18:35 "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
JN 18:36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
JN 18:37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
JN 18:38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
Every family is on a journey. Imagine you’re driving somewhere, or flying, or sailing on a ship. If you want to go someplace good, and not just wander around, you need a captain, and you have to know where you’re going.
Albert Einstein was on a train once. The conductor came by and asked for his ticket, but Einstein couldn’t find it. The conductor said, “That’s all right, Professor, I know who you are.” Einstein kept looking for the ticket, and the conductor said, “Really, Professor, it’s all right.” Einstein said, “I need to find it so I know where I’m going!”
Some families, even Christian families, appear to not know where they are going. Observing them from the outside, one might conclude that their goals are mixed up. The things they are buying, the dreams they have, come right from the television, and they’re paying for them with maxed-out credit cards at 18 percent interest. Kids are under peer pressure at school, and parents let their children drive the family’s decisions. They sincerely want to be successful, but they are trying to fulfill someone else’s idea of success. Christ is not the head of those homes.
It’s so easy to get caught up in pursuing things that split the family apart. And it’s not necessarily your fault. Maybe you didn’t have adequate role models growing up. Maybe no one taught you how to choose a spouse wisely, or how to grow a marriage. Now you find that you and your spouse and your kids drawn in different directions, running here and there. People have living rooms they don’t live in, and family rooms where the family is never together.
I remember years ago, sitting down with two other couples over lunch at one of their homes. While the kids played outside, they talked to us about their money and what they were doing with it. They were both extremely successful and had beautiful homes. They wondered what God might be calling them to do with their success. People who sit down and think about these things can have some life changing experiences. One of those at lunch was Todd Engstrom, a doctor that many of you know. He left his practice for a month to take his wife, Lisa, and his daughters, Anna and Britta, to Kenya to give medical care to impoverished people.
Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.” He leads us to do things that others wouldn’t think of doing. He guides us to make decisions that seem foolish to our neighbors, co-workers or in-laws. But he also takes us on a journey that is, literally, out of this world. If you follow Christ, if you take him seriously, it will be the ride of your life.
Many people follow the radical call of Christ, but even more, when presented with the idea, will just decide not to decide. Jesus says to them, “For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
And they reply, “What is Truth?”
The Bible is clear that you can’t avoid making a decision about whether Christ is Lord. I’m reminded of two beautiful sayings that are often framed and hung in homes:
One is: “Bidden, or not bidden, God is present.”
The other: “Christ is the head of this house,
the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation.”
The Lord is already in your home, whether you invited him or not. The Lord is the Lord over all things, whether you acknowledge him or not.
By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
There is no question that Christ is supreme. This is the question: Is Christ the Head of your house? Is he the captain of your journey?
Someone said, “If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat.”
When we have the kingdom of God in our sights and Christ is our captain, then Christ will be the head of the house. This afternoon, when you go home, you can reaffirm Christ as the head of your home. Go back to Deuteronomy 6, which shows us how to live the faith at home:
5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Reading the Bible at home with the family, praying together, acknowledging God and godly principles, will go a long way
Kari Torjesen Malcom was a missionary to China and the Philippines, and she wrote this book, “Building Your Family to Last,” when I was in seminary. She was my professor for a class. I was impressed by her philosophy of making Christ the head of her home, and it seemed to have a lasting positive effect on her daughters. Kari’s daughter O-i told her mother about growing up in that family, and Kari wrote it in the book:
“You and Pa were committed to the quest of seeking truth and doing what God wanted us to do. You always fought in front of us kids, and outlined the questions and issues with us – how to relate to Filipinos, how you should relate as husband and wife, how to make cultural adjustments – you worked it all out in front of us. We saw how Christians should work out their problems.
“In life you modeled what you valued and did not value. By not talking about clothes, for instance, you showed they were not important to you. You didn’t fuss about the length of our miniskirts or if we went braless. You were not legalistic about those things. Your focus was not on them, either on buying them or not buying them.
“(I am shocked now to realize what income we lived on.) Our lifestyle was cheap because our values were on good books, travel and having interesting people at our dinner table. We had a good life, not defined by the TV or movies.
“You always told us the truth about yourself, your mission and your church. We knew about the problem of evil early, so evil was never a shock to us. You continued to work as corrupt people with corrupt people in a corrupt church. And I knew early that I was evil, too. That’s a powerful theological truth. With it came an emphasis on God’s grace breaking through the evil. That’s why I am a Christian today.”
The dedication of Kari’s book says it all:
“To our children, Kirsten and O-i, who have given us the highest joy
as they have, with their families, accepted the torch of freedom to continue without interruption the family adventure of many generations to the City of God.”
Do you know where your family is going? Our family’s goals these days primarily revolve around the girls’ character formation, their education and their personal growth.
Perhaps you are planning for future service on the mission field. You’re saving up to be able to work with a group like Habitat for Humanity when you retire. You are thinking about what kind of legacy you are going to leave, and how you will be remembered. You have made provision for the Lord’s work in your will.
I wrote in the November Carillon that Thanksgiving is a good time to sit down with your family and talk about who you are and what you’re about. Where are we going as a family? Who is our captain? How are we going to get there? What are we saving for? What are we hoping for? How will we get the most out of life? How will we make a difference in our community?
Rual Lee died on Wednesday, less than a week after her doctors told her that her condition was terminal. Less than a month ago she was ministering to several of you in her role as a deacon. She called and asked you how you were doing. She was praying for you. 71 may not be young, but that girl had a lot of life in her. She lived with joy, whether working in the garden among all her favorite flowers, or spending time with her husband and children and grandchildren.
We simply don’t know how much time we have together, which is what makes this urgent. Make Christ the Head of your home. Seek the kingdom of God. Live according to all your favorite scriptures. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. Walk through the shadow of death and fear no evil. Be fruitful with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control.
It’s not too late to turn your family around, to turn your life around, to decide where you want to go.
A verse I commend to you is printed in your bulletin.
Choose this day whom you will serve… As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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