Power

In a way, today is New Year’s Eve. This is the last Sunday of the church year. We start a brand new year next Sunday with the first Sunday in Advent. The theme of judgment is always before us as the church year ends. It is a time for us to take stock, to judge for ourselves how we are doing in life in light of God’s almighty judgment. But along with the theme of judgment, the readings for this last Sunday in the year are also about power. God’s power, certainly. God’s power of judgment over us. But also our power. Our power as human beings.

Thinking about power brings up all sorts of images and associations for me. There is the Hour of Power. Is it still on TV Sunday mornings? I don’t even know which televangelist it is, but I always imagined it was about the power of God to change your life if you gave your life to Christ. Not a bad message… Moving though from that relative sublime image to the ridiculous, thinking of power and TV also reminds me of a series of advertisements that ran a while back about the "Power of Cheese." Close ups of rich gooey mozzarella. Cheddar being seductively grated. A mountain of enticing, fluffy grated Parmesan. At the very least my memory of the ads is a testament to the power of advertising in our lives.

Power. Who are what has power in your life? Whom do you think of as being really powerful in the world? On the spur of the moment, I expect most of us would think first of politicians. The leaders of the most powerful countries are the most powerful people. And the most powerful countries are measured by the size of their economies and/or the size of their armies. The leaders of those countries do indeed have a power that can affect millions. They have the power to sway the course of the planet’s history.

Upon further reflection, we might add some business moguls to the list. Their power is immense in many ways. Bill Gates. The guy who founded Amazon.com. Alan Greenspan. One measure of his power might be how inconceivable it is that he is/has actually retired. Even in retirement, if he speaks a single word with even vague allusions to finance, don’t you imagine people and the markets will react? Power.

Thinking more locally, who are the most powerful people in your community? Who are the most powerful people in the parish? Discounting the clergy. (They are typically not the most powerful people in the parish) How is power earned in the parish?

But here’s the most important point. Would you put yourself on any of these lists of the powerful? Do you think of yourself as powerful? You are. That is a fundamental part of this morning’s Gospel message. You are powerful. In fact, no one is more powerful than you are. And nothing is more important than what you have the power to do.

The King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords says to you, "You… Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food. [This is Jesus speaking to you and me.] I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Those are the words of the Son of God, spoken to you and me. We have the opportunity and the power to feed and clothe and care for Jesus Christ the King. We have that power. And when we recognize the face of Christ the King in the faces of those in need around us, and when we reach out to serve the Christ in them, we bring Christ into the world. And that is power to change the world.

Truly, Jesus says, whenever you do these things to the least of these who are members of my family, you do them for me.

It does not take political status to be powerful, nor great wealth, nor even strength. We tend to think of power as control, dominance. Ezekiel is pretty clear on how God views that sort of power when used by human beings. They will become intimately acquainted with God’s power. "The fat and the strong I will destroy," says the Lord God through the prophet Ezekiel. "I will feed them with justice." Those who use power for dominance or their own gain will be fed justice. God’s justice. Just think about how God’s justice might affect many of those whom the world views as powerful.

I looked the word "power" up in the dictionary. Its primary meaning is just this: "the ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something."

That’s all. The ability, the capability of doing something. It doesn’t take any particular position or financial status or extraordinary strength or skill to be powerful. It’s all about opportunity and desire. The ability to do or act. And to wield immeasurable power within the Kingdom of God, all it takes is a desire to love and serve God and the opportunity to act upon that desire. The ability to offer food to one of the least of God’s family. The ability to offer hospitality or shelter to a stranger. The ability to care for the sick and suffering. To clothe the naked. To be present with the enslaved.

We have that power. All of us. And what an awesome power it is. Because Jesus is in the midst of it. It is Jesus who gives us the power and Jesus who is the recipient of our actions. So that, as we exercise our power, we bring Jesus into the world. The things we do for the least of God’s children are things we do for no one less than the King of King, Christ our Lord. And whenever we serve the least of God’s children, we bring God and God’s kingdom into the world. We have the power to build the Kingdom of God. Each of us is immensely powerful.

And, you know, it’s a sin to waste power. Whether it’s gasoline or electricity or the power to build the Kingdom of God, it’s a sin to waste power that you have. It is not a sin to use power. It is a sin to waste power, especially the power we have to build the Kingdom of God. It is a profound sin to squander, to treat as cheap or to value lightly the power we have. To be indifferent to what our power can do. It is a sin to let power trickle away, leaving undone the great good we have the power to accomplish. Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, just as you acted on behalf of one of the least of these who are members of my family, you acted on behalf of me."

Do not waste that power. Let that be the New Year’s resolution of us all as we stand on the brink of a new church year. As we serve others, not only do we help them (as important as that is), we also exercise our power to make God’s kingdom real in our world. Please let us pray that we will not waste that power in the year ahead.  Amen.