THE FEAST OF
12 August Anno + Domini 2009 (Observed)
"A Kingdom Assigned to Youâ€
Luke 22:24-30
In the Name of the Father and the + Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"You are those who have stayed
with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a
kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of
These are amazing words from
our Lord. For He says this to His
disciples, the ones who, just hours later, would not stay with Him during His
greatest trial. You know how things went
on Holy Thursday. He asked them to keep
watch and pray - they caught some shut-eye instead. The soldiers come to arrest Him, lead by
Judas, the betrayer, and they run for the hills. Peter denies Him and they all hide in fear
behind locked doors. John is the only
one of the Twelve who stays with the Lord and witnesses His crucifixion.
And yet, our Lord, knowing
what would soon take place, assigns these cowardly and sinful disciples a
kingdom, that they may eat and drink at His table. No matter how many times I hear the account,
I am amazed at the Lord's patience, compassion, grace, and love toward these
less than desirable disciples of His. I
am amazed - and thankful, oh so thankful!
For there is hope for me - and for you!
For how often have we failed
to stay with our Lord in His trials? How
often have we allowed the busy-ness of our lives to prevent us from keeping
vigil with Him? How often have we
betrayed and denied Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds? How often have we failed to love our enemies,
as He taught us? How often have we
refused to forgive others their trespasses against us, as our Father in heaven
forgives our trespasses against Him? How
often have we failed to help a neighbor in need, or provide comfort to a friend
in distress? How often have we refused
to pick up our cross and carry it, as He directed us? How often have we chosen the easy and
painless road for our own convenience?
And yet, our Lord still
assigns to us a kingdom, that we may eat and drink at His table. He established the Kingdom He assigns to us
by His own Blood, as He laid down His life on the cross for our sins, which
became a life-giving Tree, from which He feeds us the fruit of His very Body
and Blood to eat and to drink from His Table in His Kingdom. What He assigned to His disciples that Holy
Thursday, He assigns to those of us who devote ourselves to the apostles'
teachings about Him.
Be amazed, dear friends - and
thankful! For the Lord is patient with
you. He is compassionate and gracious
toward you. He loves you beyond your
knowing. He hasn't chosen you to be His
and receive His Kingdom because you deserve it, but precisely because you don't
deserve it. He gives you what you cannot
earn and feeds you with Food you cannot grow or buy. That's His way. It sounds so foolish, so contrary to our way
of thinking. That's because it is. He assigns His Kingdom not to kings and
generals, not to men of great wealth and power, not to world conquerors, and so
on, but to fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, and to all sinners who
recognize their need for the salvation He secured and longs to deliver. His Kingdom is assigned to all who repent and
turn to Him for mercy. His Table is set
for all who hunger for the forgiveness, life, and salvation He won for
them.
The disciples who reclined at
Table with our Lord that Holy Thursday learned what it meant to be assigned the
Kingdom. They weren't perfect, but they
were repentant and forgiven. They
preached Christ crucified and resurrected right up to their dying breath. St. Bartholomew, whom we honor tonight, went
out and preached the Gospel in
So, too, with you, dear
friends. Are you perplexed over your
sins? That is good. Be perplexed.
Be sorrowful. Long for the day
when sin no longer plagues you. But, do
not despair. For your Lord has assigned
you a Kingdom. This vale of tears in
which you currently dwell is not all there is.
An everlasting Kingdom of unknowable peace and comfort awaits you, for
you have been baptized into that Kingdom and are fed the Food of that Kingdom
in the Holy Eucharist. Now, you see in
part, but then, when your Lord calls you home in His way and in His time, you
will know in full.
So, come, eat and drink at the Lord's Table in His
Kingdom. And, go in peace, knowing
beyond a shadow of a doubt that even though you "are afflicted in every way,
you are not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not
forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.â€
Now the peace of
understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life
everlasting. Amen.