"Jesus is Lord!"  As I mentioned on Sunday, this is the most ancient and widespread of any Christian profession of faith.  When first proclaimed, these words were as seditious as any spoken.  "Jesus is Lord!" therefore "Caesar is not!"  Not quite 300 years after the death of Jesus, even the emperor, Constantine, would proclaim "Jesus is Lord!"
 
Constantine's confession of the Christian faith, which may have been motivated by political ambitions and not simply a conviction of heart, ushered in the great Constantinian era for the church.  While the marriage of church and state, like most marriages, had its share of struggles over power and authority, from the time of Constantine until the end of the twentieth century, there was always a central place for the church in most cultures of Western Civilization.
 
Today, we live in a world much more akin to the world of the early church than the world of Constantine.  In too many places, Christians are being persecuted and put to death for their beliefs.  The voice of faith, particularly the Christian faith, is no longer viewed as the voice of Truth, but one in a cacophony of voices clamoring their version of the truth.  Once again, the profession of "Jesus is Lord!" may, depending on where and among whom it is proclaimed, may go unnoticed or may cost you your life.
 
The truth that the church no longer holds the central place in our culture, or even in many people's hearts, has been hard for many to accept.  Others have found in this new reality a great freedom.  For, too often, holding a place of power and privilege, the church has been terribly un-Christian.  The abuses and corruptions of the church are legion and are not limited to those we normally associate with the church of Rome.  The Protestant church, too, has had its share of corrupt and horrific practices inflicted upon the world in the name of God.  Frequently they come, when the church claims for itself the glory of God, a claim which cannot be sustained and always ends in the corruption of the church.
 
While space does not allow for me to offer the litany of abuses perpetuated over the years by "good" Christians, suffice it to say, the Triumphalism of the church is an aberration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Though we are the body of Christ in the world, when the church claims the glory of our Lord for herself, we have exchanged our birthright for a bowl of porridge.  As the body of Christ, the church can never be more than a reflection of Christ's glory.  To God alone is glory due and, even in her purest form, the church always remains a human institution.
 
While no one has mentioned feeling this way, my sense is that after Sunday's sermon, there would be those who are uncomfortable proclaiming, too strongly, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, given our diverse and pluralistic society.  Their fears or discomfort would be well founded, given the ease with which such a proclamation of Christ's glory has led the church to claim Christ's glory for her own.  Nevertheless, the question must be asked:  Can the Church Proclaim the Lordship of Christ without Triumphalism?
 
The answer, I believe, is a clear resounding "Yes!"  However, we must first understand what it means that Jesus Christ is Lord.  In the season of Advent which begins Sunday, we will catch a glimpse.  Come Good Friday and Easter, we'll know the rest of the story.
 
See you in church!
 
Pastor Myers
revhaggis1@hotmail.com