Read:  Zephaniah 1:7-13

"And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice 
I will punish the officials and the king's sons 
     and all who dress themselves in foreign attire."

(Zephaniah 1:8)

            We all know the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His betrayal, His compassion toward His betrayers, His (sham) trial, His flogging, His death, and His glorious resurrection. It is the very story that makes up the heart of the church. It is also a story of great depth and mystery. It is a story whose bounds stretch beyond our simple re-telling of it. We can view that story from so many different angles and each angle reveals something new, something fresh, something faithful and true. Our reading from Zephaniah today is just such an angle.

            In its original context, Zephaniah was a warning to the Jewish leadership that was just too cozy with foreign rulers. They had begun to forsake Israel's ways and were allowing Israel to be compromised spiritually and politically. As a good prophet, Zephaniah saw hope in the rituals and rites of his faith - "on the day of the Lord's sacrifice." He trusted that Israel's worship of God would have spiritual and political consequences. Not only would Israel return to its God, those who had led it astray would be punished. In fact, not just them, but their children too!

            This brings us back to our story of Jesus' time, trial, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem. When we tell this story, we seek from it spiritual truths and comforts. Yet this is but one angle. There is a political dimension as well. The politics extends beyond just the malpractice of Herod and the Jewish authorities. It isn't just what they do wrong. The problem is in their very allegiances. And Jesus' death and resurrection - "the day of the Lord's sacrifice" - is as much about our eternal salvation as it is about righting these political wrongs.

            It's a tricky and testy thing to talk politics and faith. This is largely because we tend to assume that we have to start with the Gospel, then mix in some politics, put it in a pressure cooker of political punditry, and hope that "Christian politics" comes out of the mess. Typically we just end up with a mess. We end up with this mess because we assume that politics is something that we must add to our faith. Zephaniah - and Jesus! - however show us how "the day of the Lord's sacrifice" is already a political statement. It is a statement about who rules the world. Everyone in Jesus' day assumed it was Caesar. Everyone in Moses' day assumed it was Pharaoh. Everyone in our day assumes it's the United States government (or the U.N. or the IMF or the World Bank or NATO). It is none of these things. It is simply - and always - Jesus Christ.

            In Zephaniah, the Lord says He will punish "all who dress themselves in foreign attire." What is this attire today? It's a gray suit with a white shirt and either a red or blue tie. It is an American flag lapel pin. What are the people of God - that is, you - dressed in? You are dressed in Jesus Christ, His baptism and His resurrection. And it is to this - and this alone - that we must pledge our allegiance.