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Power in Everyday Life and the Kingdom of God

Today is Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year. On this day, we reflect on the nature of power and the Kingdom of God—a kingdom unlike any in this world, built on truth and love rather than control and dominance. Next week, Advent begins, and after four weeks of Advent, we will celebrate Christmas. The year is already coming to a close. As we reflect on the grace God has shown us throughout this year, I hope we can conclude with gratitude and prepare for the coming new year.

In today’s Gospel, we witness a conversation between Jesus and Pilate, which invites us to reflect on the fundamental difference between the kingdoms of this world and the Kingdom of God. Pilate tries to understand Jesus from a worldly perspective, as a king. However, Jesus declares, “My kingdom is not from this world,” emphasizing that God’s kingdom is fundamentally different from worldly power. Through this conversation, we are encouraged to think deeply about what Jesus’ kingdom means and how it challenges our lives.

In John chapter 18, Pilate asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This question was not just out of curiosity; it was intended to assess whether Jesus posed a political threat. The Roman Empire was wary of any Jewish rebellion, and the term “king” was considered a dangerous threat.

Pilate, as a representative of worldly power, tried to understand Jesus within the logic and framework he knew. However, Jesus’ response revealed something entirely different. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not from this world,” emphasizing that His kingdom is not based on worldly power or material foundations (John 18:36).

This response was not simply a denial of political power; it revealed the limitations of earthly power and presented God’s kingdom, which is built on truth and love. When we live under God’s rule, we can experience true freedom and peace, beyond the oppression of worldly power.

Jesus’ words challenge us to reflect on where we place our trust. Are we relying on worldly power, or are we seeking the truth and love that come from God? This question remains relevant as we navigate the power structures and values of our own lives. What does that mean for us as followers of Christ? How does this challenge the way we view success, power, and leadership in our own lives?

Rather than seeking control and dominance, Jesus exemplifies a kingdom founded on humble service, truth, and love. By embracing these values, we are called to transform our relationships and communities, embodying the peace and freedom that come from living under God’s rule.

This conversation also reminds us of the story in 1 Samuel chapter 8. The people of Israel, despite God being their King, wanted a visible king like the surrounding nations. They approached Samuel and said, “Appoint for us a king,” rejecting God’s rule in favor of worldly security (1 Samuel 8:5).

God allowed their request but warned them about the dangers of having a human king. He told them that a king would take their sons for war and labor, impose taxes, and take their property (1 Samuel 8:11-14). However, the people ignored these warnings and insisted on having a human king. As a result, they experienced the flaws and limitations of worldly power.

This story warns us of the consequences of turning away from God’s rule in pursuit of earthly power. The Kingdom of God transcends the imperfection of human kingship, offering a new order of rule based on truth, love, and justice. True leadership, as exemplified by Jesus, is not about domination but about serving others with humility and love.

This lesson remains crucial for us today. We must be mindful of where we seek security and fulfillment. Earthly power, no matter how alluring, comes with limitations and consequences. Only in God’s kingdom can we find a foundation that is just, loving, and eternal.

In our own lives, we also encounter various forms of power relationships. At work, a boss may misuse their authority to treat employees unfairly. At home, parents, despite their love, may sometimes make the mistake of being overly controlling. Power dynamics also exist between spouses, partners, and friends.

These power structures deeply influence our thoughts and actions. The world often emphasizes values like success, power, and competition, but Jesus teaches a new set of values centered on love, service, and God’s will. Through Jesus’ teachings, we are challenged to follow God’s love and truth even within oppressive power structures.

We often find ourselves at a crossroads within these power dynamics. The temptation of worldly power is strong, and at times, it may seem easier and more convenient to conform to it. The values of the world constantly urge us to acquire more, to wield greater influence. However, Jesus challenges us to choose a new life in God’s love and truth, instead of following the values of the world.

By rejecting values rooted in dominance and choosing instead to live by love and service, we participate in God’s kingdom. This change in values is not always easy; it requires intentionality, humility, and a willingness to challenge norms. However, this is how we can overcome oppressive structures and live out true peace and love in our daily lives.

We are called to examine our own relationships and consider whether we are using power to dominate or to serve. By choosing to serve, we align ourselves with the values of God’s kingdom and become instruments of His peace and love. Every decision to serve rather than dominate is a step toward making the Kingdom of God a reality in our lives.

We also understand that it is not always possible to live solely by one set of values in this complex world. While we affirm Jesus’ kingdom in contrast to worldly kingdoms, we recognize the difficulty of living perfectly by one side alone. We must navigate the systems of earthly politics and power while keeping God’s kingdom in our hearts. It is like a ship sailing through rough seas, needing wisdom to maintain balance and avoid sinking.

The conversation between Jesus and Pilate highlights the tension between worldly power and God’s truth. Pilate, as a representative of the Roman Empire, viewed Jesus as a political threat, but Jesus responded, “I came to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). His mission was not to seek worldly dominance but to reveal a truth that brings freedom and peace.

This same conflict exists in our lives today. Worldly power often distorts or conceals the truth, and economic systems may reduce people to mere tools of profit. Yet, Jesus calls us to live courageously in truth, even when it challenges the systems around us. Truth is not just an abstract concept; it is the power of God, bringing freedom, justice, and life to those who embrace it.

In the everyday power structures we navigate—at work, at home, and in society—choosing truth over convenience or conformity requires intentionality and faith. It means standing for justice, speaking honestly, and refusing to participate in actions that oppress or deceive. Each small act of truth in these situations reflects the Kingdom of God.

By living in truth, we embody God’s kingdom in the present, transforming ourselves, our relationships, and our communities. Truth is the foundation upon which God’s kingdom grows, a light shining in the darkness of worldly power.

The Kingdom of God is not a distant ideal but a reality that can be lived out here and now. Jesus’ attitude before Pilate serves as an example of not yielding to oppressive power but instead practicing truth and love. When we practice servant leadership at home and at work, the Kingdom of God begins in our lives.

At home, parents can act in ways that help their children grow, rather than trying to control them. At work, a supervisor can demonstrate leadership by helping their team members develop their potential. This attitude of service is a concrete way to live out God’s love and justice in our everyday lives.

Living out the Kingdom of God also means being aware of those around us who are in need. It means listening to the cries for help, just as Jesus did, and responding with compassion and action. Each time we choose to serve, we embody the values of God’s kingdom, and the Kingdom grows within us and around us.

True transformation happens when we embody these values consistently, allowing the Kingdom of God to be seen not only in our words but in our actions. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we can bring about change in our own hearts and in the lives of those we encounter every day.

The conversation between Jesus and Pilate in John 18 reveals the limitations of worldly power and presents a new kingdom founded on God’s truth and love. This kingdom is built not on oppression or domination, but on service and love.

As we prepare for Advent and Christmas, let us think about how we can make the Kingdom of God real in our daily lives. When we act with truth and love and live to serve one another, the Kingdom of God is already being realized here on earth. Building this new set of values, letting go of the old, is the path we are called to follow as Christians. This is the way of renewal and transformation, a journey of dying to the old self and rising with Christ.

Let us continue to move forward, even if slowly, making decisions for change, for this is the core identity of a Christian. Jesus made the decision to endure the suffering of the cross, and we too are called to make decisions for transformation, no matter how challenging.

May we always strive for growth and renewal, knowing that even small steps bring us closer to God’s kingdom.

Amen.

Sermon Delivered at Church of the Good Shepherd
Fort Lee, New Jersey,
All Saints, November 6, 2022, at 8:00 &10:00 a.m.
By the Rev. Stephen C. Galleher

ALL SAINTS MEANS US!

“Give us grace so to follow your saints…that we may come to those ineffable
joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you.”

(Collect for All Saints)
“For the Lord takes pleasure in his people and adorns the poor with victory.”
(Psalm 149:4)
“In him you also…were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is
the pledge of our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:11-23)
“He by himself hath sworn: we on his oath depend; we shall on eagle wings
upborne, to heaven ascend.” (Hyman 401, 2 nd v.)
Good morning, saints! Do you know of all the holy days on the Christian
calendar, this is the only one that does not celebrate some aspect of Christ’s life,
from birth to resurrection. It is the only festival that celebrates us, you and me!
What a turnaround, eh? It celebrates us and uses a very honorific name for
us—saints!
Saints? You ask. Yes, saints! Notice that this is who and what we are. No, no,
no, you reply. Saints are extra special people, people who have been canonized.
You know, that long process the church has of declaring a special Christian person
a saint. Those canonized folk, the so-called “saints,” must have performed
goodness knows so many verified miracles and they must be attested as being

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above most of the rest of us. This is all, if you’ll excuse my opinion, ridiculous and
puts in our hands or the hands of those who judge whether someone is worthy of
being declared a saint, something that can only rightly be ascribed to God. How
dare we say who is better than anyone else?
No. All Saints means all, not just of people whom we honor on the numerous
designated saints days, but literally all—certainly all Christian people and more
than likely all human beings, all those born of human mothers. If this sounds too
inclusive, then I ask you to tell me just who do we think we are that we can make
judgments as to who is and who is not a saint?
Sure, there are tons and tons of people we know about and whom we know
personally who are most definitely not among our favorites. I’m sure you could list
historical figures and personal friends that you would never consider a “saint.”
Good for you, but not good for God. Because God is judge and I wonder just
whom God would exclude from this title?
We do, in fact, use the word saint to point to extra special people who
illustrate special gifts of love and service; and we’ll probably continue to use the
word in this way. But the glory of the gospel is that our Lord Jesus reached down
into every level of society and named and called out the beauty in the humblest

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human beings, those, in fact, that we would find least likely to be called “saints.”
This is part of the beauty and the majesty of the incarnation, and part of the scandal
really, because the Christ does not judge human beings the same way we do; in
fact, I don’t see him ranking people at all, a trait all too common, and perhaps in
some ways necessary, to us human beings.
The great All Saints hymn I quoted at the beginning of this meditation pretty
much says that every one of us is going to heaven. Is this too much for our
judgmental minds to take in? Perhaps, but it’s a pretty good bet this optimistic
picture of our God far outshines any god that would consign any one of us, no
matter how villainous and unworthy, to an everlasting torment. How dare we here
on earth ever assume the position of judging the eternal fate of an individual?
Shouldn’t that job be better left to God and not to our bloodthirsty hands?
The God I worship is a God of love, and God’s punishment is used only as a
corrective, like a spiritual governor to keep us upright and living the life of joy and
grace that we are promised.
I ask you to reflect on those people in your life whom you might consider
saints, forgetting for a moment that we are all saints. I can think of quite a few, and
I’ll bet you can too. Perhaps a member or members of your family. A person who

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particularly helped you in your early life, showing you how to overcome a difficult
situation. Or a person who was so kind that you got a clearer understanding of
what God is. A person who went out of his or her way for you. Or how about a
person you thought little of who you came to see as very, very special to you.
What I suggest is that that choir of extra special people in your life, whom we
might designate saints, point to something quite startling: namely, that no one is
left out of this parade of celebrities. Aren’t we urged to pull just about everyone
whom we have known and now know up on the stage with us to be recognized?
This is what canonization of those special people we think of does to us. It
canonizes everyone. (Well, let’s leave alone those people, political figures and
personal friends to whom we can focus no good feelings. They are God’s concern,
not ours!)
I believe that this kindly feeling we generate towards just about everyone on
All Saints (the living and the dead) is generated from the feeling, from the deep,
deep feeling that we are loved. We are loved by the one who created us and gave
up his beautiful, innocent life for us. Life erupts out of this exhilaration of knowing
we are loved.

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I want to recite a lovely poem by Derek Walcott. It is called “Love after
Love.”
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Ask yourself who are the saints in your life now? Do you count yourself
among them? Do you count the person sitting next to you? And if you are
having trouble answering yes to these questions, then ask What do you think
God thinks of you? What do you think God thinks of the person sitting next to
you?
Amen.