Luke 23:33-43

A clergy colleague told the story this week of one of his church members who highly values two things in life: one, doughnuts from Krispy Kreme Donuts, and, two, the power of specific prayer. And a short while ago, this parishioner was down in Chattanooga where he noticed a sign up ahead that said, “Dunkin Donuts.”

So he prays.

“Lord, if it be Thy will for me to have a Krispy Kreme Donuts doughnut this morning, let there be an open parking spot in the front row, right by the door. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

You can’t get much more specific than that!

And lo and behold….ON HIS SEVENTH PASS THROUGH THE PARKING LOT…

Faith often begins like this, you know – as a religious quest centered around meeting our own needs and wants. My own experience is that most people who are exploring the world of religion in any of its varied forms usually come at it from the angle of, “What’s in it for me?” And that’s not such a bad question. But often what we do with the question is to limit the range of possible answers to such self-indulgent and trivial things as parking places at the local Krispy Kreme Donuts that we never get around to exploring answers that are so much richer and more magnificent and life-changing.

Let me ask you today, “What’s in this Christianity business for YOU?”

Now today is the last Sunday of the Christian Year. One year ago, we began a journey on the first Sunday in Advent and we followed the story of the life and ministry of Jesus. We began in Advent with a spirit of waiting for the coming of Messiah. Then came Christmas with his birth, and then we celebrated the joy of Epiphany as we discovered that Christ came to save the whole world. And we walked with him through the days of Lent as he ministered to the people, and came closer and closer to Jerusalem. There, on Maundy Thursday, we shared with him his last supper, and then on Good Friday, we painfully witnessed his death on the Cross. We have been with Jesus in some pretty awesome moments. Then came Easter, with its joyful shouts of resurrection, and we celebrated that joy for seven Sundays until the day of Pentecost arrived and we remembered how the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and the Church was born. And for the past twenty-five Sundays, we have worshiped and studied and preached about the bringing of the Gospel of Jesus to the whole world, and to our lives, and into our circumstances.

And now, after following the life and ministry of Jesus and the Church for a whole year, we arrive at the last Sunday – a day when we celebrate the fact of Christ’s kingship over the whole creation. In a sense, we are proclaiming our conviction that Christ will prevail and the kingdom of God will be finally established. And so today is called Christ The King Sunday.

And I think this special day might help us answer the question we are asking this morning, “What’s in it for me?”

You probably remember the beautiful passage in Philippians 2 where Paul reflects upon the words of one of the earliest hymns that was sung in the Christian Church. Paul invited the Philippian Christians to keep their eyes focused on Jesus who,

…though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but rather emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You see, this passage tells us what was in it for Jesus. By giving his life to God’s will – even to the point of death – Jesus has now been exalted! He is now Christ The King!!!

And all of us seek to be exalted.

I remember coming to that moment in life as a child when I realized my parents weren’t telling me the truth when they told me I was the most beautiful, most talented, most athletic, most intelligent, most capable boy who’d ever been born in the history of the world! Oh, it didn’t take too long in the cutthroat world of public school for me to discover that there were other contenders for the crown. And I didn’t like it at all. Not one bit! Especially as it became clear that someone else’s little boy – and sometimes even someone else’s little girl – edged me out in EVERY one of those categories!

It’s a terrible thing when you find out you’re not really the king. Tony Campolo talks about how, when he was in high school, he was one of the big football stars. He used to walk down the hallways and all the girls – according to Tony – would burst out singing, “How Great Thou Art!” How nice for Tony. But never once did anyone burst out singing for me!

Except in my dreams. When I would lay in bed at night, trying to go to sleep, I would fantasize about the day when it would be manifested to everyone else what an extraordinary, special,  terrific guy I was! I dreamed about returning home as the best-selling author. The Heisman Trophy winner. A great war hero. A multi-millionaire. Oh, I had a million dreams about being exalted. And the best part of it all was the part of the dream in which all those measly third-grade pretenders to the throne came crawling on their knees to worship me!!!

And I, of course, would be gracious and kind to those losers. And they would sing, “How Great Thou Art!”

We all want to be King or Queen – for a day at least! We all want to be exalted. When we are down, we want to be up! When we are broken, we want to be whole. When we are weak, we want to have power. When we have been hurt, we want to be vindicated. When we are cruising the parking lot in need of a Krispy Kreme Donut doughnut, we want to have a parking spot open up right by the door! You can’t get any more exalted than that!!!!

But there’s a problem here.

That’s not how God’s kingdom works.

The passage in Philippians about the exaltation of Jesus as King over all, is almost the complete opposite of how we think of being exalted. What’s in it for Jesus is not an exaltation of his own ego. No, just the opposite. In fact, in verse 11, the exaltation of Jesus as King comes by way of the declaration by all humanity that Jesus is Lord – which means that he has successfully undone the powers of evil, and set humanity free! It means that he has succeeded in saving the world!

You see, being exalted isn’t really about what happens to you. It’s about what happens to OTHERS BECAUSE OF YOU!

Now, our lectionary text for the day is the crucifixion passage in Luke 23. It’s purpose is to show us what a true King looks like, what it really means to be exalted.

They take Jesus out to the place of the Skull, and there they crucify him between two criminals – one on his right, one on his left. There, Jesus lifts his eyes to heaven and prays for the forgiveness of those who have done this to him. And then ensues the most amazing conversation whose point many of us miss because we do not pay enough attention to the detail. Did you catch it during the reading of the passage a moment ago? The leaders who arranged for his crucifixion ponder among themselves whether Jesus will…save himself. The Roman soldiers, deriding him, laugh about whether Jesus will somehow try to…save himself. And one of the criminals, hanging there beside Jesus on a cross of his own, mocks the Lord by saying, “Jesus,…save yourself…”

Not once. Not twice. But three times. Three times Jesus is confronted with the words, “Save yourself.”

And on the cross, Jesus does save. But not himself.

Jesus saves one of the dying criminals who places his faith in him. “Today, you will be with me in Paradise!” he says. And Jesus saves all who will receive the gift of God’s forgiveness. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

What was in it for Jesus?

Well, a lost human being – a criminal – was saved in the last moment of his life. And the world was provided the way to forgiveness and salvation.

That’s what was in it for Jesus.

What’s in it for you?

 True story, although I’m not sure of the details. There was a certain university professor whose highest ambition in life was to one day become President of the institution he not only served, but had been educated in. And the day came when it happened. His prayers were answered. He was inaugurated as university President.

But just a few months later, he resigned the post.

The administration was shocked. His colleagues couldn’t believe it. They argued with him, and tried to convince him to change his mind for the good of the institution. But he refused to reconsider. His wife was slipping into the world of Alzheimer’s, and she needed him to take care of her.

The others argued that the university needed him even more than she did. After all, in her condition, she did not even know him anymore.

He answered, “But I know HER. And I remember the promise I made when we were married.”

What’s in it for him? Why his wife’s well-being! Being blessed to bring the touch of God’s salvation to the life of his wife in the midst of her illness and frailty is what’s in it for him!!!.

What’s in it for you?

The message of Christ the King Sunday is that you can live a life far more beautiful and exalted than anything you can imagine when you dare embrace this faith of ours that answers the question, “What’s in it for me…? with the resounding answer:

The blessing of others, that’s what’s in it for me!

My spouse

My children and grandchildren

My neighbors

My fellow church members

Even the strangers I meet on the street

And the whole wide world

You see, being exalted is not about what happens to you, but about what happens to others because of you!

So I wonder today if you’re willing to grow beyond that prayer in the parking lot of Krispy Kreme Donuts. Instead of praying, “Lord if it be Thy will for me to have a Krispy Kreme Donut doughnut, let there be an open parking space in the front row right by the door so I won’t get rained on” perhaps your prayer would change to something like this:

“Lord, let a parking space open up for the guy behind me so he won’t have too far to go in the rain.”