Transition to the Kingdom - Matthew 25:31-46

The election is over and the deciding vote has been cast. It was bloody, the Opposition was strong, but it is clear, at least to most of us here, who the winner is. The problem is that though the election was some time back, there are many who still don’t accept the results. Some are hedging their bets; some are afraid of the Opposition. They don’t realize that the only power he has is the power they give him. The Opposition’s power can’t create or make or do anything, in the end. It can only destroy, undo and unravel. Still, he is noisy. Even if powerless, he can make himself seen. It’s easy to get distracted in all the busy hubbub he weaves.

The Leader, however, knowing the noise, knowing the difficulties of building a new reign without a concession from the old, decides to go ahead with governing. And to do that he has to choose who will rule by his side, who will serve in his cabinet. He doesn’t interview potential cabinet members. He doesn’t ask for resumes. He cares little for their degrees or even their experience in the usual sense. He goes out in secret where he can see them, he puts on disguises, and he watches what they do. How do they respond to him when he’s a beggar on the street? How do they treat him when he is locked up like a common thief? When he asks for a cup of water, do they send him to the local charity or do they just go get him one?

The inauguration comes. The Opposition is banned from the premises, unable to join the banquet. He could have come, he was given an invitation, but he still won’t concede and so can’t be allowed in. Some day soon he’ll face a judge, given all his crimes, but its doubtful he’ll bow to the new Leader, even for a pardon. Whatever happens, he’s old news, no longer in the headlines. The new Leader is here and everyone knows his term will be a long and sure and good one.

But after the swearing in many are still anxious. He hasn’t announced his cabinet. Who will it be? He calls a press conference to reveal his choices. “For my Secretary of Defense, I name Billy Parsons,” the Leader says. No one’s heard of Billy Parsons. The press scrambles. He’s a deacon at a small church on the south side of a big city. He is known for his broad smile and the stories he tells at the local breakfast spot. He works nights at the postal distribution center sorting mail, but in the day he meets with young men in his neighborhood, men filled with anger at the world and one another, and he makes peace. “He’s got lots of peacemaking experience,” the Leader says. “He’s defended his neighborhood by making it safer. He visits people in prison and helps make sure they don’t need to go back.”

The Leader works down the list. There’s a woman who loves gardening and cooks fresh, hot meals from her produce and delivers them to her elderly neighbors. She’s put in charge of the Department of Agriculture. There’s a retired man who has befriended a homeless couple who sleep in a park near his house. He brings them fresh water and makes sure they have the supplies they need. He’s put in charge of the State Department. For Treasury, he appoints a young woman who works three jobs and sends half her income to her family in Central America. When the press ask her why she does this she said she just wants to make sure her brothers and sisters have enough to eat. Even with her late hours, she’s never missed the Leader’s standing Sunday morning meeting. He knows he can trust her to take care of all the kingdom’s riches.

Everyone is amazed at the choices, not least those who are chosen. They are all fans of the Leader, of course, they voted for him, but to help him govern? It seems too much. The Leader assures them, he’ll give them what they need, and most of it he’s given them already. They know he’s good and wise, they trust him, and so they accept.

There are others, though, who aren’t so happy. They’d been working on their applications, building their resumes with all the right bullet points. They’d voted for the Leader, sure, when it was clear he was going to win, but they had a different version of their resume ready if he hadn’t. Always good to be prepared, right. When they hear the announcement of the cabinet picks, they object. Look at our certifications! Look at our degrees from the great universities! Look at all the things we’ve done! The Leader, heading out of the press conference, turns to them: “I don’t care about what can be put on a piece of paper. I care about who you are. What you do when no one’s watching. When I came to you asking for food you told me to get a job, when I slept in your doorway you called the cops, when I was sick you never came by.” Their faces grow red. “Forget you, forget this kingdom,” they say. “We’re going to go join the Opposition!” “Go,” the leader says, “its always been your choice.” And they do, joining the Opposition’s club on the outskirts of the kingdom.

It’s been a while, now, since those tumultuous first months after the election. The Leader has been in charge for a long while now. People call him the King of Kings and Lord of Lords these days. A high title, but his supporters say he deserves it. The Opposition still hasn’t conceded and just beyond the kingdom he paces, raging, plotting, sowing what discord he can still manage. But the Leader’s reign just keeps growing, as more and more places concede, and more an more people admit his victory and welcome his goodness. He’s the kind of Leader who likes to include others in his decisions, he loves to work through a whole network of friends and allies, formal and informal.

His is a Kingdom of love, he says, and love, like electricity, is dangerous and powerful and must be distributed to be helpful. He needs lots of people who know how to handle love, how to do it and share it and grow it, to help him bring it to every state, every city, every neighborhood and household. And so he’s always watching, always wondering who should be on his team. He still searches in secret, putting on disguises, looking for those who feed, clothe, visit without any hope for reward. Maybe today you will meet him? Maybe he’ll invite you to reign with him in his land of love. I know he will, if you’re ready. Amen.