Message: Love Holds Us There / Luke 23:33-43

According to the church calendar, today is the last Sunday of the year because Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. On this final Sunday, we reflect on the Reign of Christ, turning our attention toward our ultimate hope, the Kingdom of God.

Through Jesus Christ, God’s reign has already begun. Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God is here among us. But we also know that this Kingdom is not yet complete. We still pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” and we try to shape our lives around that prayer. For this reason, God’s Kingdom is often described as “already, but not yet.” 

This tension between the present and the promise is beautifully reflected in the Celtic Christian practice of peregrinatio (pilgrimage). In this tradition, the pilgrim does not travel to a fixed shrine or holy place but follows wherever the Spirit leads. The pilgrimage becomes a journey of trust, reminding us that God is present along the way and that God’s Kingdom is not limited to one place but is encountered in the journey itself. An Irish poem expresses this well:

“To go to Rome
Is much of trouble, little of profit;
The King whom thou seekest there,
Unless thou bring Him with thee,
Thou wilt not find.”

So Christians are both guests and hosts. We are guests, travelling toward God’s reign. We are also hosts, inviting others to taste the reign that is already alive within us.

For this journey, we need to understand the true meaning of “reign” in our faith because it is easily misunderstood. In Scripture, true reign is shown in the way God creates and sustains the world. God is the One who brings beauty and peace out of chaos and emptiness. When God created the world, God entrusted human beings with the responsibility to care for it. This was never permission to exploit the earth. It was a gift and a calling to keep the world beautiful and peaceful so that all creatures might flourish in love.

This understanding of reign was very different from that of ancient empires. Empires claimed that people were created to serve a king who carried the image of the gods. But Scripture teaches that all people are created equally in the image of God. Empires described the world as a battleground among gods where only the winners could take everything. But Scripture shows the world as the good creation of one God, a place where all life can flourish together. Empires justified exploiting the weak for the benefit of the strong. But Scripture emphasizes that the strong are called to care for the weak.

However, over time, Israel also lost sight of this vision. When the people entered the Promised Land, they asked for a king “like other nations.” God warned through Samuel that a monarchy would bring oppression, but the people insisted. Sadly, the warning came true. Most kings did not rule according to the vision of God’s reign. They ruled like emperors. The nation became divided, corruption spread, and eventually the kingdom collapsed. Of the roughly forty kings of Israel and Judah, only a few are remembered positively. The true meaning of reign was forgotten.

Into this history, Jesus came. He did not come as a ruler seeking power but to show the true meaning of God’s reign. He challenged those who misused the Law. The Sabbath was meant for all people and animals to rest, yet it had become burdened with restrictions that even prevented the healing of the sick. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and declared, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.”

When Jesus saw the money changers and animal sellers in the temple in Jerusalem, he overturned their tables. The temple was meant to be a place where people brought sacrifices to remember the cost of life and to cultivate humility, responsibility, and thankfulness. The purpose of animal sacrifice was to help people recognize human limitations and to feel gratitude for the animals that gave their lives for human survival. Because they could not grow abundant crops in their land, eating meat was an unavoidable part of life. As they watched the sacrifice of animals they had raised, they felt sorrow and a deep sense of responsibility, aware that their own survival depended on the lives of other creatures. This reminded them to live once more as God’s stewards, caring for all of creation and treating every living being with respect, without overusing or harming them.

But in Jesus’ day, sacrifice had become a business. Only certain coins could be used, so people had to pay extra fees. Only animals without blemish could be offered, so sellers in the temple charged high prices. The system was no longer about love or justice. It was about money and power. Jesus saw the temple filled with greed and injustice. He saw animals locked in cold cages and treated like objects. He made a whip and drove them out. This is one of the rare moments in the gospels when Jesus shows strong anger.

Because of this, religious and political leaders saw Jesus as a threat. He was arrested, tried, and executed in a single night and day. Such a process could not have happened to a Roman citizen, who had the right to a fair trial. Jesus had no such right. He was sentenced to death on a cross. Crucifixion was the harshest form of execution, used only for colonized people and slaves. Jesus’ suffering reveals the reality of systems that value power over life. The cross exposes the depth of human cruelty in a world dominated by injustice and violence.

Yet even in the midst of unimaginable suffering, Jesus shone with mercy and forgiveness. As the nails held him to the cross and the crowd stared, he prayed not for himself but for those who harmed him. For those who whipped him, spat upon him, tore his garments, mocked him, pointed at him in scorn, and betrayed him, Jesus offered these words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

This is the reign of Jesus Christ. It is not enforced by armies. It is revealed in compassion. In moments when everything seems unjust, cruel, and unbearable, Jesus responded with love. This is not fragile. Emperors protected themselves behind swords and spears, but Jesus placed himself before swords and spears to save everyone in the world. Above his head was a sign meant to mock him: “King of the Jews.” But it became a true proclamation, revealing what a real king looks like.

Beside him hung two others. One still did not understand the true meaning of reign. He believed a real ruler should display spectacular power and demanded that Jesus prove his kingship by coming down from the cross.

But the criminal on the other side saw something different. As he watched Jesus, he realized where salvation truly resides. He came to understand that God’s reign is not about power and control but about love and justice. He recognized Jesus as the true King, the Messiah, the One who leads humanity into eternal life. So, he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

And Jesus, gathering the last of his strength to turn his wounded face toward him, replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

It is not a kingdom reached by weapons. It is not a kingdom entered by wealth. It is not a kingdom won by reputation. It is not a kingdom secured by power. It is not a kingdom built on profit. Only love holds us there.

This is our hope. God’s Kingdom is already within us, and we walk toward its fullness. Like Celtic pilgrims guided by the Spirit, we move forward step by step, attentive to where God is leading us, open to the surprises along the way, and ready to witness God’s love revealed in both ordinary and extraordinary moments. In this journey, we discover that the Kingdom is not a distant prize but a living reality, unfolding within us and through us.

On this Reign of Christ Sunday, may we renew our commitment to this journey. May we resist every misuse of power and every temptation to place profit above life. May we live fully in the ways we care for one another and for the world around us. And may the Spirit continue to guide us, lead us, protect us, and work with us for God’s kingdom, our ultimate hope.

Thanks be to God. Amen.



Rev. Min Hwang

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