Scripture: I Samuel 8:4-20; Luke 4:16-21

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In that very first sentence, the Bible announces God’s ultimate rule over the universe and everything in it. It was, after all, God who separated the night from the day, who gathered up the seas and created dry land. It was God who filled the water with living creatures and the dry land with vegetation, animals, and birds.  Then, when everything was just right, God created humankind and gave us dominion over all the earth.

And, oh, the hopes and dreams God has for that creation! Even now . . . even after countless generations of violence and abuse . . . God still dreams of the day when all creation is at peace – when the wolf and the lamb, the calf and the lion lie down together. We are told that in that day, war and famines will cease, so all God’s children can live in peace. 

Yet, sometimes we wonder. Sometimes we are so overcome with disbelief we doubt that the time will ever come that, despite what Jesus said, the poor will be filled, the blind will see, and the captives will be released. After all, the reality we live with is the exact opposite of Jesus’ vision and God’s promises. Where is the Kingdom when there are wannabe bombers on Times Square, oil slicks on the Gulf Coast, drug wars on our city streets, and complete mayhem in D.C.? Where is God’s kingdom when over half of the world’s children are mal-nourished, where entire regions are engulfed in wars or civil strife, and refugee camps are the fastest growing neighborhoods? What happened to that place where children would play over the hole of the asp and swords would be beaten into plowshares? 

Well, Christians, the Good News is that, despite all appearances to the contrary, the promise is still alive. God’s Kingdom will come upon the earth. The day will arrive when God’s dwelling place will be among the people. Before that happens, however, we must be willing to correct an ancient error by realigning our personal allegiances. 

In Lewis Carroll’s children’s classic Through the Looking Glass, there is a wonderful poem called The Walrus and the Carpenter.  One verse of it goes:

                        “The time has come,” the Walrus said,

                        “To talk of many things:

                        Of shoes – and ships – and sealing wax –

                        Of cabbages – and kings –

                        And why the sea is boiling hot –

                        And whether pigs have wings.

Well, it is too bad the Israelites didn’t have Lewis Carroll around when they started demanding a king! After all, it was clear to everyone but themselves they didn’t have the maturity to know the difference between cabbages and kings. And, yes, they and all history would have been better off if they had been satisfied to argue about whether pigs have wings!

Here was the problem.  For centuries the people of Israel had lived as a theocracy. In other words, they were ruled directly by God. And as long as they obeyed whenever God spoke, the nation thrived and was blessed. There finally came a time, however, when that wasn’t enough for them. According to one theologian,  A poor prophet in a mantle, although conversant with the Almighty, was embarrassingly unstylish among the neighboring nations. But a king in a purple robe and glittering crown, with his guards and officers of state, would look superb.

In other words, the people wanted a king so they could be like other nations. The pressure of alternative living had simply become too great. What they didn’t understand was that by asking for a human king, they were rejecting God as their ruler. 

Even as Samuel told the people they could have their king, he informed them it would come at a great cost. Their sons would be drafted and their daughters would be put to work in service to the king; he would seize their land and tax their crops. Samuel tried to tell them they were choosing war over peace, forced labor instead of work, and greed over the fair distribution of wealth. But it didn’t matter! They wanted to be like everyone else.

And, regrettably, that is how far too many of us have been making decisions ever since. When God’s way is the extreme opposite of the world’s, we tend to call it “unreasonable,” “impossible,” and “idealistic.” We insist the world is too complex for such simplistic answers as turn the other cheek or feed my sheep. 

Yet, despite our good intentions and documented reasoning, there is a truth we must always remember. God is still in charge and God’s kingdom will come upon the earth. In the meantime, the choice is ours. Are we willing to be so different from the rest of the world that we can place our ultimate trust in God? 

To God be the Glory!  Amen.