Christ On The Throne - For Us

Have you ever, out of curiosity, walked into an Eastern Orthodox church building? Either Greek Orthodox or Russian Orthodox would do. In nearly every one of their sanctuaries your eyes would be drawn to a commanding piece of art. In many cases the art is in a dome high above the seats of the people. The picture there is of Christ on the throne. This is the resurrected Lord who has joined God in heaven, where he sits in majesty, reigning over heaven and earth.

Most western churches do not show such symbols. We are more likely to have a cross as the dominant symbol. I still recall conversations with a church architect in which he said, one cross is a powerful symbol; three crosses are just decoration. So we decided on the single cross at least life size, on the wall behind the baptistery in our new sanctuary. Walk into the sanctuary of a Roman Catholic church and you will see a crucifix-a cross with the dying Jesus impaled on it.

These are not just architectural peculiarities. They indicate what we emphasize in our preaching and teaching. Recently our seminary built a village for student housing, and our development department found a family who wanted to erect an artful cross in the village. The sculptor who designed and built the cross did it with the imprint of the body of Jesus in it. It is not a crucifix, but we call it "The Cross of the Resurrected Lord." The body of Jesus is gone from that cross, but the crucifixion did not leave the cross unmarked or empty. The evidence that Jesus died is still visible. Most of us are comfortable standing with the Apostle Paul in Corinth, as he described his preaching there as "to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

We in the West concentrate on the meaning of the crucifixion, while Christians in the East concentrate on the resurrection and ascension of Christ. We do not totally neglect the resurrection, of course. Easter is still an important holy day for us. However, we come close to neglecting totally the ascension and enthronement of Christ. We too often preach our way from Easter to Pentecost without recognizing that the infusion of divine power among the Christians on that Pentecost in Jerusalem was, according to our text and others, the direct result of the ascension and enthronement of Christ.

So what we need is not a de-emphasis on the cross but an increasing emphasis on the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement to complete the picture. It seems to me that that is what our text, Ephesians 1:15-23, offers us.

15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

This passage tells us that the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of Christ is never just a cold fact of history, never just a theoretical doctrine. Here it is embedded in a prayer. Thus for us it is an act of worship. Notice that the prayer is that the Ephesian Christians may know the power of God that is shown and made available in the ascension as both a vindication of the crucified Christ and a power in the Church for service in the world. This paradox of our Christian faith and understanding has at least four facets. Let's look at them one at a time.

1. Christ's death as a sinless martyr means that God is working on behalf of us sinners. Numerous times in the life of Jesus he reminded people that God was at work both through him and in them. We need such reminders daily. We tend to make decisions even in the church on the basis of our own abilities and opportunities-our own energy. But the cross should remind us that there is very little in our lives that is actually dependent on our competency. When God found us in Christ we were sinners, alienated from God and from ourselves. Anything positive we have become or will do is God working on behalf of us sinners.

2. Christ's resurrection nearly 2000 years ago means that God is still working in the 21st century. By bringing Christ back from the grave God has shown that death and time can not limit God's divine presence in the world or God's power in the people of God. Too often we talk and act as though our faith is relevant only in history. Too often we argue about what God DID instead of showing what God IS DOING in our lives and in the life of the Church here and now. God burst the bounds of time just as surely as God released Jesus from the grave clothes. God is still at work.

3. Christ's ascension out of the world as we know it means that God is working in this world as we know it-working to make it into a world as we have never before seen it, a new creation. When I walk into an eastern Orthodox sanctuary and look up at the representation of Christ on the throne I feel pretty small. This is an appropriate first reaction to the consideration that Christ is Lord of the universe. One of my students recently made a presentation in class on preaching from Revelation. He pointed out how subversive the book of Revelation really is. He noted especially that to point to Christ on the heavenly throne meant that even the Roman emperor was not ultimately in control. He went on to say that Washington is not really in control, either. No theologian, no seminary professor, no mega church is in control even of Christianity. The Church is a monarchy and our headquarters are in another dimension of reality. The throne and its Ruler are in heaven, and so God continues to work without limits in this world that we inhabit.

4. Christ's enthronement on a cosmic throne means that God is even now working in the life of the earth-bound Church. Christ on the throne of the universe means that we are not under the control of blind fate. Christ on the throne of the universe means that we are no longer under the control of human law. All other powers, whether political, economic, or spiritual fade into insignificance in the light from the throne of Christ. The whole of creation is now subject to power with a face-Jesus of Nazareth, who knows our needs first-hand. The primary question that church leaders should ask is, Where and how is God at work around us and in us? We can assume that God is not just waiting for us to do something. God takes the initiative, and we can but follow. Where is God working in [your city] this week? With youth gangs? With the elderly? With these and more? Find God at work and fall in line.

Then the power will come. God's power is not limited, as human power is. To plug into this transcendent power all we need is the ability to see the reality of the enthroned Christ and putting ourselves to work so we can actualize it in our lives. We live surrounded by power. It is available everywhere, all the time, and in every situation of Christian service.

Then we can experience the promise in the enthronement Psalm 110:

1 The LORD says to my lord,
"Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool."
2 The LORD sends out from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer themselves willingly
on the day you lead your forces
on the holy mountains.
From the womb of the morning,
like dew, your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,
"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads
over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the stream by the path;
therefore he will lift up his head.

Prof. Bruce E. Shields
Emmanuel School of Religion
Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
E-Mail: BruceShi@msn.com