Psalm 46; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43
I have been preaching on the Feast of Christ the King for many years now, but only thought to research the origin of the feast day this time round! I had always assumed that it lay back in medieval times, or even earlier – I had the image in my imagination of Byzantine mosaics with Christ in all his glory riding on the clouds, eternal ruler and judge. But it turns out that I was completely wrong. The feast of Christ the King was initiated by Pope Pius XVI on 11th December 1925, and subsequently adopted by many other denominations including our own, as a response to the aftermath of World War 1. Pope Pius saw that although there was an end to war, there was still an undercurrent of unrest and heightened nationalism. He said in his encyclical, his official letter to his bishops, that the ‘manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Saviour, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations’.
So the feast of Christ the King was born not from a parallel to traditional understanding of absolute monarchs, but as a declaration of an alternative power in the life of humanity in response to the horrors of world war. The Pope said that as Christ’s authority was not won by violence but given by God, only he was therefore worthy to be King of Kings and Prince of Peace, and he further noted that Christ didn’t rule through fear of physical harm, but rather reigned in peoples’ minds by his teaching, and in their hearts by his love.
I was slightly taken aback by this discovery – it’s only too easy to think that the Church of England must have remained unchanged since 1662 despite the fact that we all know of changes that have taken place in our lifetimes! But the idea of Christ as King is deeply embedded in the Bible, from Old Testament references to the Messiah coming as a king in the line of David, to the lamb upon the throne in Revelation. Paul’s anthem in Colossians unambiguously attributes all power to Jesus: ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together’
We have to put aside our current experience of kingship, and expand our understanding to a heavenly perspective. Jesus is not king as King Charles is king – Jesus is Lord over all, with authority to create, save and restore the world. And his rule is not just spiritual! Church leaders get into trouble for making what people perceive as political statements but Jesus rules over politicians just as he rules over the rest of us! He calls us to follow him in every sphere of our lives, whatever our political opinions. The church is not there to tell people which political party to follow, but to be faithful in proclaiming Jesus’ authority in every area of life, public and private.
That is undoubtedly uncomfortable, but Psalm 46 makes this explicit. The verses ‘Be still and know that I am God’ are often quoted as an introduction to meditation, bidding our inner chaos to peace and quiet in God’s presence – but if you look at the context, it is clear they have something very immediate to say about outer chaos!
‘The Lord makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God! – (this is a command, not a polite suggestion) -
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
God speaks into current affairs just as he speaks into our hearts. King Jesus bids wars to cease, and he calls people to know the power and presence of God on a national level, not just in the comfort of our prayers.
So you may well ask, as I do, ‘Where is he in Gaza? In Ukraine? In Sudan? Where is he when people stoke up hatred towards others they neither know nor understand on social media? My only answer is that we have to go looking. We will not find him in the headlines but in lives lived faithfully in his love. We will find him at work when people forgive each other, when people stand up for the voiceless, when people brave danger to bring peace. We can find him in our own lives when we venture to put our heads over the parapet and take action, speak out, give generously and pray fervently.
When Pilate accused Jesus of usurping political power, Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world. He did not mean that his kingdom was purely a matter of private ethics, a spiritual code for the individual. What he was pointing to was power not held by violence and coercion, but in sacrifice and love. His kingship is one that defies hatred and opens the door to a new way of living.
In our gospel reading we heard that when Jesus was crucified, he was mocked – people said that for all the claims that he had come to bring in a new kingdom, here he was dying a shameful death. For a Jew, there was no other interpretation than that God had turned his face away. He had failed. The inscription over him ‘This is the King of the Jews’ just underlined Roman power and Jewish impotence. It is left to one of the criminals crucified next to him to recognise the reality of the kingdom of God, where victory is achieved by surrender.
This is our King: the one who suffered, died and rose again for us. Jesus, who laid aside the majesty and splendour of heaven to live an ordinary life like you and me (only without indoor plumbing and central heating). He calls us now to serve him – to sign up to his army, to live as members of his body, to share his good news in word and deed wherever we go. We are invited to become citizens of his kingdom, here and now. There is no coercion, no force applied: Jesus invites us, never conscripts us. But his power and authority are real and compelling. So can we say yes?
Day by day we need to remind ourselves who is in charge – we have to keep rejecting the messages of the world around us, messages like ‘might is right’, ‘bullies always win’, ‘money can buy you anything’. We have to go out of our way to see where Jesus is reigning – and please can I ask you to watch out for those especially for our service next Sunday? Bring newspaper clippings or accounts of good news, people who go out of the way to do the right thing, stories of happiness and healing and renewed hope and we will be using these as part of our prayer station at our Messy Church service.
We need to renew our commitment over and over, asking ourselves on a regular basis ‘what would Jesus do if he was me?’ Following him is not a Sundays only arrangement! It will cost us, just like it cost Jesus. We may miss out on the things the world around us values, and we may not be seen as wise or important. Our opinions and way of life may be out of step with contemporary culture. But we will be citizens of the kingdom of heaven, part of bringing in God’s love and hope and renewal. What could be more important?
I would like to finish with a prayer for Christ the King by Janet Morley:
Mighty God,
most holy and most humble,
you have chosen to hear our cry
and share our poverty.
Come close to our world,
kindle our hearts,
and melt our despair,
that with all your creatures
we may live in hope
through Jesus Christ our King.
Amen