Dear Friends,
This coming Sunday is one that is celebrated in various churches as “Christ the King Sunday” or “The Reign of Christ Sunday.” It is the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the following Sunday, the first Sunday of the Season ofAdvent, represents the first Sunday of the liturgical year. Now, the significance of all of this is not exactly something that I have paid too much attention to over the years. But, as this Sunday approaches, I have been thinking about its true significance in a time and place such as our own.
It was originally instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in the aftermath of World War I and the collapse of the four major monarchies of mainland Europe. It was intended to challenge the rise of secularism and atheism around the world. Over the decades since that time, the idea of celebrating the royal rule of Christ has grown in its appeal to the point where several Protestant Churches, including the United Methodist Church, have observed “Christ the King Sunday.”
I must admit that while the use of the term “king” seems outdated to me, I can still understand its original intention. It was a way of suggesting that, ultimately, it is the “rule” of Christ that commands not only our attention, but our allegiance as well. To suggest that Christ is king is to suggest that only Christ is worthy of that allegiance.
The problem that sometimes occurs with this terminology is that our understanding of what actual kingship means can vary greatly from person to person. For some, the image of a ruler on a throne with a golden crown in place on his head comes to mind. For them, Jesus is the triumphant, victorious ruler who reigns in glory, splendor and might. That has become a fairly popular image of Jesus in our current religious landscape.
There is, however, another image of Jesus as king that is quite different from this triumphant picture. This image conveys a more lowly and humble understanding of what the kingship of Jesus was (is) all about. We find that it is this picture that emerges in the gospel accounts of what we refer to as “Palm Sunday” and the crucifixion of Jesus. As an illustration of this fact, our Gospel reading for this “Christ the King Sunday” is taken from Luke’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 23: 33-43). In this account, Jesus is crucified between two thieves as soldiers cast lots for his clothing while chiding him for not being able to save himself. It is, of course, a very dark and humiliating moment for Jesus, one that is difficult for us to imagine.
And yet, Luke uses this text that is used to describe the nature of Jesus’ kingship as he is crucified under the sign placed above him on the cross, “The King of the Jews.”
What we have, then, is two very different understandings of what it means to be king. One emphasizes glory and splendor while the other emphasizes humility and suffering.
As you prepare for worship this Sunday, I invite you to reflect upon your own understanding of what it means to refer to Jesus as “King.” Which of these two very differentunderstandings do you most closely resonate with? And what are the implications for the ways in which you choose to follow him? While this is not an easy question to answer, I believe that it is important that we try. I look forward to comparing notes with you this Sunday in worship.
See You in Church!
Grace & Peace,
Ron
Rev. Ron Dunn