Christ the King Sunday, A Feast for a Weary World
Beloved in Christ,
As we stand on the threshold of Advent, we first pause for a feast most of us did not grow up hearing much about, yet one that speaks powerfully to the moment we are living in. Christ the King Sunday is not simply a date on the calendar. It is a declaration, a proclamation, a holy insistence. It is the Church raising her voice and telling the truth in a world that prefers its kings to be cut from the cloth of domination, violence and fear.
A Feast Born of Turbulence
Christ the King is a relatively new observance. Pope Pius XI instituted it in 1925, a time when nationalism, fascism and authoritarian leaders were rising across Europe. The Church recognized a dangerous truth. People were being discipled by power instead of love, by empire instead of the Gospel. The feast was created as a quiet rebellion, a reminder that our allegiance is to Christ, whose rule reveals a kingdom built not by force but by mercy, justice and reconciliation.
Over time, the Anglican Communion wisely adopted the feast. In the Revised Common Lectionary it serves as the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the final word before the year resets. This is no accident. It is our annual reminder that the story ends not with chaos but with Christ, not with despair but with hope.
The Shape of a Different Kingdom
When we talk about kingship, many imagine crowns, armies and unquestioned authority. Yet the Gospel portrays a different kind of rule. Christ reigns with a towel draped over his arm. He rules from a cross. His coronation is marked by thorns, his victory by empty tomb and open hands.
In a world obsessed with supremacy, Christ reveals sovereignty through self-offering. In a time when leaders elevate themselves, Christ kneels to wash feet. In a world where people fight to be first, Christ announces that the least, the overlooked, the forgotten are closest to the heart of God.
This is what we celebrate. This is what we proclaim.
Christ’s kingdom is not sealed off. It breaks in. It interrupts. It transforms.
Why This Matters Right Now
We live in an age where fear shouts and cruelty masquerades as strength. People pledge loyalty to ideologies and personalities that promise security but deliver division. Many feel adrift, angry or exhausted. The world aches for a different way.
Christ the King Sunday answers that ache. It is the Church saying, with courage and clarity, that no earthly power gets the final word. Christ does.
No policy of hate, no movement of violence, no politician who claims godlike certainty; none of these can claim the devotion that belongs to Christ alone.
For those who are hurting, this feast offers grounding.
For those weary of lies, this feast offers truth.
For those longing for justice, this feast promises a kingdom where the hungry are fed, the stranger is welcomed, and every tear is wiped away.
A Call to Live the Kingdom Now
As baptized people, we take vows. We promise to follow Jesus, to resist evil, to strive for justice and peace, to respect the dignity of every human being. Christ the King Sunday reminds us that these promises are not pretty ideals. They are acts of allegiance. They are how we participate in God’s kingdom breaking into the world.
When we forgive, when we feed, when we welcome, when we speak truth to power, when we refuse to bow to hatred, we are living under the reign of Christ.
Closing
As we enter this final Sunday of the church year, may you feel both the comfort and the challenge of Christ’s kingship. Not the kingship of conquest, but of compassion. Not the reign of force, but of fierce love.
The world is hungry for this kingdom, and God is trusting us to help reveal it.
May Christ reign in our lives, our choices, our community, and our hope.
And may that reign turn us toward the Advent promise that God is already drawing near.
With Love and Steadfast Hope,
Mo. Allison+
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