Christ the King
Colossians 1:
11-20; Luke 23: 33-43
Christmas is coming, there’s no doubt about it: next Sunday is the
start of Advent for the church, you can start opening your advent calendar the
following Thursday, even I have had to stop complaining that it’s too early for
the Christmas adverts on TV.
So how are we meant to respond to the Bible
readings we’ve heard today? As we stand on the threshold of Advent, the
lectionary invites us to think about ‘Christ the King’.
The news of world politics often makes us
think about wordly power, and that has been particularly true over the last few
weeks – high court rulings about Brexit, Donald Trump elected president of the
United States, predictions about the rise of the far right in France..
Who rules our world?
The celebration of Christ the King was
originally proposed by Pope Pius 11th in 1925. In the time we now
think of as ‘between the wars’, with economic instability and the rise of
fascism, Pope Pius wanted to encourage people to realise that the earth is
actually ruled by the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ.
The gospel reading reminds us that as King,
Christ does not always rule as people expect. Just as we are getting ready for
Advent and preparation for a celebration of the start of Jesus’ life, we are
reminded of the end of it.
One of the thieves crucified with Jesus,
hearing that he is referred to as ‘King of the Jews’ wants Jesus to prove his
kingly status by rescuing himself. ‘If you are a king, get down from this
cross’ and he might have added ‘& while you’re at it, rescue us too’.
But the second thief says only ‘Jesus
remember me when you come into your kingdom’.
Somehow this wretched, dying thief sees a
divine truth – that Jesus is a king – is The King – but not as people expect,
his kingdom is not an earthly one.
Jesus has shown in his teaching that he is
on earth, among people, in order to bring in the kingdom of God, but that his
role is one of servant, not sovereign. Jesus is the promised good shepherd, the
one for others, the one who lays down his life for the sheep.
For those who expected an earthly king to
overthrow the Roman forces and anyone else who would resist God’s will, Jesus
is the wrong sort of king. Christ the King is seen enthroned on a cross – not
ruling in pomp, but dying in humble service, to teach us that the way of God is
not the human road of power.
We have to be ready for Christ the King to
overturn our expectations.
Yet our Bible readings also encourage us to
think about what we know of Jesus Christ and what else this means for Christ’s
Kingship. In the reading from Colossians we meet the image of the one who
reigns supreme, who is like God and is sent by God to reconcile all things to
God. “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”.
As the annual drama of Christmas approaches
– both the church drama of the telling of the familiar story, and the domestic
drama of cards, presents, food, plans and preparations – amid all that drama we
do well to pause and let the amazing truth sink in yet again.
This child who is coming, this baby in the
manger, this scrap of life and hope, this squalling bundle of humanity.. is the
King of creation. If the phrase ‘God made flesh’ has failed to make our eyes
pop, our jaws drop, and our hair stand on end with awe and amazement, then
we’re not taking it in properly. Christ the King become the baby of Bethlehem –
God made flesh to save us.
That is what our Advent and Christmas
should point us towards and help us to realise.
Our expectations of kingship and our
knowledge of Christ the king will colour all the celebration that is to come.
That just leaves the question of the relationship between King and subjects –
between Jesus Christ and each one of us.
How de we relate to Christ the King – are
we prepared to let Christ really rule our lives?
What would this mean for each life here?
If we recognise Christ as King it means
allowing our lives to be subject to his rule: putting the kingdom of God first
in our decisions. What we do and say and think, the power we wield, the money
we spend, the way we treat other people: maybe even our response to world news
– the whole of our lives are not our own, but are part of the kingdom of God.
We need to be living as those who wish to see God’s love, peace and joy for
all.
If Christ is our King we are part of his
rule – seeking his will, doing his work, being his body.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby,
has described, in a recent interview, a conversation with a “very senior
politician” about religious extremism. The politician was claiming that the
definition of extremism should be anyone who says that their faith is more important
than the rule of law.
Justin Welby said “Well, you’ve got a real
problem here because for me personally my faith is more important than the rule
of law so you’ve got an extremist sitting in here with you. We do not believe
as Christians that the rule of law outweighs everything else, we believe that
the kingdom of God outweighs everything else.”
Some parts of our world may think it
extreme – but for us who follow Christ the King the state of the world, the
laws of our land, the way we are treated – all this is outweighed by the
kingdom of God: God’s rule is our ultimate goal.
So may we be ready, this Advent, to meet
Christ the King in ever new and surprising ways and to live our lives more and
more as his subjects and servants in this world.
And may God bless us with courage to build
the kingdom of love, joy, justice and peace.
To the glory of God.
Amen.
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