Today is known as Christ the King Sunday, when the church gives thanks and praise for the sovereignty of Christ, who is Lord of all creation and, as we heard in the Revelation passage, is coming again in glory to reign. As I considered what it might mean for us that Christ is our king, I thought about leaders in our world today. We elect presidents and senators and even church officers. Would Jesus win if he ran for President? I’m not so sure. We’re not always good at wanting what we actually need- we want power. We want strength. We want someone who seems to share our values. We typically want someone who will make our lives easier and more comfortable. But do we want what Jesus offers: servant leadership exemplified in self-emptying love.
I’m not sure that we would elect Jesus. But while Jesus might not always be the leader we’d choose, he is the King that we need.
We don’t have a lot of experience with kings nowadays. We have Burger King and Rural King, or those RomComs where a prince or king from a distant, fictional land falls in love with the independent city girl. But while we might not fully understand kings, Pilate was very familiar with what a king was. A king would be ruthless, holding and amassing power with bloodshed. If you’re familiar with Hamilton, think of the portrayal of King George- “And when push comes to shove, I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love.” Love and devotion was demanded at the end of a sword. So when Jesus squirms a few times about being called a king, there’s a reason. If he were anything like the rulers of the world, he would have had an army fighting back.
We might assume Jesus isn’t fighting in this passage because Jesus’ kingdom is in heaven or even our hearts: in a different world; but what if Jesus’ stance against fighting and violence has more to do with the character and origin of his kingdom than the location? We live in a world of violence. Military might is used to “make things right” and “keep the peace”. Wars are fought all over the world. Governments and political leaders use fear and military power to keep dissidents in check. Violence is too often considered the only appropriate response.
But unlike the kingdoms of this world which are based on violence, Christ’s kingdom originates from a different world: the kingdom of God where violence is not the answer. Jesus refuses to use violence to defend himself not because he is waiting to get to the right time and place to fight. Rather, as Rev. Dr. David Lose mentioned in one commentary, “Jesus is not of this world and so Jesus will not defend himself through violence. Jesus will not establish his claims by violence. Jesus will not usher in God’s kingdom by violence. Jesus will make no followers by violence.” (Lose 2015) Instead, “Jesus’ kingdom was [and is] a state of being, a way to live, a commitment to a particular way to view the world.” (Karoline Lewis 2015)
This is the king that we need! One who embodies servant leadership. One who eschews violence. One who calls us into this kingdom, or state of being, that’s committed to the truth that we see in Christ: the truth of forgiveness, love, and sharing.
If Jesus is our King, then Christ rules our thinking and our living. Christ is to be served above all else. Anyone over our lives can be a scary thought. Luckily Jesus is nothing like any king of the earth. John of Patmos opens the book of Revelation with a few descriptions that remind us who Christ is. Christ is the faithful witness. As such, Jesus came to lead us back to God, showing and telling us how God wants us to live and who God really is. He witnessed to God’s love for everyone, not just for the powerful. He witnessed to God’s work in the world. Christ was the faithful witness, proclaiming the heart of God and God’s truth. We can be in relationship with God because of Christ. After all, Jesus is the one who loved us enough to restore us to relationship with God and free us from our sins through his death and resurrection. What wondrous love! What amazing grace.
Revelation also reminds us that Christ will come again. We decorate the church after the Thanksgiving dinner today, which means that Advent is just around the corner. But Advent is about more than preparing for the birth of baby Jesus. It’s also about remembering the promise that Christ will come again, and preparing for the coming of our King. I think that’s part of our purpose as priests Christ has made us into, all to serve God.
A number of years ago, Rachel Shussett, a student at Westminster College in Pennsylvania, wrote a piece for the PCUSA’s Mission Yearbook on Christ the King Sunday. She wrote: “On the last Sunday before Advent begins, we should all take a moment to consider that Christmas is not just about a baby being born—it is about the coming of a king. And this King, whom we have never met, loved us enough to die for us. And his ‘Abba,’ our great God, sent him to earth so that he could show us how we should live and how to love one another. Today is a day for us to celebrate the great love that God shows us every single day.”
That is the king that we have: one who loves us dearly; one who died for us; one who defeated death; one who is coming back. When we love our enemies, love our neighbors as ourselves, feed the hungry and visit the sick and the imprisoned, we are preparing for His return. So let us serve the King of kings and Lord of our lives each and every day as we turn away from the violence, fear and hatred of this world and instead love one another, love our neighbor, love our enemy.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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