Christ the King

"Christ the King" Sunday again already! Where did the year go? I know the signs of the "end times" are all around us ... from the Christmas blend at Starbuck's to the "Reserve Your Rose Parade Parking NOW!" signs along Colorado Boulevard but still, the end of the church year has kind of snuck up on me.

It'll be an unusual Sunday for me. It's a "weekend away" and the last few days have been knee deep in family in general and sons home for Thanksgiving in particular -- which has given a much needed break from "As the Anglican World Turns." And this morning I'll be in the pew with my kids at 11:15 rather than a typical "working" Sunday of all-church-all day ... and it's still hard to believe it's "Christ the King" already!

.

Awhile back, someone asked me what we "did" about Christ the King at All Saints Church since we weren't "allowed" to use male images or pronouns. (Just for the record, we are -- and we baptize in the name of the Trinity, too!) Anyway, it cause me to reflect a little on the nature of Christ's kingship and this sermon was the result. Here's a snippet:

The rule of God—the kingship of Christ—is not about earthly power or political authority, revenge or judgment; it’s about wholeness, it’s about restoring creation to the fullness of peace and justice, truth and love that God intended. It’s about all lands—ALL people—not just a chosen few. It’s about the primary moral value of prizing the interconnectedness of all humanity—of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The kingship of Jesus is AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN vastly different from a worldly kingship. When we celebrate Christ the King, we’re holding up a king who is, first and foremost, a reconciler, a redeemer, a servant. This is a king who comes to show us how to live as a people of God in the kingdom of God—a shepherd willing to lay down his life for his sheep.



Read the rest here if you're so inclined -- and as we give thanks for kids home for holidays and the blessings of family, time off and leftover turkey -- let's give thanks for the Kingship of Christ as well as the Motherhood of God!