2 Samuel 23.1-7
Psalm 132.1-12
Revelation 1.4b-8
John 18.33-37
©Lauren Martin
I invite you to take a moment and picture in your mind an image of a king. Any king.
What kind of king do you see? Do you see a modern-day monarch? A historical image of royalty? A medieval inspired fantasy, with epic quests or tyrannical rule and oppression?
These are not the types of kings known in Jesus’ time. Perhaps, in this context you thought of someone like King Herod or King David?
Today we come to the last Sunday in the church year and the celebration of Christ the King. A celebration that was only started by Pope Pius XI in 1925. His personal motto was: “The peace of Christ in the reign of Christ,” and added the celebration of Christ the King to the liturgical calendar in an effort to promote peace, post-World War I. Although a relatively new celebration, the concept, or wording, of Christ the King is itself not new.
But what does it mean to celebrate Christ the king? What does this kingship look like?
I would like to share a story form American theologian Delores Williams, who grew up in the rural South. She remembers the minister shouting on Sunday mornings “Who is Jesus?” The choir would respond loud and strong “King of kings and Lord Almighty!”, then a soft fragile voice would add “Poor little Mary’s boy”. This call and response would go back and forth: King of kings, Poor little Mary’s boy. Delores said’ “It was the Black church doing theology” The answer of who Jesus is the King of kings, cannot be answered without also seeing Jesus as Poor little Mary’s boy.[1]
On this Sunday in the church year we are met with this dissonance, the big and splendid and the small and vulnerable, the contradiction, the unexpected and the liberating kingship of Christ the king.
In the Gospel reading we have Jesus standing before Pilate, soon this scene is followed by Jesus’ being nail to the cross, poor, dishonoured, in pain and dying – the story of Good Friday. This contrasts with the image of Christ in our second reading from Revelations, who is revealed as the king of kings.
The image of kingship, of opulence and splendour is worlds apart from the image of a little baby born of refugee parents laying where animals eat. It is in this dichotomy that we meet God made flesh, fully human, fully divine.
A king of a kingdom that does not belong to this world. A kingdom that is not from here. Perhaps this make you think ‘why bother’, or it may be a source of comfort in a world that seems to be increasingly filled with ongoing conflicts, violence, destruction and loss of life.
For Pilate, and for us, we are left asking is Jesus a king? If so, what and where is this kingdom? And also, the big question of what is truth? But let’s focus on kingship and kingdom today.
Gerald Darring described God’s kingdom as a space, a time and a condition.
- A space: where there is love for the one another, where the weak and vulnerable are cared for and empowered, where the needy receive help.
- A time: where the hungry, homeless, neglected and needy are cared for, where injustices are corrected and war averted, where people come together against poverty and ignorance, where faith is shared.
- A condition: whose symptoms are love, justice and peace.
The source of God’s kingdom is God’s self, it does not belong to this world. Although this kingdom does not belong to this world, God’s kingdom, God’s will calls us to action here. This statement does not give us a ‘get out of jail free’ card, where we can dismiss the needs and injustice of this earthly life as inconsequential. There is no place for this type of placidity, but we are called to advocate on behalf of those who have no voice. Confident in the knowledge that God suffers alongside the most vulnerable and voiceless. That God is indeed with us.
As we will pray together shortly, [God’s] kingdom come, [God’s] will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
It is in these divine origins of Christ’s kingdom that make healing, restoration and true justice possible. Moltmann notes that this kingdom has both invisible and visible dimensions, but it is “as earthly as Jesus himself was.” It does not grant us an escape from the problems and reality of the world around us, instead we must be present.
Avery Dulles said, this does not give you a ladder to crawl out of the human condition, but a drill to burrow into the heart of it. To burrow deep into the heart of the planet earth and find it shimmering with divinity.[2]
In this liberating truth of Jesus, we are invited to ask and sit with the tough questions. We are called to question and challenge unjust practices in society. Knowing that God is with us in our pain, our doubts, our uncertainties and hopelessness.
God’s kingdom is not one separated from messiness, contradictions, hardship or violence that we see in our lives.
Christ the king did not grow up in splendour and opulence, apart from the world, from the struggles of daily life, from love and joy, suffering and pain.
Instead, we see a king in handcuffs, standing trial before Pontius Pilate who has the power to condemn Jesus to death or set him free, as they discuss kingship and truth.
Instead, we see a king sitting on a heavenly throne, the firstborn of the dead, and ruler of the kings of the earth… who loves us and freed us… and made us a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.. coming with the clouds.
“Who is Jesus?”
“King of kings and Lord Almighty!”
“Poor little Mary’s boy”.
+Amen
[1] (Lunblad, 2017)
[2] (Rolheiser, 2024)