Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 25-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 21 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.
- Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
- Christ the King – festival established only in 1925, first celebrated in 1926 – less than 100yr ago
- A response to growing secularism and atheism after WWI,
& growth of fascism, all of which we see even more today - During a time when secular national leadership was not functioning, it was helpful to remember that Christ is the ultimate King, over all nations. King of kings. Rev: “the ruler of the kings of the earth”
- In 1969, Pope Paul changed name to
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe” - We still call it ‘Christ the King’
- Jesus Christ is our personal Lord and saviour
– our king, whose throne is in our hearts - He is also creator of & King over the universe.
- He is King over both sacred and secular parts of the world
– the church, and the world. - We should not be too afraid to speak his kingliness – He is king!
- But while Jesus walked this earth, he kept his kingship hidden until the end of his life. He says to Pilate J18: “You say that I am a king”
- He came as a servant, not as a Royal, Monarch, President, Dictator.
- “I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth” > God
- 2 Sam 23:3-4 – God said to David: lead in righteousness
= in right relationship with God and with people – a beautiful thing
- All too often, standing up for Jesus centres on morality – homosexuality, abortion, marriage, etc
- And Pope Pius’ original thinking for this festival was that individuals and states must submit to the rule of the Saviour –
“the Empire of Our Lord”. He almost wanted a Theocracy. - But what Jesus stood up for was the poor, the excluded,
the marginalised, the vulnerable. - His Good News was one of a social order in which power was flat, and people were cared for, reversal of fortunes.
- This is not what we typically think of as ‘kingship’.
- He sets for us a model for leadership and power
- We lead through service – to work for the best for those whom we lead, even if by sacrifice
- We exercise power to protect, not to dominate
- Often link CtK to Christ as the Good Shepherd
- Servant leadership is the closest model to Jesus’ leadership
- To ensure the wellbeing and flourishing
of every person under our leadership
- To remove obstacles and challenges,
so people can move forward unencumbered
- To set an example of what we want from them,
rather than demanding but not living it
- To ensure the wellbeing and flourishing
- Most Gracious God, who in Jesus of Nazareth showed us an alternative to the kings, queens and emperors of history, help us to revere and emulate Jesus’ leadership: To love, and to seek justice for all people. Help us to recognize the true grandeur and life-changing power based in loving you and all of our neighbors. In Christ Jesus, with you and the Holy Spirit, may we co-create a world ruled not through domination, but in that radical and all-powerful compassion and love. Amen.
Featured image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWVJqcFcISE
Reflections of God's Love 