Christ the King

This Sunday is the festival of Christ the King, also called the Reign of Christ. It marks the end of our liturgical year, which begins again with the first Sunday in Advent on November 28 this year. While parts of the liturgical calendar date back to fourth century, Christ the King Sunday is a much newer tradition. It was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI as a response to the spread of secularism and nationalism, particularly in Europe.

This festival highlights Christ's authority over all earthly rulers, and also draws attention to the ways the reign of Christ, with its emphasis on service, humility, and love, differs from the reign of earthly rulers, who so often view power as military might, relying on coercion and force. Throughout the Gospels, the picture we get of the kingdom of God seems to be the opposite of how the world works. In God's kingdom, the first are last and the last are first, and the poor are filled with good things, while the rich are sent away empty.

This imagery is especially pronounced in our readings for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Jesus enters Jerusalem not on a war horse, but on a donkey. Following his arrest, the soldiers mock him, placing a robe around his shoulders and a crown of thorns on his head. As he tells Pilate, though, in the reading we'll hear on Sunday from the Gospel of John, "my kingdom is not from this world."

I love the way the hymn "O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us" describes the nature of Christ's kingship. Here's verse four:

You chose a humble human form and shunned the world's renown;
you died for us upon a cross with thorns your only crown.
But still, beyond the span of years, our glad hosannas ring,
for now at God's right hand you reign, a diff'rent kind of king!

In many ways, "king" language is unfamiliar to us. There are very few places in the world today still ruled by a monarch with absolute power, and of course our nation's foundational story is about freedom from the tyranny of a king and an emphasis instead on democratic rule. As Christians, though, we give thanks for a good and loving God who has the ultimate power and authority over all leaders and earthly forces, and over us. As we'll pray together on Sunday, it is our hope that God would "grant that all the people of earth, now divided by the power of sin, may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ" (ELW Christ the King Year B).

With hope,
Pastor Kerri 

Bonus Resources:

• Started Christmas shopping? Be sure to check out the ELCA Good Gifts catalog.
• This version of "Crown Him With Many Crowns", with choir and orchestra.

• Thank you for continuing to wear a mask over your mouth and nose while inside the building on Sundays, regardless of vaccination status. Our decision to continue wearing masks is a way of showing care and hospitality to everyone who wishes to come to worship, including children and others unable to be vaccinated. It also helps protect against breakthrough cases, as we've seen with the Delta variant.
• Be mindful of distancing when selecting your seat and communing at the altar rail. 

• The limited test run of the installed livestream equipment went very smoothly on Sunday, November 14. The livestream will be available on YouTube at 9am beginning Sunday, November 21. 
• After sharing feedback from congregation members, the Council decided that the start time for worship will move to 9:45am beginning on Sunday, January 2, 2022.
• Updates on property projects - the front steps repair may be delayed until spring, depending on weather conditions.
• Sunday, January 16 (with back-up date of January 23) will be the date of the 2022 Annual Congregational Meeting. Three spots on Council will be open. If you're interested in being nominated, or if you're aware of any major scheduling conflicts on those dates, please let a Council member know.
• Conversation about Trinity's 140th anniversary in 2024, and plans to highlight the history of the church building.

Daily Bible Readings