Christ the King Sunday

This Sunday is known as the Feast of Christ the King.  All of the lessons have images of kingship and rule, though not necessarily in expected forms. This Sunday stands at the end of the long season after Pentecost as a summing up of what we’ve learned about Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Luke and as an introduction to Advent. 

The first two lessons speak of the promise of good things for the righteous but also invite us to thoughts of judgement. The king Jeremiah promises will be raised up from David’s line will be a gentle shepherd but also judge and all-powerful ruler. Paul speaks of Jesus not only as head of the Church, but as ruler of all things in heaven and on earth, the one through whom all things were created. So much comes together here, that if this feast didn’t exist, it would almost be necessary to invent it.

If you have been watching the PBS special, the American Revolution you may recall that the United States fought a long and bloody war to be free of the tyranny of the monarchy.

This year marks 100 years since the Roman Catholic Church became alarmed at the rise of Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy and instituted a counter measure, Christ the King in 1925. Episcopalians have joined with their Roman Catholic friends and mark this Sunday as the Reign of Christ.