Christ the King

Today is Christ the King Sunday - the last Sunday of the Christian year on the liturgical calendar. For many church members, it is a little known High Sunday or Feast Day. In UM circles, the term King is considered to be too hierarchical, too masculine, and suggests domination, particularly male domination. So, they prefer the term Reign of Christ Sunday. I prefer the original term, Christ the King Sunday. It reflects good, biblical theology. And it is one of my favorite Sundays of the liturgical year.

This particular Sunday emphasizes and celebrates "Jesus is Lord!" The celebration looks backward at the victory of Christ in his death and resurrection.It proclaims that Jesus has conquered sin and death and has broken their power in our lives.  But it also has a forward look. It affirms that the Kingdom in its fullness will one day be a reality on earth. This Sunday looks forward to the time that God's victory in Christ will not just impact individual lives, but will permeate all of creation. The brokenness of this world will be healed and the oneness of heaven and earth will be restored. Christ the King Sunday proclaims Christian hope - not wishful thinking, but the quiet assurance of what will be.

This last Sunday of the Christian year not only celebrates Christ's victory and assures us of its reality, it is also a call to faithfulness. It calls us to faithfully live the ways of the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed and lived. It calls us to live out of step with the ways of the world.

"Jesus is Lord" was the central affirmation of the 1st century church. It was more than the affirmation of a theological belief. It was a political statement. Yes, a political statement! (We cannot divorce theology and politics!) When the early Christ followers proclaimed "Jesus is Lord," they were proclaiming "Caesar is not Lord!" For them, "Jesus is Lord" was an act of defiance, of civil disobedience.

In the first century, allegiance to Rome was expressed in proclaiming "Caesar is Lord!" This proclamation was like US citizens standing to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance ... only more so. Throughout the Roman Empire, Caesar wore the titles of "Lord," "Prince of Peace," the "Savior of the World," "Son of God," and "God Incarnate." (Sound familiar? Read Luke's account of the birth of Jesus - chapter 2 - with this understanding in your mind.)  The Romans wedded politics and religion. The emperor, i.e., Caesar, was the divinely appointed ruler, the son of God and God in the flesh. He was a member of the Roman pantheon, the gods' representative on earth. To resist Rome (i.e., Caesar) was to defy the will of the gods. Temples with likeness of the emperor were established throughout the Empire. Those who lived within the borders of the Empire had to swear allegiance at these Temples by proclaiming "Caesar is Lord!" The refusal to do so was viewed as insurrection, punishable by flogging, imprisonment, confiscation of property, and even death. (This practice is the backdrop to the book of Revelation and the key to understanding the imagery in it.)

Thus, for the first Christ followers, to proclaim "Jesus is Lord" was an act of insurrection. It was to reject Caesar as Lord and, in doing so, it was to reject the hierarchical, domination ways Caesar embodied. It was to proclaim the ways of the kingdom and live them here, now, in the midst of a world that used power to dominate for the advantage of a few. To reject Caesar's authority was to reject the ways of Rome in which human life was cheap, in which wealth and power were the measure of greatness. To proclaim "Jesus is Lord" was to intentionally live out of step with the society in which they lived, living by a different set of values and a different understanding of truth.

Thus, Christ the King Sunday calls us beyond cultural Christianity that wears the name of Christ but lives the values of its culture. It calls us to reaffirm our commitment to "Jesus is Lord" by living the ways of the Kingdom in the midst of a society in which wealth and power are the measure of greatness and in which human life (at least some people's lives) is not valued.

It seems to me, the message of Christ the King Sunday is needed today. We ignore it or downplay it to our own peril.

Jesus is Lord! Thanks be to God!