CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY

PENTECOST XXVI

November 26, 2023

“The Servant King”

O come, let us sing to the Lord;     

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;   

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,   

and a great King above all gods.

O come, let us worship and bow down,   l

et us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,   and we are the people of his pasture,   

and the sheep of his hand.   (Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7)      

What kind of image pops into your mind when you hear the word “king”?  Do you picture the current king of England, stiff and somber, wearing a uniform encrusted with medals and carrying a ceremonial sword?  Or do you think of the Roman puppet, King Herod, who was so fearful of losing power that, when he heard of the birth of a Messiah, ordered the slaughter of all children under the age of two in the area around Bethlehem?  Our ideas of kings can swing from reserved and boring to crazed viciousness, which hardly gives us a clear picture.     

We find references to kings throughout the Bible, covering the spectrum from wise and good, brave and heroic, to corrupt and evil.  So why do we refer to God as a great king and assign a specific day to celebrate Christ as a king?  After all, we’re talking about God the Father, creator of the universe, and Jesus his son, the savior of humanity, who are far above and beyond any earthly king.  These descriptive terms are probably used, as are many others for describing and speaking of God because they’re all we have — limited little human words!       

The ancient prophecies and promises spoke of God’s Chosen One, who would have authority and power, ruling with justice and righteousness.  The Hebrew people believed and clung to these promises for centuries, faithfully waiting for the Savior.  The vision of the heroic, conquering king arriving to save them would have become their vision and expectation of what was to come.     

Into this environment our Lord began a ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing, calling a group of disciples to travel with him, bringing them to the faith and knowledge that he was the promised Savior.  He didn’t give orders or demand certain privileges, but offered a message of forgiveness, salvation, and the assurance of God’s abundant love for his people.  This is what Jesus did over and over — he turned the expectations of the world upside down and backwards, coming into the world not as a king, but as a servant to all.  God’s own Son spent his life among the poor, and sick, the downtrodden, and the powerless.  Through Christ, we see and worship a king whose strength is in humility and service.  As this church year ends, and we turn to the new beginning of Advent, let us listen to the messages of the season with open hearts and minds, ready to share them with a world in need of Good News. 

Grateful and hopeful,

Your friend in Christ,

Mary Rogers