Dietrich Bonhoeffer was an imperfect German theologian during WWII who was courageous and wrestled with questions of kingship. One of the central questions for the Lutheran church in Germany in the lead up to the war was around kingship. Who was the head of the church, Jesus, or the fuehrer? Bonhoeffer answered consistently that it was Jesus. But this put him in hot water with church leaders for whom there was little daylight between the national church and the nation. As a result of his courage and stubbornness, Bonhoeffer was followed by the Stasi, state spies. They infiltrated his Bible studies and monitored his sermons and lectures.
On the one hand, the question strikes us as odd: who was the head of the church? Of course Jesus is the head of the church. He is the incarnation of the Son, one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity. There is no one above God. After all that’s the First Commandment to have no other gods above God. On the other hand, we’ve seen examples of world leaders being venerated as if they are gods. Perhaps not the same as WWII Germany, but there are parallels. Some state churches like the Church of England make reference to the monarch, a king or queen, directly in their prayer books. Sometimes there are state flags or portraits of monarchs signalling this elevation. The lore around monarchs typically is not they are gods but that they occupy a seat chosen by God in some way. That their reign as king or queen is central to good order for the country and people.
And there are other more recent examples of world leaders who are described either as a god or chosen by God in some way. This king/queen language makes its way into our cultures even when there isn’t a monarchy. Any kind of leader whether appointed or elected can be given this kind of accolade.
One of the questions Reign of Christ Sunday raises is: What kind of king is Jesus? There are two sources that help us answer this question. One is the history of Reign of Christ Sunday also known as Christ the King Sunday. Melissa Hayes, director of Liturgy, at All Saints Church in Pasadena, California writes:
When we first started exploring this history of the feast of ‘Christ the King’ Sunday, I assumed it had been in our lectionary since the publication of the King James Bible (1611) – or at least the composition of Handel’s Messiah (1741). I decided to research its history going to the library (i.e., Google) and learn a bit more about it. I thought the first link (Wikipedia) was a joke – or at least a mistake: it claimed the feast day was established in 1925! Other links confirmed that:
Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy, which was claimed by Benito Mussolini.
The encyclical Quas Primas, symbolically marked that Christ must reign now temporally. In its replacing of the feast on the last Sunday of Pentecost, the later Mass of Paul VI calendar symbolized the new orientation of the Second Vatican Council in that Christ will reign, not now among nations, but at the end of time.
The Anglican Church, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists joined in adding this Feast Day to their lectionary. I couldn’t find the Feast Day in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, but it does appear in the 1979 version (our current version.)
I took this information to our Language & Liturgy group and we had a field day with it. To 21st century ears the language of “Christ the King’ Sunday can sound like heavy-handed, hierarchical hold-over from our patriarch dominated past – and yet it makes perfect sense when you realize it was a response to the growing fascist movement in Europe.
This historical context is helpful for us to know the origins of this feast day. And that it is nothing new for us to be facing similar questions around rising fascism in the world. Perhaps we find some solace in the fact that Christians before us in recent history wrestled with these same questions. We need to remind ourselves and proclaim Christ is king in order we not fall into a trance when worldly leaders, lead us astray.
A second source, in addition to history, is scripture itself. In our gospel reading we hear Jesus duking it out with Pontius Pilate. If not physically, then with words. While Pilate has the upper hand in terms of physical might and threat of persecution, Jesus doesn’t lose his cool. He reminds Pilate in their exchange that he may be Pilate’s prisoner, but he’s not about to capitulate to tyrants or a tyrant’s middle manager as Pilate was in relation to the Roman Emperor. Jesus comes across a bit sarcastic when Pilate cross-examines him. He doesn’t answer straightforwardly. Offering evasive answers, Christ the King maintains his freedom even in the midst of captivity.
Looking at the gospels overall, we see Jesus doesn’t take a seat on a throne of gold. The only crown he wears is one of thorns that is given him mocking his kingship. Instead we see Jesus leading a life of serving others. A life that subverts the earthly king who uses wealth and power to lord over others. Jesus calls others to follow him into a life of service. And this is one of the things that would have made Pilate and the empire fearful of Jesus. Any leader who can get people to follow him on a path of self-sacrifice might start a revolution. Even if its not a revolution with an army, it’s a movement that may be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of love and justice. And movements of the people always scare earthly kings and tyrants who want total control.
While we may not embarking on a revolution in this corner of Saanich, we are followers of Christ the King. We do gather each Sunday to revere him, learn about his teachings, pray, sing, and experience the beauty and support of a community rooted around a gospel of love. And there are many ways we aim to live this out. You are all serving in significant ways and I won’t try to list them all now. Together we are doing great things as followers of Christ the King.
One way we follow Jesus as king is by welcoming people into church spaces who are experiencing food insecurity. For the past six months or so we’ve had the Shelbourne Community Kitchen using the Upper Hall for distributing food and its programs on Wednesdays and Fridays. These are busy days seeing over a hundred people pass through the halls. Sometimes we’re busy in the office getting ready for various things. Sometimes it can be hard sharing space with just simple things like using the servery at the same time and making sure each group is happy with how spaces are left. It’s daily work building relationships. I am heartened meeting some of the folks who visit the Kitchen. Part of me will be sad when the renovation is complete and we no longer see people upstairs in the same numbers. Our relationship will continue as the Kitchen invites us to join for community dinners. But it will also be different.
It reminds me of something we’ve discussed at Board of Care, whether we are in a place in the near future to offer a kind of weekly coffee hang out in the hall. Perhaps a couple hours for people to stop by and have a cup of coffee, use the wifi, read a magazine. Just a chance to sit down without feeling judged for not having money. Currently the only other place where people can spend time without paying is the Nelly McClung Library, which someone mentioned will also be closed for renovations mid-December until February. Thinking about ways we can offer church spaces for people to warm up. Would be great if we could work toward making this a reality.
Wrapping up, as we celebrate Christ the King – Reign of Christ Sunday, think about this question. What are ways non-Christians see us following Christ as King? Consider the ways our daily lives point to the one who is rooted in love. And know the Jesus’ kingship doesn’t insist upon subjugation, but desires our mutual flourishing, leading meaningful lives of service. Amen.
