Sermon; Proper 29C/Christ the King; Luke 23:33-43

Today is the Last Sunday after Pentecost, also known as Christ the King, or, the Reign of Christ.  As Church feasts and celebrations go, this one is relatively new.  Only 100 years old, it was created in 1925 by Pope Pius XI for two reasons.  First, 1925 was a Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church.  These years mainly consist of universal pardons, and he wanted something special to celebrate the end of that year.  Second, he saw the rise of secularism and ultra-nationalism in Europe and wanted something to remind people of where their loyalties should truly lie.

The date moved around for the first few years but finally settled on the Last Sunday after Pentecost – a date that signifies the culmination of the Church year by recognizing Christ as King of kings and Lord of Lords.  In other words, everything we do from Advent 1 up to now points toward naming Jesus as King of all.

For a celebration focused on Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, for one created to combat nationalism and nationalistic movements, you would think today would be inundated with images of the Christus Rex or one of the images from Revelation of the victorious Christ.  And we get some of that in our hymns today where we all hail the power of Jesus’ name and crown him with many crowns.

You would think that, but on this Christ the King Sunday we don’t get the triumphant, resurrected Christ.  On this Christ the King Sunday we don’t get a victorious Jesus ascending to heaven.  Instead, we get an image of Jesus stripped, beaten, whipped, vulnerable, hanging between heaven and earth, and being ridiculed by leaders, soldiers, passersby, and criminals.  This image of a man dying a horrific death is the image of Christ the King we must hold onto.

The world gives kings who are focused on power, domination, and control.  The kings of the world find ways to take what they want and exploit the vulnerable.  The kings of the world rule by the edict of might makes right.

It has been this way from the beginning.  For when the people of Israel demanded a king, the prophet Samuel spoke to them and said, “He will take your sons to serve in his army and plow his fields.  He will take your daughters to be cooks and bakers.  He will take your fields and vineyards and give them to his loyalists.  He will take your cattle and donkeys and you will be his slaves.  And when you cry out to the Lord, he will not answer you.”

There are those who try to become king through whatever means necessary, rampaging through existing safeguards, appointing loyalists to do his bidding, and trampling anyone who gets in his way.  There are those who become king through birth and who are so used to seeing things from that point of view that they don’t see or don’t care about the harm done by them or on their behalf.  And there are those who would make Jesus out to be this kind of king – enthroned in splendor, punishing those named as an enemy, and using a warped vision of Christianity to rampage through a world not to their liking until everyone is subservient.

These are the things Pope Pius XI was trying to combat with the creation of this feast.  These are not the things Christ stood for.  This is not the king we proclaim.  The king we proclaim sacrificed himself to save the world by hanging on a cross.

Whereas the kingdoms of men seek to build walls, the kingdom of God is always open.

Whereas the kingdoms of men seek to expel those deemed different, the kingdom of God draws in all people.

Whereas the kingdoms of men control and limit resources, the kingdom of God sows the seeds of reckless generosity so that all may be fed and healed.

The kingdom of God is based on justice, mercy, and love.  The kingdom of God works to bring restoration to the outcast.  The kingdom of God works to feed, clothe, and heal the hungry, the naked, and the damaged.

If the kingdoms of earth do not work to do these things, then they are not of God.  If the kingdoms of earth claim they are being led by a Jesus who does not do these things, then they are being led by a man-made Jesus idol that simply mirrors their own biases and hatreds.

If we proclaim Christ as King, then we must proclaim the Christ of subversive love.  If we proclaim Christ as King, then we must proclaim the Christ of the Beloved Community.  If we proclaim Christ as King, then we must proclaim Christ as the King of peace.  If we proclaim Christ as King, then we must proclaim Christ as the One who stands against violence, degradation, separation, and hatred.

Proclaiming Christ as King is to make a bold proclamation and to take a bold stand against the corrupt, divisive, and self-serving powers of the world in favor of the Kingdom of love, justice, mercy, and healing.  It is by proclaiming Christ as King in this way that we will take back the definition of the Reign of Christ that has been corrupted, twisted, and co-opted by the powers of the world.

If we do that – unapologetically, boldly, and faithfully, then we just might get a glimpse of God’s kingdom here on earth . . . as it is in heaven.

Amen.