Questioning Jesus: Are You the King?

Each year, on the last Sunday before Advent begins, we celebrate the feast of the Reign of Christ, also known as Christ the King Sunday. On this day we celebrate Jesus as our king. In some ways, this Sunday is an in-between Sunday. It is the finish line of our Christian year, marking the Sunday when the cycle of celebrations and readings comes to an end, preparing to start over again. It is the last Sunday in Ordinary time, but it reminds us of all that is coming as the Christian year starts over. And, this year, it helps us round out the readings of the last few weeks.

Over the last two months, we have spent our time together exploring many of the questions that Jesus was asked as he traveled. His disciples had questions for him. The religious leaders had questions for him. Random persons he encountered on the way had questions for him. Some of these questions were meant to test Jesus while others were asked out of a genuine desire to understand.

Today, Pilate presents us something of a contrast (see John 18:33-37). In some ways, he seems genuinely interested in the answers to his questions, but we also have to remember who he is. He is not a stupid man, so he is also cautious, uncertain what answers he will get and what they will mean. And as we celebrate Christ as our king, I suspect we may have some questions of our own.

The End of the Beginning: Reign of Christ

As the liturgical year comes full circle, we celebrate the ongoing Reign of Christ. One of the texts for this Sunday in the lectionary cycle is Jeremiah 23:1-6, where God speaks through the prophet to condemn those who harm the flock and promises to raise up a righteous ruler who will gather and care for those that have been scattered.

So we look to our belief that Jesus is the fulfillment of these words and reflect on how his reign is different than our experience of earthly rulers. And we consider what it means to live in God's kingdom even as we live in earthly kingdoms.

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On the final Sunday of the liturgical year, we come full circle and celebrate the end of the beginning. Over the course of the year, we have explored all that God has done and all that God has promised to do. We have traveled through the key events of the life of Jesus, from birth to death, from life to resurrection, from teaching to healing.

As we prepare to enter Advent again, we enter another season of expectation. We look back with reverence to the birth of Jesus, to God entering the world as one of us. And we look ahead to the second coming, to the ultimate fulfillment of all that God has promised. In the last few weeks, we have looked back even farther to remind ourselves of God’s creation and we have glimpsed the future that God is preparing for us.

But on the final Sunday before we start the cycle over, we are reminded that Jesus reigns - today and always. We are reminded of what it means today that Jesus is Lord. We are reminded of what God is doing in the world right now.