Christ the King

This coming Sunday is "Christ the King" Sunday.  It is the last Sunday of the Christian Church year.  The following Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. The name for this Sunday has some oddities that might rub us the wrong way. As a nation, many participated in protests shouting, "No Kings!" So what does it mean to turn around and envision Jesus as a King? 

The use of the King image has its roots back in the human era, when feudalism was the only economic/political system in operation at the rise of nation-states in Europe. Church doctrine was coming together bit by bit, church council by church council.  It's logical for the Church to look for a unifying image for the "head of the Church."  The position of king was the most powerful figure in people's lives.  They needed an image of Christ that would communicate that he was the leader over people's lives.  

The profound irony, however, is that Jesus explicitly rejected that role in his life.  As he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a donkey (or colt), it was purposely not a war stallion.  While there were groups who wanted Jesus to declare himself a king or emperor and overthrow Rome, he forcefully rejected the role. The word he most often referenced for his leadership style was "servant."

So here we are with this archaic doctrinal reference to Jesus to which tradition keeps us melded. I'll not get into the added tangle of patriarchal language. So, is this redeemable?  I think it is. 

All of us who follow Jesus, and hold him as a serious guiding principle in our lives can still see the congruity of using monarch as an image.  It connotes an authority whom we adopt as the moral guide for our lives.  So the redeeming question becomes this: What does Jesus as Monarch mean to my life?  What kind of Monarch is he to me?  For me, he would be:

A powerful presence yet humble.  Instructive but not domineering.  Judge of all good, not petty, unfair, lacking in understanding, or uncaring.  Beloved -- always on the right side of peace, encouraging plenty for all.  Charismatic - luring us to be like him without the force of legalism.  Gentle -- not vengeful or vindictive.

Inviting this very unique monarch into our hearts as the guiding founder of our faith and spiritual life is exactly what we need for our spiritual health, as well as the Vision for our world.