Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 25, 2007 - Feast of Christ the King
[2 Samuel 5:1-3; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:35-43]He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent
There is more than one kind of "king." Besides the usual character on the throne wearing a crown and holding a sceptre, there are characters like Elvis Presley and Mohammad Ali who were called "king" in their heyday. Jesus is none of these, yet he is "king" in the sense that the wonderful poem from Colossians says it in the second scripture for today. His life, death and resurrection are the gospel we preach, but Colossians (and the Prologue to the Gospel of John) make it clear that he is an eternal reality that holds all creation together. We can see this as dominance or we can see this as service and love. After all, Jesus the King, washed the feet of his disciples and underwent a cruel death. Pilate's note on the cross was meant to be a sarcastic comment, but he was closer to truth than he realized. His note, however, was limited to the Jews. Jesus is "king" of all creation! When Pilate asked, "What is truth?" he was, ironically, faced with it right in front of him. "King" meant only a political/monarchical person to Pilate. The truth of Jesus' kingship is demonstrated when he tells Pilate, "You would have no authority over me at all if it were not given to you." In short, our very existence is due to the power of Jesus. If that makes him a "king," then I guess we'll have to make do with the title, knowing that our own popular notion of kingship is nowhere near his! AMEN
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