Village King

John 18:33-37


 Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

I've mentioned before, but it bears repeating, that Christ the King Sunday was added to the liturgical year of the Catholic and Protestant churches during an era when churches were losing a level of respect they had enjoyed before and dominant dictators were taking control of nation states and everything in them, including churches. This was the era of Hitler and Stalin.  Pope Pius XI during this time declared that the Roman Catholic Church would have a holiday to celebrate that Christ is our one and only King... not some dictator with a hate-filled agenda, but instead the Prince of Peace.

So, in this time of unrest and stress and heartache in our global village, perhaps it is important for us as Christians to celebrate with all our hearts and souls and might Christ the King Day this year.  Time for us, as Christians, to declare that Christ is the King of all we say and do and believe... not hate, not war, not terror, but Christ, the Prince of Peace.  And it's a good time to reflect on the idea that our Prince of Peace was an inclusive leader, a man who reached out to those who didn't believe as he did, who didn't pray as he did, who didn't look or act or speak like him.  That was who Jesus ministered to as much as he did to those who were his disciples and followers.  An important thing to be grateful for on Christ the King Day.

In the scripture for this week, we read Pilate asking Jesus if he is King of the Jews. And Jesus declaring that the kingdom to which he belongs is not a worldly kingdom. He is called to lead us to a kingdom of truth and he will testify to that truth, even unto death.

So Jesus doesn't fit neatly into the categories the world designs for him. He's not a fundamentalist or a liberal. He's not a capitalist. He's not an American. He's not a rock star or a Hollywood idol. He is simply and always a path to the way of God, a teller of God's ultimate truth.  If he were here for some other reason, then maybe he would fit in some of the categories we try to shove him into, but since he's only here to show us the truth, the way to God, we mostly scratch our heads and try to figure out who he is and where we should 'put' him in our own lives.

IAll the Sundays that come after this one, the ones in Advent that lead us up to Christmas Day, are specifically set aside to highlight the many different paths we can take to follow Jesus, our King, in his message of truth.  And isn't that  precisely what we need in this peaceable village kingdom we are trying to build? A person, a King, who shares a message of truth through love and peace and hope and joy.  

What do you think are Jesus' greatest attributes?  Why do you call yourself a Christian?  Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.