On the Feast of Christ the King

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is so much going on in the world that it is very easy to get distracted by what we are constantly being inundated with. In the era of the twenty-four-hour news cycle and a plethora of social media platforms, it's not hard to get pulled into social media arguments. My heart is often very heavy with the sight of so many Christians fighting on Facebook, and in real life, with each other over everything from Starbucks coffee cups to Palestine and everything in between. I am often just as guilty for chiming in from time to time, out of anger or frustration. I am angry because I don't know what else to be or what else to do. This week was no different. I was tired from working multiple shifts back to back in the hospitals, and I found myself asking God: what should I say as I address the diocese on this, one of the most important feast days on the liturgical calendar — a day that we celebrate Christ the King?

We live in a day and age where some in the church, our church, the Anglican Church, think that we should throw out the word "King." After all, it is a symbol of times past, of the old and oppressive era. But this is an ironic sentiment, because it is in the mystery of Christ's kingship that we have the very root of our spiritual liberation. So, what is this day? What is Christ the King Sunday, and why do we have a day that is set aside to celebrate it?

Christ the King Sunday is placed on our church calendar at a point in the liturgical season when we are finishing one season — a season of exploring who Christ is or was — and entering into another, a season of expectation for the hope of the coming Saviour. But the church did not always celebrate this feast day. As a matter of fact, it is new to the church calendar in terms of celebrations and came about in a time when the world needed a reminder of who Christ was.

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 for the universal church by issuing the encyclical *Quas Primas*. He was concerned about the increasing denial of Christ as King and the rise of secularism. At the time of *Quas Primas*, many Christians began to have doubts about Christ's authority and existence. This was at a time when many of the European nations were being taken over by secular governments and ideologies and drawing many people away from the church and the church's teachings. So, in his encyclical, he reminded Christians of Christ's primacy as the King of the Universe.

The encyclical told us how we as Christians could make Christ the King of our lives. It read:

*"The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God."*

We see that things have not changed much in the past ninety years, and words like *dominion* and *empire* and *reigning* are offensive to people. I said earlier in my message that many in the church wanted to get away from the term *King* because it represented too much of the old and oppressive ways, but I challenge them — and really all of us — to be reminded of who Jesus truly is.

Jesus is the Son of God who humbled himself by becoming human and dying on the cross. Many people in Jesus' time were disappointed. They wanted a King who would come with a vengeance and destroy Rome. They wanted William Wallace, but instead they got Mr. Rogers. They got a man who was willing to allow himself to be sacrificed in our place, who allowed himself to be broken and beaten — and it was in his weakness, at that moment, that he became strong; and it was at that moment, when he forgave those around him, that he got his power. Jesus was King — he was *the* King — but a King like no other. Jesus, instead of demanding his subjects serve Him, served His subjects. You ask what Christ the King Sunday is about. It is about picking up where He left off; it is about loving our neighbour as we love ourselves; it is about welcoming those people in who are less fortunate, week after week; it is about going out into our communities with the greatest story ever told and offering the hope of our King.

Christ the King Sunday is not about some God sitting on a throne in Heaven dictating to his people. Christ the King Sunday is about the God that's living inside of each and every one of us. It's about the God that empowers us at our weakest moments to keep true to His call. Christ the King Sunday is about loving your neighbour and changing the world.

It is my prayer that as we enter this season of expectation together, we come to know Christ the King in each and every person that we encounter.

I remain your servant in Christ, ✠ Bishop Brent Whetstone