Today is the final Sunday of the church Calendar – and we know it as Christ the King Sunday! This is quite a new feast day, the church only started marking it a hundred years ago, and then just over 50 years ago they moved the date that we mark it! It was introduced by Pope Pius XI to emphasise that world peace and harmony could only be achieved when nations and individuals recognised and respected the reign of Christ, a message I fear, that is needed now as much as ever.
For us, Observance of this day, serves as a reminder of the ultimate authority of Jesus and the call to live under his lordship.
However, it gives us the opportunity to ask the question: do we think about Jesus as King? And If we do, do we think about what type of king he is?
Each of our two readings today, from Colossians and our gospel, couldn’t have described Jesus more differently – which do we feel was closest to describing a king?
I should think many of us can remember that beautifully warm sunny day two and a half years ago when pomp and ceremony came out in all its wonderful glory, many of us donned our red, white and blue, and celebrated a new era for our country as Prince Charles, as we had known him, was crowned as our new King, after years of only knowing a Queen!
There were jewels, golden carriages, velvet robes, crowns, high level security and more – are any of these things we would associate with King Jesus?
Our reading from Colossians describes him as the supreme, the firstborn, the image of God himself, the one through whom, and for whom, everything was created – thrones, powers, rulers, authorities, the head.
Christ the King, king of majesty, the all-powerful one before whom we must merely bend the knee and bow down. Maybe exactly the picture we would expect of a king, and not unlike our monarch, King Charles – a symbol of power, wealth and authority.
A king that reigns over the never ending, entire Kingdom of God. Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer, we recognise that kingdom as we say for thine is the kingdom – what kind of King is he, what kind of kingdom does he rule over?
Is this a Jesus we recognise?
We are probably much more familiar with the humble Jesus, who referred to himself as the good shepherd, the Son of Man, the Messiah, whilst merely hinting at his kingship.
If we consider our gospel reading, it appears to paint a different picture, and certainly not what we might expect as an example of kingship. Where are the jewels and velvet robes? Instead, we have a naked and wounded Jesus, the crown on his head not made of fine jewels, but of thorns, no throne, just a wooden cross set amongst criminals.
No one to bow, just a rag tag crowd of folk shouting abuse and taunts – and that humiliating sign nailed above his head, not intended as an honorary title, but as a mocking insult – this is the king of the Jews.
Is this the Jesus we recognise?
A monarch can demand certain things, and they will be granted, I mentioned the coronation, this is the type of pageantry and exclusive treatment a King can command, this is the influence and authority that wealth and privilege bring.
Is this what Jesus’ kingship looks like?
Jesus’s kingship didn’t keep him apart or separate from us; he came as man – actually as a tiny baby, helpless and dependent, he lived like us and suffered as we do – which brought him close. The power he holds he shares, giving us life and hope in every part of our lives.
We are very blessed to stand here knowing how events unfolded after the day we heard about in our gospel reading. We know that it was not the end. However hard and bleak the situation was as Jesus hung on that cross, today we can celebrate Christ as King, risen, ascended and glorified.
Whilst we must recognise Jesus as King over all creation, Lord of all life and respond on bended knee and with humble worship and praise, there is also the king who was surprising, shocking, baffling, bewildering and deeply human – the king who we can relate to so well.
A king with a crown not of gold but of thorns. This shows us the other side of Christ the King – a Jesus that isn’t about greatness and power, but a Jesus that suffers as a human being, a Jesus that reaches out to the poor, the needy and the ill, a Jesus that knew the pain of humiliation, betrayal and death, a Jesus that knew what life was like for us, who uses his power to go through this for us and with us, and therefore a Jesus that we can relate to and build a relationship with.
And that is what brings us hope, and as that relationship builds, a peace unlike any we have known.
We know Jesus as a person, a King that can transform, he can love, he can forgive even when we can’t forgive ourselves – even facing death in the face he could forgive the criminal hanging beside him – ‘today you will be with me in paradise’. As the king of kings is being treated like a common thief, he treats the common thief beside him like a king, welcoming him into the kingdom. That is the Jesus we recognise, a Jesus we want to bow in reverence and worship to.
As Christians, we’re called to recognise Jesus Christ as King of Kings, the Messiah, Emmanuel, Lord and Saviour, the living water and the Bread of Life, among other names.
Jesus is the light of the world. If we follow the king of kings, we will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. All of us here can open our hearts both to the marginalised and to God so that we can walk in that light, living with Jesus in our lives and sharing that love with those we know need it more than anything else.
Today, as we celebrate this final Sunday in the Christian year, recognising Jesus Christ as King – will you invite Jesus to reign over you?
His hands and feet are pierced, His brow is scarred but there is Glory in his face. He reigns!
Will you have Jesus Christ to be your King?
Service: Revd Rebecca Yates 23rd November 2025. (St John the Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Readings: Luke 23:33-43 / Jeremiah 23:1-6 / Colossians 1:11-20