Last Pentecost - 2024
Sermon for the Last Sunday after Pentecost
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
The Rev. Andrew McLarty
Good morning. Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year. This day serves as a culmination of our journey through the liturgical calendar, reminding us that Jesus Christ reigns supreme over all creation. Our readings today, from Revelation and John’s Gospel, help us understand the nature of Christ’s kingship and what it means for us.
For the Romans, to be king really meant one thing: you have the power to force others to submit to your will. You command armies, wage wars. So, when Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king, Pilate is not asking if Jesus wields symbolic power or will someday inherit a kingship. Instead, Pilate is asking: Do you really have legions of troops at your command? Are you really planning to overthrow the power of Rome?
Soren Kierkegaard, Philosophical Fragments
She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know for sure? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal.
Would she be happier remaining in obscurity, loved by an equal, content in her humble cottage; but confident in her love?
The king, convinced he could not elevate the maiden without crushing her freedom, resolved to descend to her. Clothed as a beggar, he approached her cottage with a worn cloak fluttering loose about him. This was not just a disguise – the king took on a totally new identity – He had renounced his throne to declare his love and to win hers.
“This is,” said Kierkegaard, “the God as he stands upon the earth, like unto the humblest by the power of his omnipotent love.”[^1]
Citizens in God's Kingdom
Worldly kingdoms often rely on power, wealth, and force to sustain themselves. Christ’s kingdom is built on truth, love, and self-sacrifice. Jesus says, “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.” His mission is not about claiming territory or political control—it’s about revealing the truth of God’s redeeming love and calling us into relationship with him.
For us, Christ’s kingship means two things. First, it assures us that no matter how chaotic the world may seem, Jesus reigns. His rule is eternal, and his promises are unshakable. Second, it challenges us to live as citizens of his kingdom. This means aligning our lives with his truth, sharing his love, and working for justice, peace, and reconciliation in the world around us.
Today, as we proclaim Christ as King, let us recommit ourselves to his way of truth and grace. For his is the kingdom, the power, and the glory—forever and ever.
Amen.
