Day 253: Christ the King Sunday

DAY 253

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith, by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland – pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-seven    Sunday 22 November 2020

Christ the King Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. - The Book of Common Prayer: The Sunday closest to November 23.

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;…”    

I stood in silence as my wife, the lone applicant present, stood before a judge in a courtroom in Anchorage, Alaska and took the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. She took it seriously yet knowing two things: first, she would be retaining her Swiss citizenship as the United States allows for dual citizenship with many countries; and second, as a Christian her ultimate allegiance was and would remain to “foreign prince”  Jesus Christ. 

Why the focus on Christ the King? On this last Sunday of the church year – next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent - it serves to say that when all is said and done Jesus is indeed the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It doesn‘t always seem like it and at times we struggle with maintaining a commitment to this belief, but consider the alternatives – His absence would render none of them viable. This belief is the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah” sung loud with a text writ large in every corner of the universe. It has captured us and will keep us no matter what happens between now and when we see Him face to face. So we pray above that all “may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule.” Someday

Reflective question: What is the difference between knowing Jesus as Savior and knowing Jesus as King and Lord in your life?

Reflective Scripture:

Revelation 17:14 – “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - …”

Reflective hymn:

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)           `

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King:

peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”

Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;

With th’ angelic hosts proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”