Christ the King Sunday

The season of ordinary time after Pentecost ends this week with the feast of Christ the King. This is not an ancient celebration of the church -- it was only established in 1925, less than a decade after World War I.

Nowadays we look back at the results of WWI and see that people of the early 20th century had placed too much faith in scientific progress and in national governments. In the wake of that war it was evident that governments and science had not saved us; instead they provided more efficient ways of killing each other.

Graves of WWI soldiers killed at Flanders Field

But not everyone emerged from that chapter of history with a clear-eyed recognition of the limitations of human institutions. In fact, some people in power thought that since the war represented a failure in leadership, the way forward was to make government stronger. In countries such as Mexico, officials tried to replace their subjects' loyalties, especially when it came to faith and the institution of the church. In response to this rising tide of secularism and oppression around the world, Pope Pius XI declared an annual feast day for Roman Catholics to remember that only Christ can be the supreme leader of the faithful. Many Protestant denominations adopted the day in the decades that followed. In 1970 these churches agreed to celebrate Christ the King Sunday during the last Sunday of the church calendar, which is just before Advent.

In the Philippines I used to see posters come out during the end of November that looked something like this:

People would hang these images on their front gates or doors. Although I never had anyone there tell me as much, I wonder if the motivation was a subversive one. Were these Christians silently stating their opposition to a government that was often corrupt and inefficient? Was this an annual opportunity to claim ultimate loyalty to a heavenly ruler -- above President or Parliament?

Here in the USA, Christ the King Sunday presents a different kind of challenge -- it usually falls near Thanksgiving Day. Giving thanks is a part of every Christian worship service, most clearly celebrated during the Great Thanksgiving in Communion liturgies. Since showing gratitude for God's grace is part of the rhythm of a Christian's life, recognizing this national holiday during your Sunday service can seem sort of bland. National holidays have a way of doing that. A secular government cannot promote any particular faith, so our leaders make very generic pronouncements about experiencing or having good stuff. But at a Christian worship service we are called to be very specific and particular. What does a Christian have to give thanks for? Jesus Christ, and the grace he showed by coming in human form, by dying and rising again so we can be saved, and by reigning from heaven until he returns to redeem all creation. Those are very specific activities that happened (and will happen) in a particular place and at a recorded time in history. That's why we give thanks to our one and only ruler and king. This Sunday I would rather have a specific celebration of Christ's lordship over and above all human institutions. Leave Thanksgiving for Thursday.