A Strange Kind of King

Today we celebrate Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – the capstone celebration, the final Sunday, the end of our liturgical year. Christ, the King of the Universe, will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead – it’s one of the central themes of our Christian beliefs. But the kingship we celebrate today, is a different kind of kingdom. Because OUR king, our Lord Jesus Christ, is truly a strange kind of king.

In the Cathedral of Our Lady, in Copenhagen, Denmark, there’s a beautiful statue of Christ the King. It was originally commissioned in the early 19th century during the restoration of the cathedral, after it was destroyed in a war. The master sculptor intended to create a monument to Christ the King, the Christus. His awesome power would shine forth in his regal gaze over everything and everyone. His mighty hands would be raised in triumph over all the world. Truly this Christus would be the King of kings, reigning over all the earth, a masterpiece befitting the King of the Universe. Faced with a deadline, the sculptor created the statue in plaster over a clay mold, so it would be ready in time for the cathedral’s rededication.

The story goes that soon after the statue was finished, but before the plaster had fully set, the statue was moved to a shed near the harbor. But when the master came to oversee the final transfer to the cathedral, he discovered the harbor’s dampness had changed his regal, triumphant Christ. The upraised hands now drooped. They seemed to beseech you to come to him. The proud, upturned face was now close to his chest. It seemed etched with the lines of a life of challenge, looking down with a compassionate gaze. The triumphant king the sculptor had created had become more like a Shepherd calling for his flock. His masterpiece was ruined! But after a bit of disappointment, the sculptor realized that this was a more accurate Christ our King than he had ever envisioned. He left the sculpture undisturbed, simply changing its inscription from “Follow my commands” to “Come unto me.” And that sculpture of Christ our King has today been copied and reproduced throughout the world.

That’s pretty much the King we see in our Gospel today. It might seem strange that on this celebration of Christ, the King of the Universe, our Gospel presents us the image of Christ humiliated, mocked, insulted, and tortured on the cross. But just maybe // that’s the point.

When we think of kings, we tend to think of palaces, servants, wealth and absolute power over their people. And here’s Christ, the Son of God, the one who DOES have absolute power over ALL creation, nailed to a cross, spit upon, humiliated, and suffering pain, just like you or I would. What kind of king is that?

Jesus turns the whole idea of kingship upside down. Think about it. What IS a king? Or, more accurately, what SHOULD a king BE, but the one who brings peace and prosperity, justice, security, and order for his people? That’s exactly what Christ does for us on the cross. It’s why He came to earth. By his unconditional surrender, his unconditional Yesto the will of the Father, He conquered sin, death, and the devil, and opened for us the gates of Heaven. (adapted from The Better Part, section 233) Christ indeed reigns over all, but he reigns not from an earthly throne, but from that cross. That’s what it means to be a true king – a strange kind of king, no doubt. And that’s the King we have in Jesus.

In his letter to the Colossians today, St Paul reminds us that we have been invited, we’ve been CALLED to share in the glorious kingdom of Christ – to join Him in His Kingdom of Light. Paul reminds us that Christ is the linchpin, the centerpiece, the keystone who brings all of creation into focus and order for us. Without Christ as our King, our anchor and our shield, we lose our way. We struggle to make sense of our lives. Christ is our path to salvation and everlasting life. He truly IS the King of the Universe, surpassing all worldly kings and dominions, past, present, and future. In spite of His everlasting dominion though, he seeks only one thing – to become the King of OUR heart, to bring His kingdom to life through us and in us. Through HIS total surrender and sacrifice on the cross, Christ ransomed us from sin. This strange and glorious King is beseeching US, begging US, to join in bringing His kingdom to life. But how do we do that?

We need to take a hard look at our commitment to Christ in our lives. Are we Christ-centered, or do we try to fit him in when it fits our schedule? Our lives are busy. We have way too many demands on our time. But unless // and until // we give Christ center stage in our lives, we’ll be hard pressed to begin to build his kingdom. And we need to let go of our ego a bit. Until we do, we can’t be open to doing His will. Christ is not our King if we don’t listen to Him // love Him // and serve Him in all aspects of our lives.

Jesus reigns from the cross, a King who surrendered Himself for His people. Christ’s ministry was all about meeting the needs of others. He showed us how to be a servant-leader – feeding the hungry, comforting the sick, ministering to the sorrowful. He calls us to continue his ministry today. Because as we know from Matthew’s Gospel: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

And finally, we need to live in Christ’s love. God’s love for us is unconditional, everlasting, // and completely undeserved. Christ loves us so much that he was willing to DIE for us on the cross – what a wonderful gift! But more than a gift, Christ’s love // is a LOAN. Christ’s love showers down upon us from His heavenly throne. But we’re called to be a pipeline for that love rather than a bucket, because only by sharing that love do we cause His kingdom to take root and grow.

Christ truly IS a strange // and a wonderful // kind of King – a king who loved his people even unto death – who even now INVITES rather than COMMANDSus to join Him in his eternal Kingdom. On this feast of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, may we surrender ourselves to his love, and welcome Him into our hearts.