SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2025 | AFTER PENTECOST CHRIST THE KING OR REIGN OF CHRIST PROPER 29 (C)

Good morning,

Can you believe it? Advent is almost here....but before it comes, we have Christ the King Sunday! In some way a contrasting Sunday to Advent, where we will be building up anticipation of the birth of Jesus.

Here in our gospel reading, we are jumping ahead to the time, when Jesus is on the cross in a unique to Luke scene: he is up there and 2 criminals with him on their crosses on each side. A famous three crosses scene on Golgotha.

It is not a happy occasion by any metric - more of a kaleidoscope of human ignorance, pettiness, and casual cruelty. In English, we do not have a word for it, but in German, there is “Schadenfreude” - “harm-joy”, which “refers to the experience of pleasure or satisfaction that comes from learning about or witnessing the troubles, failures, or misfortune of others.” Everybody is making fun of him, even one of the criminals! Some messiah you are if you cannot even save yourself!

And yet....there is one that is not making fun of him - the other criminal:

“Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009).

And then he says:

“Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.”

Revised Common Lectionary (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009).

And Jesus responds to him:

Revised Common Lectionary 11-27-2025: Thanksgiving Day (U.S.A)

Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Some interpretations say that the criminals represent two groups of people - one that doesn’t possess faith and thus mocks Jesus and his imminent death on the cross and the other one possessing faith and thus understanding that Jesus is innocent and yet condemned and that it has far-reaching spiritual consequences. One thing is certain - the first criminal had no clue about it all, while the other one seemed clued in quite a bit.

Notice that Jesus is gracious all around - he doesn’t match the energy of the mockers and even seem understanding of them and he truly recognizes the other criminal’s request to “remember him” in a salvific sense.

Jesus is a different kind of king! One that is not full of himself, not seeking vengeance on his opponents, and ruling through love and forgiveness, not violence and domination. He doesn’t rule with threats of violence and political machinations, but rather with grace and care.

Those making fun of him were expecting a mighty king that can take a hold of his environment and powerfully manipulate it in his favor - that after all is one of the main definitions of power. They couldn’t understand a king that would be humble and choose to serve others. We don’t really have many of those throughout history.

Jesus is the opposite to the bad shepherds from Jeremiah - a righteous Lord from the Davidic branch. A true king according to God’s liking, not one of the many power hungry and corrupted rulers that the Jewish nation had to deal with.

Beloveds, we are taught through Jesus that true power and leadership comes in humble servanthood and caring love, not some coercive force and hateful divisiveness. The truth is, there is a part of us that wants the 'strong man.' We want a King who will destroy our enemies, not forgive them. We want a God who fixes our problems by force, not one who dies on a cross. We are like the first criminal, mocking a God who looks weak, because we are terrified of weakness. This enemy can be anyone we fear—immigrants or billionaires, liberals or fundamentalists, the poor or the elite. The moment we look for a King to destroy 'those people,' we have rejected the King who died for them. This type of leadership is as far from the leadership of Jesus as it gets. Jesus never rallied the troops against his enemies and always treated everyone with respect and gave them the time of day they deserve. His causes were always positive and people followed him for what he represented, not what he was against. So yes, Christ IS the king of kings, but not like the other kings - his kingship is defined by love, .get the 'joy'. Amen.

Notes

Jeremiah:

Messianic - human leaders fail, but God will send a savior from David’s line

Colossians:

Used to advocate for Jesus existing with God the Creator before the beginning of time.

Luke:

Lots of theological stuff there - Jesus is innocent and yet condemned, others did not understand the significance, Jesus recognizes the one that understands that Jesus is innocent etc.

Themes

Kingship and Righteousness: Christ’s kingship is not defined by worldly power but justice, wisdom, and righteousness—bringing the scattered home, comforting the marginalized, and fulfilling covenant promises (Jeremiah).

Cosmic Christ: Colossians proclaims Christ as both creator and redeemer, reconciling all things and holding all things together in his person—the fullness of God is revealed in the crucified and risen Lord.

Paradox of the Cross: The king revealed on the cross—mocked, vulnerable, yet dispensing forgiveness and promising paradise. The paradox is central: Christ rules not by force, but through sacrifice and mercy.

Rhetorical and Literary Devices

Jeremiah: Oracles of woe and promises, poetic parallelism, and the recurring image of shepherd and flock. Messianic “Branch” language.

Colossians: Early Christian hymn, parallelism, inclusio, cosmic scope—uses repetition/all things, structures Christ as center.

Luke: Irony (“King of the Jews”), dramatic contrast (leaders/soldiers/crowd vs. thief), chiasm centering on the confession, climactic dialogue with the penitent criminal.

Key Theological Insights

Messiah and Shepherd: The messianic hope for a king who is also shepherd—gathering, protecting, healing, and enacting true righteousness (Jeremiah).

Reconciliation and Creation: Christ as the reconciler of all things (Colossians), underlining the cosmic significance of the cross.

Inclusion of the Outcast: The penitent thief’s faith and promise of paradise underline both judgment and mercy—Christ’s kingship extends instant grace to the humble.

Socio-Historical Background

Jeremiah: Written during a time of failed kingship and national crisis, promising restoration through a future Davidic king.

Colossians: Countering early heresies, emphasizing Christ’s unique divine/priestly/kingship role over every power.

Luke: Roman execution, “King of the Jews” as both mockery and divine revelation—criminals flanking Jesus recall Isaianic “suffering servant,” and Roman/Temple authorities’ rejection of Christ’s kingship.

Jewish Sources: Talmud and Mysticism

Jeremiah: Talmud notes messianic expectation through “Branch” parallels; Kabbalistic tradition connects kingship (Malchut) to the flow of divine mercy and justice.

Luke: The temple motif, the meaning of kingship and the suffering righteous one, resonate in Sages’ writings—atonement and hope for the condemned.

Luther and Calvin interpret these texts as focusing on the crucified Christ’s paradoxical kingship, God’s faithfulness despite human powerlessness, and the church’s vocation to be a flock gathered by the shepherd-king.

Modern Commentaries

Brueggemann and others: Jeremiah challenges abuses of power, promises radical hope.

N.T. Wright and others: Colossians' hymn as a subversive declaration against empire—Christ, not Caesar, is Lord and peacemaker.

Contemporary Lukan scholarship: Christ’s kingdom is paradoxical—now and not yet, hidden in suffering and revealed in radical grace.

Activity:

Title: The Fist and the Open Arms

Theme: Christ the King Sunday (True Power vs. Worldly Power) Scripture Reference: Luke 23:33-43 Time: Approx. 5 Minutes Props: None required (just space to move).

The Activity Script

1. The Hook: What is a King? (1 Minute)Gather the children and welcome them."Good morning! Today is a special Sunday called Christ the King Sunday. When you think of a King, or a Queen, or a super-powerful ruler, how do they usually sit? Show me with your body!" (Let them sit up straight, maybe look stern, maybe pretend to hold a scepter).

"Right! They look strong. They look important. Usually, kings in history wanted to show everyone how tough they were. But today, the Bible tells us Jesus is a King, but he is a very different kind of King. We are going to use our bodies to see if we can feel the difference."

2. Embodying the "Worldly King" (Schadenfreude/Power) (1.5 Minutes)"In our Bible story today, Jesus is on the cross. And there are people around him making fun of him. They are bullying him. There is a big German word for when people feel happy about someone else getting hurt: Schadenfreude. Can you try to say that? Schaden-freude."

"Let’s make our bodies look like that kind of mean power. Everyone stand up."

The Fist: "Make your hands into tight fists. Squeeze them hard."

The Shoulders: "Hunch your shoulders up like you are ready to fight."

The Face: "Make a face like you are the boss and you are laughing at someone who tripped. A mean face."

The Posture: "Stiffen your legs. Be unmovable."

"Freeze like that! How does your body feel? Does it feel soft or hard? Does it feel kind or mean? (Wait for answers: Hard, tight, mean). This is the kind of power the world likes. It pushes people away."

3. Embodying "King Jesus" (Compassion/Grace) (1.5 Minutes)"But Jesus didn't do that. Even when people were mean to him, he didn't make a fist. Even when a criminal next to him asked for help, Jesus didn't say 'Go away!' He said, 'Today, you will be with me.'"

"Let’s shake off that 'mean king' body. Shake it out! Wiggle your fingers!"

"Now, let’s make our bodies look like King Jesus."

The Hands: "Open your hands flat. Palms up. Like you are ready to hold someone’s hand."

The Arms: "Stretch your arms out wide to the side. Yes, this looks like the cross, doesn't it? But it also looks like a hug that is waiting to happen."

The Face: "Relax your face. Smile with your eyes. Look at your neighbor with a kind face."

The Heart: "Stick your chest out a little bit, like your heart is leading the way."

"Freeze like that! How does this feel? (Wait for answers: Open, nice, vulnerable). It’s harder to be mean when your arms are open like this, right?"

4. The Lesson & Prayer (1 Minute)"You can sit down. The world wants a King with a fist (show fist) who beats up the bad guys. But Jesus is the King of Kings who opens his arms (open arms) to love the bad guys—and the good guys—and everyone in between.

Real power isn't about making people afraid. Real power is having arms open wide enough to forgive, just like Jesus did."

Prayer:"Repeat after me: Dear God, Thank you for King Jesus. Help us not to be a fist. Help us to have open arms. Thank you for loving us. Amen."

Why this works:

Somatic Learning: Children understand abstract concepts (tyranny vs. grace) much better when they physically feel the tension of a fist versus the relaxation of an open hand.

Directly Addresses the Text: It captures the mockery (the fist/mean face) and the criminal's request/Jesus' response (the open, receiving posture).

Safe: It deals with the crucifixion imagery (arms spread wide) but frames it as an embrace of love rather than just an image of death, which is appropriate for this age group.