Celebrating the Reign of Christ

This week churches around the world are marking the end of another liturgical year and celebrating Christ the King or the Reign of Christ Sunday. For us it is also Aotearoa Sunday, which really reminds us of how slow we were in this land to live out the reign of Christ with ngā iwi ō Aotearoa and the first Anglican Church in this land. And it is Stir-up Sunday – all of this stirs us up, I hope.

Today we hear the last words of David the King. He wasn’t a great king. His son and grandson blew it. He is not a great model of what the “kingship of Christ” is about. And yet his reign is held up as the pinnacle, and his last words are worth reflecting on.

In contrast to this royal image of Christ the King, we hear Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus in John’s gospel. An interesting choice given how little “king language” appears in this gospel. Here we meet a Jesus who did not accept the traditional understanding of king. He was nothing like David. His kingship is revealed in his crucifixion. His kingship is seen when he washed his disciples’ feet. His kingship is shaped by transforming compassion and a persistent commitment to justice and love. It made room for creativity and hope. It looks nothing like Pilate’s understanding, or Caesar’s, or any other ruler then and now. It is not of this world. Something different is at play. Nor is it just in heaven. The reign of God is here and now.

So, as we grapple with our new normal shaped by a little virus, what future do we imagine in Christ? What values and ways of being will shape that future? How is God stirring us up so that we get on with the work of the kingdom?