What is Christ the King Sunday?
As the liturgical year ends, I’m reminded of Napoleon’s powerful words: unlike empires built on force, Jesus established His kingdom on love—a kingdom still transforming lives today. Christ the King Sunday celebrates this eternal sovereignty, calling us to reflect on Christ’s present rule and the hope of His coming kingdom.
One of my favorite historical quotes comes from the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who said:
“I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him.”
This month our liturgical calendar will come to a conclusion, and we will begin a new year in the liturgical calendar with Christ the King Sunday. For more information on the Church Calendar you can check out my article on the Church Calendar in Scripture & History, and you can check out an overview on how we follow the church calendar at Christ Church Bellingham as well. Christ the King Sunday is the first holiday Christians celebrate on the church calendar, this year on Sunday, November 24th.
The summer Ordinary Time of the church calendar is bookended by Ascension Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, and Trinity Sunday in the late spring, and Christ the King Sunday in the fall. While we focus on the life of the church in the midst of the world during Ordinary Time, Christ the King Sunday shifts our focus and begins a new year of the church calendar. It is immediately followed by Advent.
Christ our King
On Christ the King Sunday, Christians conclude the Christian year by proclaiming the kingship of Christ over heaven and earth. Additionally, there is an eschatological focus for the Sunday as it not only remembers Christ’s present rule and reign, but also looks forward to the end of time when Christ’s kingdom will be fully established, as 1 Corinthians 15:25 describes: “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”
The church father Cyril of Alexandria, writing about the nature of Christ, remarked that Christ “has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence or usurped but his by essence and by nature.”
So often it is easy for Christians to only think of the Lordship of Christ over all things as merely a spiritual honorific, completely devoid of meaning in our present life. Or, it is tempting for Christians with pessimistic eschatological views to only think of Christ’s kingdom as being in the future, at his Second Coming during a 1,000-year period of history.
In actuality, the Lord Jesus Christ began his reign after his resurrection when he ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God our Father. The Scriptures attest to this:
Luke 1:32-33: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Matthew 28:18-19: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 19:11-16: Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Christ the King Sunday is an opportunity for Christians to reflect upon the reality that Christ is presently ruling and reigning over all things, whether on heaven or on earth; and, we remember that we are called to be heralds of his kingdom, proclaiming Good News that the King is on his throne, that his enemies are put to flight, and that one day his last enemy, Death, will be destroyed as well.
How Do We Celebrate Christ the King Sunday?
For our Sunday worship service, we change the liturgical fabric from the green of Ordinary Time to white. White symbolizes purity, light, glory and joy. Our liturgy reflects upon the Lordship of Christ over all things during the Call to Worship, the Confession of Sin, Assurance of Pardon and Profession of Faith. In particular for the Profession of Faith this year, we will be reciting the Chalcedonian Definition, which is one of the early ecumenical creeds adopted by all Christians. The Chalcedonian Definition articulates the scriptural reality that Christ has two natures, he is fully human and fully Divine. Additionally, we sing hymns which sing of Christ and his kingdom, such as Crown Him With Many Crowns, or Rejoice, the Lord is King, to reflect our theology in song.
Celebrating Christ the King Sunday is an amazing way to end the liturgical calendar with hope, joy, and singing of praises to the King of kings. We do this before the new Christian year begins the following Sunday in Advent, a solemn time to remember the anticipation of Christ’s birth.
This upcoming Christ the King Sunday, may we rejoice over our Lord Jesus Christ, and may we rest in the knowledge that he is sovereign over all things and is making all things new. Let us proclaim to the world this joyous news, and let us give our lives to the great work of building His kingdom in this world.
