This is the last Sunday in the church’s year. Thoughout the year we have journeyed with Christ and the people of God, from expectation to birth, from life to death, from death to resurrection, and from resurrection to Ascension and Pentecost and today we gather to celebrate Christ in triumph… Christ the King!

It is a joyful occasion- reminding us that, however things may seem, in the world around us, Jesus Christ is Lord and ruler of all.

Yet there is another side to the Kingship of Christ and the gospel for today (Matthew 25:31-46) spells it out pretty clearly. Jesus was born, he died and rose again to bring all people (all of creation) into relationship with God. This is a joy and a wonder- but Jesus is also the judge of all.

I came across these words in my reading this week… they made me think…

“Do we really see the reign of Christ as expressed in love for the little and the least? How often do we recognize that the lean, rather than the fat sheep, are the loved of God who will be cared for by the Good Shepherd? There is no place for prosperity theology in any of this. When we explore how we understand the reign of anybody in this world, we normally expect to see dimensions of privilege and power. Do we really even elect to high office those who lead us towards caring for the vulnerable? Certainly not in our country, if we think of refugees, foreign aid commitments and other people who are struggling to survive. Yet, the reign of Christ will only be seen among us when we change all this.” (Words for Worship)

Not only is today an excellent culmination for the year- the gospel is also a wonderful “kick start to our preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ.

Blessings

Rev Shan