To Testify to the Truth

Established in 1925, Reign of Christ (or Christ the King) Sunday may be just a year away from its one-hundredth birthday, but it is still a newcomer in comparison to other celebrations on the liturgical calendar. As Protestants, we often struggle to know what to do with this day, so we either ignore it or use the white and gold paraments and call it good. It doesn’t help that our energies are already deep into Advent preparations, and in the United States, we have to contend with the Thanksgiving lull in attendance. So, as I make a modest case for observing Reign of Christ Sunday, receive this as an opportunity not to add more to your load before Advent begins but to end the liturgical year well before Advent sweeps us away again.

A key question to ask when observing the Reign of Christ is, “What kind of reign?” When we talk about Christ as ruler, we have to distinguish between the ways in which human rulers act and the way Christ as a ruler acts. Do we expect Christ to be like human authorities or to be the super example, the kind of ultimate authority that no human could ever be? Theologians typically say it’s the latter. While the human construct of authority and reign helps us put some language to Christ’s person and actions, Christ’s person and actions go well beyond whatever we could imagine a human ruler being and doing, especially in terms of love, goodness, wisdom, truth, and use of power.

We see this comparison at work in today’s text, particularly around the concept of truth. So, what truth does Jesus testify to in your midst? What truth does the congregation proclaim but not act on, like Pilate? What truth are you called to embody no matter the consequences, like Jesus? Which kind of ruler will you follow? Whose reign do you want to guide your individual and communal lives? These are questions to raise to the congregation throughout worship today—in the call to worship, in song, in proclamation, in prayer, even in blessing. When we celebrate the Reign of Christ, we celebrate that being under Christ’s authority means that these questions—and so many more—guide our life as the Body of Christ.

Celebrating the Reign of Christ also means that we discern with Christ and one another the ways in which falsehoods, misinformation, and disinformation infiltrate our community. If we listen to Christ testify to the truth, then we also listen for how Christ’s truth doesn’t align with messages we may receive in the world. We pray for truth and love to shape our responses to all that falls short of Christ’s testimony among us. We tell the truth about misinformation and disinformation and the harm that these cause. And we embrace the Spirit’s ongoing formative work among us, knowing that we will at times get it wrong, but Christ will always lead us back as we admit our mistakes and try again.