Christ the King
This past week, we wrapped up our sermon series on the Bible – the place where we meet Jesus, the Word of God, who illumines our paths as a light and pierces even the most difficult of situations like a sword. It was a fitting day to do so as we celebrated the Reign of Christ, which is the final Sunday of the Christian year.
Next Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, and it begins another journey with the church through the life and witness of Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. So, we end with a statement of allegiance to the one who reigns over us. As Colossians 1:15 reminds us, “he is supreme over all creation.” Jesus Christ is King, and his reign will be victorious -- no matter what evil we face in this life.
On Reign of Christ Sunday (also referred to as Christ the King Sunday), we declare our ultimate allegiance not to a nation, not to an ideal or dream, but to a person. Our faith in its most basic form is about a relationship with this person Jesus, whom we call Christ, or the Messiah. He is the one who reigns over us, the one in whom we find our identity and our being. When we surrender to Christ, we will find ourselves more completely.
In the afternoon on Sunday, about twenty of us from church headed to Fairfax Corner to see the newly released movie about Bonhoeffer. The timing could not have been more perfect. Here is a story about a man of faith who was faced with untenable choices and who moment by moment was forced to wrestle with who was Lord of his life… Jesus or Hitler? In the midst of WWII as millions of Jews and other dissenters were being sent to their death, Bonhoeffer had to make a conscious decision about his role in the events as they were unfolding. Should he remain in London, relatively safe and able to offer a prophetic word or should he return to his homeland and stand in solidarity with those in harm’s way? He chose the latter and paid dearly for it.
Some are criticizing the moving as being offensive to Bonhoeffer’s legacy and I can understand this point of view, having read many of his writings when I was in seminary. Bonhoeffer was a man of peace and saw the “Imago Dei” in each person he encountered. To participate in an attempted assassination of any individual, even Hitler, is profoundly contradictory to our faith and understanding of Christ as Lord. Then, we will discover ourselves standing with those who mourn, those who are weak, and those who are suffering.
This movie is certainly not the first time that Hollywood has taken liberties with the truth to tell a story more convincingly. However, I am grateful to have seen the movie (and to Gwen Zanin for making the arrangements for the movie and the conversation over dinner that followed) and to be reminded once again that life is precious. Daily, we each have a responsibility to live out our faith in such a way that it is clear Christ is the one who rules our hearts, and he is the one who “holds all creation together” as the one, true “head of the church.” (Colossians 1:17-18)
Read
Pray
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(From The Book of Common Prayer)
Worthy of Pondering
Christian Century Review of Bonhoeffer Movie
Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace (suggested alternative movie that is more historically accurate for those looking to learn more.)
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer