Every Knee Shall Bow – November 26, 2023, Christ the King Sunday
Psalm 95:1-7, Philippians 2:1-11
November 26, 2023, Christ the King Sunday
This is Christ the King Sunday. And as I always like to point out, this is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. The Liturgical year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. (That’s next week, believe it or not!) And as you know, the Liturgical Year was set up so we can remember and celebrate all the various events in the life and ministry of Jesus.
So, as it is, Christ the King is not just the last Sunday of the year. It represents the culmination of all of Jesus’ ministry. Everything he did and said leads up to Jesus Christ as King! I love the way Paul describes that in our reading for today. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” In the great culmination of all history, when Jesus returns to this earth, that is what will happen. He will reign as king!
That’s what we believe about Jesus. But it isn’t just that! We also believe, as Jesus himself said, the kingdom of Heaven is among us. We are part of his kingdom now, and he is King in that way, too. And as we think about it that way, I want us to see that this whole description about “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess” is part of a bigger paragraph that begins with these words. “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Christ the King has to do with the way we live this life of faith. Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfishness. Look to the interests of others. Have the mind among you, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
Because Christ is King, we are called to live our lives as his subjects. We are called to live as he would have us live. We are called to live as Paul says here, “being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” And that doesn’t mean we always agree. But it does mean that we always love!
So, Christ the King isn’t just about bowing to him as the sovereign king. It’s about being like him. This is not just about the culmination of Jesus’ life and ministry. It’s about the culmination of our lives, too! And the culmination of our lives – what our lives lead up to – is the ultimate goal of every Christian. And that is, to be like Jesus! As Christians, we strive to move toward that goal. As Paul told the Corinthians, “And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of God, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to the next.” (II Corinthians 3:18)
And so this is not just about Jesus being king in the earthly kingdom at the end of all time. It’s about him being king of our lives in the here and now. And it’s about striving to be like him.
And when we think of what it’s like to be like him, we might consider the conversation he had with Pontius Pilate at the time of his crucifixion. As he stood before him, beaten and bound, Pilate asked him, “Are you a king?” And do you remember his answer, “My kingship is not of this world. If it were, my subjects would fight, that I might not be handed over.” Pilate said, “So you are a king?” And Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this reason I have come into this world, to bear witness to the truth.”
That was not a definitive answer. But even after Pilate had “given into” the crowds’ demands, and had Jesus crucified, it was he who had the sign placed on the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” There was something there in his mind about Jesus. And as I think about that conversation, I always think, “Who was really the power in that moment, this Roman leader, with legions of soldiers at his command, or this man standing in chains before him! Earth and heaven, the ultimate power struggle!
Jesus is king, but to be like him is to be the humble servant that he was. Paul said, “Have this mind among you, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, …emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. And being in human form, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death.” And his conclusion was, “Therefore God has highly exalted him, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.
That is the king we follow. That is the king we strive to be like – that humble servant, totally reliant on God! So Christ the King Sunday is not just about Jesus. It’s about us, too. And the question on this Sunday is always the same. It’s not just, “Is Jesus Christ the King?” It’s “Is Jesus Christ your king?!”
Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you that you have sent your son to be our Lord and Savior, our friend, and our King. Help us to have the strength to follow him and to grow closer to his image. Help us to see his glory every day. For this we pray in his name and for the sake of his kingdom in our midst, Amen.