a sermon preached on Christ the King sunday 2025
In our Nicene Creed we will shortly be saying – that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, … and His Kingdom will have no end. Amen to that.
So what does it mean for you to say Jesus Christ is King?
There is a sermon you can find on youtube called the Seven Way King – Dr Lockeridge gives a passionate preach about what it means to say Jesus is King.
Here’s a little bit of it – the preacher says
Jesus is “God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Saviour.
He’s the centrepiece of civilisation
He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers.
He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors.
He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble.
He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate.
He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and
He beautifies the meek.
And each stanza of his sermon has this refrain –
…I wonder if you know Him?
I would love to be able to preach like that!
This is my King! Amen to that.
This Sunday gives us a moment to pause and look back over the year. And perhaps from this distance you can begin to see that Christ has been with you through the dark and troubling times.
Jesus’ presence and faithfulness have continued to encourage you. If that’s you then do share those encouragements over coffee later.
Others of you will be saying: I know it’s true, it’s just that right now I am in a tight spot, a dark moment. So then it will be harder for you.
Recently I rediscovered the Prayer of St Patrick. This is a really long prayer but it has about it a strength and hope – it starts with “I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity”
and then later is the bit that you might know where the prayer summons Christ to shield me today –
“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me”.
And I’ve been muttering this prayer to myself as a reminder to me and my faith that this is who and where Christ is with me.
So I find as I go into difficult places that Christ has already gone ahead before me.
And I find as I pray about the stresses and the struggles of my past that Christ was there, and remains behind me helping me to process that season.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.
It’s a good long prayer, perhaps written in the mid 5th century.
So I’m glad that the Bible Readings we have for today both in Colossians and especially in Luke point to the Cross, to Christ’s Blood, His sacrifice, His death –
This is All that stuff that makes the world look quizzically at you when you point at Jesus on the Cross, dying and we gladly and proudly declare ‘That’s my King!’
As we said in the creed – “For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven … For our sake He was crucified, he suffered death and was buried”.
It’s been a good year to reflect on the Nicene Creed. I hope you still have a bookmark, if you don’t please take one there’s a few left. I would be really glad to say ‘They’re all gone!’
What I’ve found is that the Nicene Creed has become for me a bit more of a prayer than simply a declaration – a prayer that calls us to believe and so trust in God the Father – ‘creator of all that is seen and unseen’ – I love that unseen bit – there is no Unseen to God, but perhaps to us there is so much that we do not see.
We believe in the Holy Spirit – I now read this as a call to invite the Holy Spirit to be part of our lives our Church – for we believe in the Church – and its too easy to give up on Groups and Institutions – but we believe that God has not finished with His Church –
and we believe in Forgiveness and that’s easier to say than to practice –
and we proactively look for the resurrection of the dead – the new life that so many people need to live the life that Jesus calls us to –
and we look for the life of the world to come.
Yes Amen to that too.
So when we say we believe in God’s Son – we include His death on the Cross.
Here we find a kingship that turns the world upside down.
From the cross, Jesus does not command legions but instead He forgives.
From the Cross, Jesus doesn’t save Himself as the mockers suggest, but Jesus does save others.
And from the Cross, Jesus doesn’t condemn but rather welcomes even a criminal into paradise.
Note how the first person to recognise Christ’s kingship is not Peter or Mary or John but a dying thief.
When that thief stumbles into heaven and the angels and the saints there say to him – What are you doing here!? – What will the thief say? –
He cannot say ‘I’m here because of the Church rotas I was on, because of the good that I did, because of the money that I gave’ – all he can say is –
“I am here because the Man on the Cross said I could come.”
And that’s all that any of us can say. “I am here because the Man on the Cross said I could come.”
If Luke’s gospel shows us Christ the Suffering King, then st Paul gives us from Colossians a much much bigger picture of Christ as the Cosmic King.
‘The Son is the image of the invisible God, … for in Him all things were created through Him and for Him.’
This King is not confined to a throne room or a territory but His Reign extends over galaxies and governments and over hearts and minds.
This form of Kingship is working at Reconciling all things to Himself.
And we are called to play our part in that – in ourselves being reconciled to our King, and in then taking up the call to work with our King in reconciling all things to Christ Jesus.
So, we worship a King who cares and suffers for us and with us, and we have a Cosmic King who sits enthroned outside of time and creation.
This is a little overwhelming and awesome.
But note, with some joy please, that if Christ is King, then you, me, we do not have to be. I find that both a comfort – I do not have to be King over my own life.
I find that a comfort – but I note that it is also a confrontation.
So, I must pray for Christ to become my King more fully over my heart, my habits, my home.
Perhaps we could start by
Persevering in His Love – praying for more of Christ to be King in our lives – that prayer of St Patrick’s Breastplate with the constant reminder of Christ with me, before me, behind me, beneath me, beside me.
This is a true comfort and shield through the troubles of life.
Persevere in His Love
Practice His Kingdom – we are called to join in with Christ’s work of Reconciling all things to Himself – we do that in prayer and in faith, in forgiveness, in living generous lives, in how we use our time and money –
Persevere in His Love
Practice His Kingdom
And Proclaim His Lordship.
In a world that is enjoying chaos and division, here is a King that seeks to reconcile all things, all people.
Pray about who you can be inviting to a Carol service, or to Alpha in January.
Allow you conversations to speak of the peace and joy that you have found in having Christ as your King.
So we worship Christ the King who reigns
not by coercion but by compassion, and not from a pampered palace
but who reigns from the pain of the Cross.
And He invites us – as He did that Thief – to turn to Him and simply pray – Remember me –
And Jesus our King answers still ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’.
Amen.
photo is a close up of a part of the rose window in St Leonard’s