The King

Each year, the last Sunday of the church year, we proclaim Jesus Christ as King. The challenge with the metaphor is that he is such a different kind of King. He rules from the cross, spending his last human moments, utterly vulnerable. His resurrection promises that when we suffer like him for the sake of mercy, our suffering does not end in despair. The final word is communion with God. Love prevails.
The vision in the first chapter of John’s apocalyptic book of Revelation reveals Jesus as faithful witness to God’s justice, in mercy, for all. He proclaimed the message faithfully, unto death.
The vision also names Jesus firstborn from the dead. The faith journey is a self-giving motion from death to life.
He is then named ruler of the kings of the earth. His faithful life and death are a point of comparison for the actions of prime ministers and presidents of all time.
Finally, Jesus loves and frees us by his death to be a kingdom of mediators between God and neighbor.
Jesus’ kingdom and leadership are extraordinary since the source of his power is the vulnerable strength of love.
Jesus reigns from the cross because death, rather than he, is left powerless. His compassionate presence is our courage to participate boldly in the mercy of God. Peace.