In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. There’s something really truly astounding about the Transfiguration. It’s not exactly what it tells us about Jesus: that all the Law, signified by Moses And all the Prophets, represented by Elijah Point to him. It’s not exactly that […]
Sermon Topic: Christ the King
BBC Morning Worship: Christ the King
This sermon was preached for "Sunday Morning Worship" on BBC Radio 4 and was broadcast on November 24, 2024, the Feast of Christ the King.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. “My Kingship,” says Jesus, “is not of this world.” Beloved in Christ, this is very good news. I mean, you can turn on the TV, You can turn on the news, Any channel most any channel, You can pick […]
A Starker Contrast
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. There could hardly be a starker contrast of kingship. On the one hand: Belshazzar. Arguably the most powerful king of the most powerful empire of the early sixth century BC. He’s hosting a feast. Thousands of people, the nobles, […]
Thou Art the King of Glory, O Christ
What have the great reredos of Saint Thomas Church and the Fifth Avenue façade have in common? If you stand on Fifth Avenue and look up at the Rose window, you will see above it, incised with large letters, these words: Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. They are words from the canticle […]
“You shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.”
A year ago, 2.5 billion people worldwide watched the coronation of King Charles III. But behind all the pageantry and homage done to the King lies the fact that he has no significant political power. So, is Kingship in the 21st century purely symbolic? After all, throughout history, kingship has been exemplified by the exercise […]
The throne of Christ within us
On this final Sunday of the church year, we reflect upon the idea that Christ is our King with a sense of hope and anticipation of what the worldwide rule of Christ would look like. However, this name also evokes criticism over the word “king,” a term that connotes a hierarchical understanding of God’s reign. […]
Lead on, Spirit
Today’s Gospel parable brings to my mind another parable, that many of you will know well, from a variety of renditions, the Victorian “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. His Ebenezer Scrooge, a merciless and isolated money lender, is visited by three spirits who revealed the impact of his miserly life, his past, his present, […]
King of Kings, our King, our Glory
Today as we celebrate the end of another liturgical year and are poised to begin another, the focus of our worship, quite intentionally turns to the Feast of Christ the King, a feast day that was originally established for Christians to refocus their, our, dual call to honor him in worship and to be icons […]
Behold thy King
“Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation.” In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. It’s easy on the Feast of Christ the King, with all of this talk of Kings and Kingdoms it’s easy to imagine Jesus arrayed in rich and […]
Sermon on the Feast of Christ the King
A few years ago, I was traveling in Africa. While our group was there, we met a king. A living, modern King. The King we are celebrating today, however, does not have many characteristics in common with the King we met. We met with him in his court for about two hours. He did not […]
