What do you first think of when you hear the word “king”? Maybe you think of a song like “King of the Road” or a singer like Elvis Presley who is still referred to as “The King.” Or maybe you think of Broadway’s award-winning musical, “The Lion King.” Royal animals also include the king cobra, king mackerel, and king crab. Or perhaps you think of one of those phrases which have slipped into our vocabulary. We speak of “a feast fit for a king,” or “making a king-size mistake” or “sleeping on a king-size bed” or we call “king’s X.” We also speak of someone being a kingmaker. This week’s PBS series by Ken Burns on “The Dust Bowl” referred to the “kingpins” of that era 80 years ago. I have heard of some men being “king of the castle,” but I believe that is only a myth!
This Sunday is Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Christian year. The focus is not patriarchal or hierarchal , but on a King who comes in a manger--the highest of all appears as the lowest of all. He is a spiritual king who reigns over sin and death. The text from John 18:33-37, majestic hymns, and royal liturgy for Sunday will point us to ask and answer, “What Kind of King?” Nobody beats (Christ) the King!
