Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” – John 18:33-34
Time has been a challenge to keep track of in this Pandemic. When our staff tries to remember the details of how we did things last year, it seems that it is a little blurry, and we have at times mixed up last year with two years ago. It’s hard to believe that this Sunday is Christ the King Sunday and the following week we begin Advent. For Christ the King Sunday, we are doing something unique and meaningful. We will be journeying through the Seasons of the Church Year, looking back at where we have been in the last 12 months and pointing to where we are heading.
We will review from Jesus’ birth in a stable, to walking in Galilee, to opening the eyes of others, to teaching the disciples and the crowds, to Jesus being crucified and rising again, to the Holy Spirit coming, to the forming of the new church, to what it means to be a disciple. Sunday marks the last Sunday of that journey, and the following Sunday we begin celebrating Advent as we once again begin the journey to remember who we are and whose we are.
We know that the kingdom, the God that Jesus brought is a present reality in our lives. And yet we also know that there is a future kingdom over where God will reign in Christ, a kingdom in which the world will once again fully reflect God. Sunday, we will celebrate Christ as past, present, and future king over all the earth, at the same time that we express our hope and faith in a kingdom yet to come.
Join us this Sunday as we look back at this past year’s journey with Jesus, and forward to a new journey. Amen.