Reign of Christ Sunday

This is the last “feast day” of the Western liturgical (worship) calendar in the Revised Common Lectionary which the Uniting Church follows. It’s a fairly recent addition to Christian celebrations. Pope Pius XI instituted it in 1925 in the face of the rise of nationalism and secularism. It was included in Pope John XXIII’s revision of the church calendar in 1960; and in 1969, Pope Paul VI placed it on the last Sunday of the liturgical year—just before the beginning of the new year and Advent.

Through the liturgical renewal movement, spawned by the ecumenism of Vatican II, Protestant churches took it up and so it forms part of our lectionary (bible reading) cycle which is used by many mainline Protestant churches around the world.

It’s a radical feast that makes a definite political statement. Christ is the ruler of the cosmos; and the realm to which we owe our loyalty is God’s. Think of what is happening in Europe between the World Wars when the Pope instituted this feast. Think of what this feast was saying to would-be Kaisers, Kings and Presidents. This feast is a provocative one; and it should still be provocative to us. Where do our allegiances lie? What claims on our lives try to compete with the claims of God? Where are we being challenged to proclaim the reign of Christ?

In the Roman Catholic calendar, this feast is ranked with days like Pentecost and Trinity Sunday—days which make statements about important things that we believe: the work of the Spirit and the nature of God. So too, the Reign of Christ reminds us that the most important claim on our allegiance is that of the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ who claims us as the body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

White (or gold) is the colour for this important day in keeping with its focus on honouring the work of Christ. It’s the same colour that we use on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day!

I’m not sure what an appropriate greeting on this significant day might be; but perhaps part of the acclamations of praise from the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper might be suitable: “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”