The struggle for power has always been an issue throughout history. It has been so in the history of our country. It has been so in the history of our Church. It has been especially in the forefront over the last few weeks. Political rivalries in this country have exploded into sharp polarities, angry rhetoric and threats, and total lack of compromise. This struggle for power is nothing new. There has always been a constant need for power and control over people and things - in politics, in religion, in business, in media and in personal relationships. In the midst of this we gather to contemplate once again the mystery of Jesus' Kingship. It is a Kingship like no other.
At the end of His life, there was no glory for Jesus, no resounding success - as we know it. His dream was not realized, his mission was not complete. Those in power had their way with Him. He cried over the city of Jerusalem. He was scourged, spat upon and mocked. And he was led away to die a criminal's death, abandoned by most of His friends. Feeling abandoned even by His Father, this man reached deep into Himself and refused to despair, refused to give up hope, refused to budge from His conviction that God is ultimately good, generous, gracious, and to be trusted absolutely.
Jesus is a king whose strength was one of salvation, not power. And salvation is about Jesus setting us free. It is an exodus experience. It is a pilgrimage. It is a movement away from being imprisoned to being set free, from being bound to being released from bondage. It is a movement from darkness into light, from fear to trust, from arrogance to insight and understanding. The kingship we inherit is one of feeding the hungry and giving drink to those who thirst, of clothing the naked, and of welcoming the stranger.
Today can be a feast of renewal for us and for all Christian churches. The challenge we face on the feast of Christ the King is to see the world as God sees it and to recognize the kind of kingdom over which Christ our king reigns.
One thing is clear - the kingdom of Christ is very different from the world in which we now live. What Jesus tells Pilate in today's gospel is that in the Kingdom of God this world will be changed, it will be renewed, and it will be recreated. In Christ's kingdom this world will be transformed because it will be freed from evil and sin. This is what Jesus means by "belonging to the Truth."
This is the kingdom we inherit. This is Emmanuel - God with us, God above us, God under us, God around us, God within us. We are bearers of a new vision. We are dreamers of a dream that all may be one, loved and accepted as persons of immeasurable value. We are the carriers of life, nurturing it in all of its myriad manifestations. We are the reminders that truth, goodness and beauty are to be pursued and enjoyed. We are called to be servants of the Word, open and vulnerable to its transforming power, a community of disciples who live simply, love tenderly and act justly.
This is our inheritance. We are challenged to be people of God - faithful to who we are, choosing to live the present with an awareness of the past and an openness to the future, giving thanks that God has first loved us, and shared His life with us so that we might freely give ours for the life of the world.
