A homily for The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, November 24, 2024
Dn 7:13-14, Rv 1:5-8, Jn 18:33b-37
Way back in 1776, the British colonists in the New World decided they’d had enough of a bad king who was making their lives miserable. So they declared their independence from George and any other first son of a first son wearing a shiny tin hat. The Americans were done with jewel-encrusted dictators acting like spoiled brats sitting in highchairs.
Ever since then, our rugged individualism has made us turn a cold shoulder to monarchs, except when there’s a royal wedding or coronation or anything else on TV that involves Cinderella-style horse-drawn carriages.
The rest of the time, we look at kings and queens and dukes and all of them without a lot of respect.
The only royalty most of us know are Burger King, or Smoothie King, or a California King mattress, or upgrading the No. 4 meal to king size.
More fries. Bigger blankets.
Not some my-way-or-the-highway kind of ruler.
Human history is full of good kings and bad kings, yet we mostly remember the bad ones. Even the great ones like King Solomon are remembered as much for their flaws and mistakes as they are for their wisdom.
So why do we celebrate today?
Why is today a time to bow our heads in reverence and praise?
Why do we thank the only-begotten Son of God for saving us from eternal damnation?
Why do we reaffirm that we will try our best to follow in his footsteps and seek his face?
Why do we ask him how we can serve him and minister to his people?
Why should we make an exception to our cranky American shunning of kings to embrace Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, as our one true king?
Because in his divinity, his pure goodness, his boundless love, Jesus is unlike any other king humankind has ever experienced. Or ever will.
When my brothers and I were much, much younger, our dad often reminded us about the difference between a leader and a boss. A leader, he counseled, is someone who says “we.” A boss barks “you” and “I.”
Follow a leader, Dad would say, and avoid bosses.
Be a leader, Dad would say, and never boss anyone around.
Jesus is the leader every human should follow. Every one of us should follow what he said. Imitate what he did.
As the bumper stickers and posters proclaim: Wise men (and women) still seek him.
The Good Shepherd gathered a flock. Not an army. His divine radiance attracted people to him. Nobody was drafted. Everywhere this man walked, people became filled with faith, hope and charity. And they started paying it forward.
Yes, there were many people in ancient Israel who wanted a warrior-king to whip out a sword and tell Caesar and his people to go home. Their Messiah would lead them to a military victory.
This carpenter from the poor little town of Nazareth wasn’t that guy.
This wandering teacher was interested in a bigger victory, a victory over sin and hatred and injustice. His kingdom was founded on kindness and equality among everyone who is created in the image and likeness of God.
Not long after his dialogue with the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, in which this descendant of King David acknowledged his regal standing, Jesus indeed was crowned.
With a crown woven out of thorns two to three inches long that ripped into his scalp.
Scripture tells us he didn’t complain.
After that first humiliation came more torture, more bleeding, more exhaustion, more ridicule, and in the end, execution in the most cruel of ways. With a sign nailed to the same cross he was nailed to, mocking him as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
Jesus is king of everything.
The Earth and all its people, of course, but so much more. Because God’s Creation is far more than we can measure or even imagine. All things visible and invisible.
This universe and possibly countless others.
Jesus’s royal commands are for our own good and for the good of all Creation as a whole. None of them are selfish whims like those of bad kings.
As a leader sort of king, Jesus invites us to follow him. He walks with us, in front of us, beside us, with his hand at our backs, always. Jesus inspires us to act here on Earth as he showers us with heavenly grace.
And the Light of Christ illuminates our way home to the Kingdom of Heaven.
In return, we are his eyes and hands on Earth, looking for our sisters and brothers in need of food, clothing, shelter, warmth or dignity, and uplifting them. We are Christ’s voice, sharing his wisdom through the simple but all-powerful Law of Love.
Yes, Jesus is unlike any other king humankind has ever experienced. Or ever will.
Let’s thank God that he is.
