Christ, the King of Truth

Christ the King (Year B)

Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1.4b-8; John 18.33-38

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Yes, Pilate, what IS truth? More on that in a few moments.

Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. The commemoration of Christ the King is a relatively new celebration in the Church calendar. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to the increasingly secular world and the growing number of non-Christian empires. This was an attempt by the Church to reinforce the fact that there was a true king who reigns over all Creation—even the secular, non-Christian governments of the world. That this world is indeed not theirs but Christ’s. Following the Second Vatican Council, the feast of Christ the King was moved to the last Sunday of the liturgical year, emphasizing the eschatological majesty of Christ as we head into Advent, with its themes of the coming of Christ, both at his birth and at the end of the ages. Some Protestant denominations, including our own Anglican tradition, have adopted the feast of Christ the King as a reminder that our allegiance is to our spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly powers.

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Birthpangs

26^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 28 (Year B)

Hebrews 10.11-14, 19-25; Mark 13.1-8

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs” (Mk 13.7-8).

Why, then, do we even bother to come to church? We don’t come here for the foretelling of wars and rumors of wars, be they real wars or trade wars. We don’t come here to hear of conflict between nations or even within nations. We don’t come here for news of earthquakes and famines, not to mention mass shootings, uncontrollable wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, refugees fleeing their homes for a better life, acts of terrorism, racial conflict, and allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, to name just some of our social ills. If we want that, we can open the Long Beach Press-Telegram or the Los Angeles Times, or we can watch CNN or MSNBC or Fox News. Don’t we come to church to hear good news? After all, the term “Gospel” does literally mean “good news.” So where’s the good news in Jesus’ Gospel predictions of the end of the world? Then again, given the state of the world, maybe having it all come to an end might be considered good news by some.

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Soul Sisters in Faith

25^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 27 (Year B)

1 Kings 17.8-16; Mark 12.38-44

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In our lectionary readings for today, we have the tale of two widows. Two women, separated by 900 years, 120 miles, and by cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs. The only similarities are that they are both widowed with extremely limited resources. Yet, despite all that separates these two woman, they are soul sisters.

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Saints Unbound

All Saints’ Sunday (Year B)

Isaiah 25.6-9; Revelation 21.1-6a; John 11.32-44

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

On this day we specifically gather to remember all those who have gone before us in the faith. But in actuality, this is just one of three days dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all faithful departed believers. These three days, Halloween, All Saints Day (November 1), and All Souls Day (November 2), are collectively known as Hallowmas. The major feast day of this period is All Saints Day (which we transfer to today). In the ancient Christian custom, the celebration of major feast days often began with a vigil the night before, on the eve of, the feast day. Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, was originally the vigil celebration for All Hallows or All Saints Day. It has since taken on a life of its own, evolving into our secular celebration of ghouls and goblins and things that go bump in the night. Then we have the main event on All Saints Day, followed by All Souls Day, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.

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