Four Texts and a Promise

I recently learned that the liturgical holiday we are celebrating today – called Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday – is a relatively recent addition to the ancient church calendar known as the lectionary. Christ the King Sunday was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 – less than a hundred years ago. He instituted the day in response to the growing sentiments toward nationalism and secularism that emerged from the devastation of World War I. In a rare show of ecumenism, Protestants embraced this liturgical designation and added Christ the King to the church calendar every year as the final Sunday in the liturgical year before the new year begins with Advent. Thus, in our country, Christ the King nearly always falls on the Sunday before or after Thanksgiving, a time when we celebrate and give thanks for all the good we have received from our lives in this land. Rev. Dr. Larry Hayward preaches on Christ the King Sunday. The Scripture lesson is selected verses from Jeremiah 23; Colossians 1; Luke 1; and Luke 23.