Jesus as King? Christ the King? An Anathema!

    As one who is trying to be a disciple of Jesus, attending church is often a challenge. This last week was very sad for me. It was 'Christ the King' Sunday, the culmination of the Christian Year which goes from Advent to Christmas, to Easter, to the celebration of the formation of the Church, to the logical conclusion of the reign of Jesus (the Christ) as King, ruling over all creation and the hearts of all men, even the women. There's only one problem. Jesus would be not only amazed at the idea but horrified. Nothing could be more opposite to his whole being than the idea of power, the very foundation of 'KING'.
  How many times had he refused everything to do with the role of king (messiah)? Hadn't that been the most identifying mark of his ministry? Love to him was the opposite of power. True, his followers hadn't accepted that idea. They had used force to take over the city, had handed it to him on a platter, so to speak. But he had abandoned it and left the power to the Romans.
  Even though the experiences after his death had shown that love was greater than power, his followers soon forgot and again came to believe that Jesus would come again to be their king, a cosmic Messiah, and thirty-odd years later joined the Zealots in that hope. They were wrong. They all were killed.
  Yet, year after year we perpetuate that lie. It is deeply engraved in our songs, hopes, writings and story. It has never led to anything but death and despair. It is so utterly against the message of Jesus, the call to act on our own and accept the fact that we are each children of God. How can we not hear Jesus? Why do we ignore his words and call and give in year after year, wasting our lives, waiting for God to do everything for us?
  Churches, if this is the big finale, the end of what you have to say, maybe it had better be the end. Really. There's so much more to the reality of Jesus, and you're just not saying or doing it.