The Teaching Corner

Christ the King Sunday is a festival Sunday celebrated on the last Sunday of the church year, immediately before the beginning of Advent, which marks the new church year.  It is a day when we draw specific attention to the kingdom of God and the reign of Jesus as king.

In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared that the feast of “Our Lord Jesus, Christ the King” would take place on the last Sunday of the month of October, before All Saints’ Sunday. (The last Sunday in October is Reformation Sunday for Lutherans). In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the date to the last Sunday of Pentecost and the end of the church year. The Roman Catholic and most mainline Protestant churches (including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) celebrate Christ the King Sunday on this date in the church calendar.

    The Bible contains many references and allusions to Jesus in monarchical terms.  For example, Revelation 1:5 worships Jesus Christ as “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” In John 18:36-37, Jesus reminded Pilate and us that “my kingdom is not of this world”, and “for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Christ the King Sunday for us is a reminder that Jesus did and still has greater power than all earthly kings and rulers.