Today is the last Sunday of the Christian year. The calendar of the church begins with the First Sunday of Advent, the four-weeks of preparation for Christmas. That calendar has changed over the centuries of Christian history. For example, the season of Advent was added to the Christian Calendar as a response to the rapid growth of the Christian church following its formal recognition by Rome in the time of Constantine in 313 CE. in 380, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Prior to that time the focal celebration of Christianity was Lent, a six-wee season of preparation for the celebration of Easter. The six weeks included a formal orientation and training program for new Christians in which they learned the history and theology of Christianity. New members were formally received into the church on Easter morning. With the rapid growth of the church a second season of membership preparation was needed and Advent was added to the calendar as a second six week time of preparation with members being received on Christmas morning. The date of Christmas was not originally selected because of the calendar date of Jesus’ birth, but rather to counter the pagan celebrations of the solstice which church leaders wanted to suppress. In those times the date of birth was not a major celebration. People were remembered on the date of their death rather than the date of their birth. Over the years, the six weeks of advent were shortened to four weeks and the traditions of preparation for membership by extended periods of prayer, fasting, and education faded. New members are commonly admitted on any Sunday of the year in the modern church.

As the seasons and celebrations of the Christian calendar changed and evolved over the centuries, new celebrations were added as old ones faded. Often in the church, we think of the holidays and celebrations of the year and of our traditions to be ancient and long fixed, but in reality the church calendar is dynamic and changing. In the corner of Christianity where I have lived my life, the calendar and the flow of seasons was not particularly emphasized in the period following the Protestant Reformation. When the Pilgrims and Puritans traveled to this continent in search of religious freedom, they were intent on separating themselves from some of the ancient traditions of the Roman church, and did not adhere strictly to all of the days and seasons of the church. Easter and Christmas, however, remained as celebrations and focal points for the church year.

In 1983, during a period of ecumenical cooperation spurred by the Second Vatican Council, many Protestant denominations began to use the Common Lectionary. This cycle of readings and celebrations became the discipline around which my career grew. When the Revised Common Lectionary was adopted in 1992, I, along with many of my colleagues, followed that pattern of readings and Sundays. As a worship leader, I immersed myself in the study of the weekly and daily patterns of reading Scripture and preached from the lectionary almost exclusively. Now that I am retired, I still follow that pattern of readings and find myself grounded in the lectionary.

As a result, I have noted the final Sunday of the Christian year as “Reign of Christ.” I had assumed that the celebration of the day, also known as “Christ the King” Sunday was an ancient tradition, perhaps dating back to Roman times as is the case with other celebrations of the Christian year. I was surprised to discover that it is not an ancient church tradition, but rather a celebration that was added to the Christian calendar in the 20th century.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the last Sunday of Pentecost was changed to Christ the King Sunday beginning inn 1925. In that year, Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy, which was claimed by Benito Mussolini. The encyclical Quas Primas by Pius IX was issued on December 11, 1925. Initially, the Sunday was observed on the last Sunday of October, but soon was moved to the last Sunday of Pentecost, just before the beginning of Advent.

Protestants were slower to adopt the recognition of the celebration. Most denominations, like the one I serve, began to observe Reign of Christ or Christ the King with the adoption of the Common Lectionary in the 1980s.

In many corners of the Church, including my denomination, the United Church of Christ, strict observance of the lectionary is becoming less common than was the case a few decades ago. Alternate lectionaries are being observed by many congregations and the emphasis on feast Sundays is becoming less common. However, were I still actively serving a congregation, I would continue to observe Reign of Christ. In fact the current political climate in our nation demands a similar Christian witness to that which inspired the creation of the holiday.

When earthly leaders claim supremacy and seek to increase their powers, the church needs to assert its theology that ultimate authority belongs to God. In this year, as Project 2025 is being realized after a narrow political victory in which no candidate received support of half of those who voted, the United States is moving toward more authoritarian leadership. It is not inappropriate to compare the fascist rhetoric of our time to that of the time of Mussolini in Italy. This is not to say that Trump is Mussolini, only that he and his party make some of the same assertions about who should have authority, and whose rights should be suppressed.

In every generation and in every political climate Christians are called to assert their commitment to the authority of God and the leadership and example of Christ. It seems to me that Reign of Christ Sunday is as important now as it ever was. As we prepare for Advent, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the Gospel message. As a meme that has been circulating among my friends declares, “God does not come to us as we expect. The Spirit does not move under our command. When we expect divine intervention in one way, it usually comes in another. We expect a warrior king to set things right, God sends a baby in a manger. We expect wrongs to be punished, God extends grace and mercy to all.”

May Christ reign in our hearts and in our world.