Christ the King

Sermon November 23, 2025

Christ the King

Rev. Fred Okello

Brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is Christ the King Sunday. On this significant day, the Church Worldwide gathers to remember one who truly sits on the throne. Our world as we know it yearns for trustworthy leadership, compassionate leaders, just leadership, and the list goes on!

Our communities feel scattered, wounded, or disappointed by those who were supposed to care for them. The Scriptures we have read this morning, and I intended that we read them all today, speak one powerful truth: Christ is the Shepherd-King we have always needed, the One who reigns with justice, mercy, and sacrificial love.

Today's readings—from Jeremiah's prophecy, Psalm 46, Paul's majestic hymn in Colossians, to Jesus on the cross—all showcase the nature of King Jesus. Jesus is not a worldly ruler; Jesus’ throne is a cross, and the Lord’s crown is made of thorns. Jesus is a King who saves by sacrificing His life.

Jeremiah begins with a lament against failed leadership.

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture,"

In Jeremiah's time, the shepherds—Israel's kings and leaders—were corrupt. They exploited the people, misled them, and abandoned their sacred responsibility. The flock was scattered and wounded. And God responds not with silence, but with a promise:

"I will raise for David a righteous Branch… and He shall reign wisely, execute justice, and bring salvation."

Church, Jeremiah gives us a picture of the kind of King God intends for His people:

– A King who gathers, not scatters.

– A King who heals, not harms.

– A King who leads with righteousness, not manipulation.

– A King who protects the vulnerable and stands with the oppressed.

Jeremiah is our first glimpse of Jesus—the Shepherd-King who comes not with armies, but with compassion; not with political power, but with divine righteousness.

Psalm 46 reminds us of the stability of heaven's King.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

The Psalmist does not pretend that life is free from storms. The psalmist speaks of:

mountains shaking, waters roaring, nations raging, kingdoms tottering. Yet in all of this, the Psalmist declares a confidence:

"We will not fear."

Why? Because God is in the midst of His people.

Because the Lord of hosts is with us.

Because the God of Jacob is our refuge.

This is what it means to have Christ as King: His presence is our stability. His Word is our peace. His power is our protection. Even when the ground beneath us trembles, we live under a King who never leaves His people.

In Colossians, Apostle Paul lifts our eyes even higher—to the One who created the mountains themselves. Colossians 1 is one of the most stunning declarations of Christ's identity in the whole Bible. Paul tells us that Jesus:

"He is the image of the invisible God."

"He is before all things."

"In Him all things hold together."

"He is the head of the church."

"In Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell."

In other words, Jesus is not simply a teacher, not merely a prophet, not a cultural symbol. Jesus Christ is Lord over creation, Lord over the Church, Lord over life, Lord over death.

And yet this cosmic King does something astonishing: He comes down. He takes on flesh. He dies our death. He reconciles us to God. He strengthens us with power that never wears out. He approves and confirms us to share in the inheritance of the saints. The One who holds galaxies together also holds you together when life feels like it's falling apart.

Finally, Luke brings us to the King who reigns from the Cross, the most unexpected throne of all: Golgotha. Here, our King is not surrounded by servants, but soldiers. Not clothed in royal robes, but stripped bare. Not seated on a golden throne, but nailed to wood. Not crowned with diamonds, but with thorns.

The sign above His head mockingly reads:

"This is the King of the Jews."

But what they wrote in sarcasm, heaven declares in truth.

From this cross—this place of pain and humiliation—Jesus shows us the fundamental nature of His kingship. He forgives His enemies: "Father, forgive them." He shows mercy to the undeserving: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." He opens the gates of His kingdom not for the proud, not for the powerful, but for a dying thief who whispered, "Remember me."

Church, Jesus Christ is our King: A King who conquers not by violence, but by sacrifice. A King who defeats death by entering it. A King who rules by forgiveness. A King whose glory is love. The cross does not diminish His kingship—it defines it!

As we stand at the end of the Christian year, these Scriptures give us a clear and hopeful message: Christ is the King we have always needed. A Shepherd-King who brings us back to the fold. A Refuge-King who protects and keeps us safe, A Cosmic-King who holds all things together. A Crucified King who saves.

In a world craving for justice, Christ reigns with righteousness. In a world longing for stability, Christ is our refuge. In a world torn by violence and division, Christ reconciles all things. In a world afraid of death, Christ gives eternal life.

And so, on this Christ the King Sunday, let us lift our eyes to Jesus Christ. Let us trust the Lord. Let us follow the Lord. Let us surrender our fears, our burdens, our frustrations, our uncertainties to the Lord. For the One who reigns from the cross now reigns forever on the throne. Our Lord Jesus reigns for you.

"The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge."

Amen.