The war logs and the reign of Christ
Reign of Christ Sunday is not the most approachable lectionary theme. Should the focus be on the reign or the one reigning? Should preachers assume each year that most people have no idea why the feast exists? Is there a case for just glossing over it, preaching on whatever suits you, and getting on with Advent?
The Proper 29 Project offers a good idea: use Reign of Christ Sunday as a reason to preach about war violence, in particular the recently leaked "war logs" documenting American and British complicity in civilian deaths in Iraq. "Knowing that we all stand under God's judgment," the project's organizers seek to speak out against such atrocities--but to avoid pointing the finger at the military without also acknowledging the moral responsibility of all Americans.
At first glance, the liturgical connection might not be obvious. But the Feast of Christ the King wasn't created to promote praise for Christ's majesty or to say nice things about life together under his rule. In the 1925 encyclical that established the feast day, Pope Pius XI asserted Christ's reign over all things. His shots at state power are pretty removed from American Protestant commitments to the separation of church and state, but they also sparkle with prophetic intensity:
