On this Reign of Christ Sunday—marking 100 years since the church first proclaimed this feast day—we remember a truth as radical now as it was in 1925: Christ’s reign stands in opposition to every earthly power that demands our allegiance through fear, coercion, or dominance.

This sermon explores the origins of Christ the King Sunday as a deliberate act of resistance against rising authoritarianism, nationalism, and political idolatry in the early 20th century. Through the lens of Luke’s crucifixion narrative (Luke 23:32-43), we revisit the kind of king Jesus actually is—not a warrior or a Caesar, but one who reigns through mercy, humility, and self-giving love.

In a world still tempted by strongmen and seduced by ideologies wrapped in religious language, this message calls us back to the scandalous center of Christian faith: a crucified king who prays forgiveness for his executioners and places the marginalized at the heart of his kingdom.

With clarity and honesty, we’re invited to examine our own loyalties, confront the labels we place on one another, and rediscover mercy as the defining mark of Christ’s rule. As we stand at the threshold between the church year and Advent, this sermon reminds us that God’s power arrives not on a throne, but in a manger—and that following Christ means choosing the way of peace even when it seems foolish or risky.

Come listen, reflect, and reorient your hope toward the One who reconciles all things and calls us to seek first his kingdom.