Christ the King Epiphany/ Wilbraham MA

John 6:25-35

November 23, 2025

Reign of Christ/ Christ the King Sunday

Deacon Michael Hamilton

Please pray that the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts are pleasing and acceptable to God. Amen. (pbs)

Today is a day of multiple celebrations for us. We have arrived at the last Sunday of church year, the 25th and final week after Pentecost and we have come to Christ the King, or The Reign of Christ Sunday. Today is set aside in the church calendar to recognize that when all is said and done, we recognize that we are waiting for the day when Christ will reign as our king for all of eternity. We welcome the day when, ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ The day that we can readily celebrate the one King, the one true King, that we can put our trust, hope, and faith in, without protest.

Our blended community here at CTKE already shouts out like a prophet that Christ will reign, Christ is King, and we await and anticipate His epiphany, His arrival, to claim His proper place in our lives. Until that day, we wait, celebrate, and encourage others to gather with us as we spiritually march with banners and signs that announce the coming of the one King we can, and will follow.

What is interesting is that Christ the King Sunday was instituted in 1925, exactly 100 years ago by Pope Pius XI and it was a protest that Pius wanted to call to mind as a warning to all Christians that he noted in the growth of secularism, atheism, and movements like fascism in Europe. It was such a powerful witness that Lutherans, Episcopalians, and other Christian denominations began to observe the Feast Day as well. It was hoped that the feast would be a reminder that Jesus reigns as King over the entire universe, over all earthly rulers, and that as Christians, our allegiance belongs to Christ. It serves as a call to live out one's faith publicly and to allow Jesus’ love to guide our actions.

Today’s readings, and particularly the Gospel are the readings that are usually selected for Thanksgiving and not those for Christ the King. This was done intentionally as a way to emphasize how we are to mark and celebrate the coming of Christ as King and the arrival of the Kingdom of God. We heard Jesus tell the disciples that He is the Bread of Life, the only sustenance that they/we will need for our eternal survival because anyone trusting in Him will never thirst or hunger again. We should stop worrying and working for the bread that does not satisfy and instead, trust in the bread that God will provide. Immediately, as the frail human condition so often requires, (we)/the disciples need assurances. We need to secure our piece of this living bread, and we start to clamor for ways to obtain it. The disciples asked, “What must we do to satisfy God and be given this bread?” I can only imagine that we too would be shouting out similar questions of, “What do we need to do?” “Who do we need to know?” “How much will it cost?” In response, what do we hear from Jesus? We hear the simple words that the works of God, the requirement and fulfillment of being given our daily bread, is to believe in the One whom God has sent. No bartering, no forced labor, no acts of suffering, just belief. Eternal life and salvation are gifts. Period.

The link that I have to this reading was a conversation that I had during coffee hour a few weeks ago. A parishioner was telling me that their love language was preparing food for people. The work and energy required when cooking for a loved one was completely different than just putting supper on the table, there was a difference, and I knew what they meant. They told me that they were going to prepare a few meals for the In-Reach freezer and I thanked them. What occurred to me and challenged me, was knowing that our salvation and sustenance from God is a gift, I had to wonder what my love language was out

of gratitude for God. Not payment, not an exchange, not in a bartering system, but how do I share my love for God in a way that presents a gift of love to God?

In our human relationships we often express our feelings in a transactional way, and it usually requires our being attentive, kind, and loving to another and frequently, it is what we do or offer that allows the other to know that we value them. Like cooking for someone as an expression of our love language as an example but how do I do that to, and for, God? What is my love language with God? I had to think of how do I share my love to God? What would be a gift or token of love that I could offer? What have I heard/ learnt is something that God would appreciate and how does my love language satisfy that? I thought, at one point Jesus said to Peter, and by extension to all of us today, If you love me, feed my sheep, If you love me feed my lambs, If you love me keep my commandments. Caring for those that believe in Jesus, caring for those that do not know Jesus, loving neighbor as ourselves, loving God with all our hearts, mind, and strength, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner, welcome the stranger, protect the foreigner, pray for the addicted, tend the sick, shield the weak, support the grieving, comfort the afflicted, smile at someone, and see the face of Christ in someone you do not like or understand without spitting at them or degrading them. These are some of the ways of that we can express our love language that when offered, are gifts and treasures that express our love for God when presented as a gift. Not repayment, not an obligation, just a gift of love, and expression of one of the many love languages.

Today we bring to the altar, the love language of support that we offer to the community for the coming year in order to meet our goals of gathering to worship and feed one another. The support needed to reach out and offer assistance to those that are hungry, homeless, and in need of shelter. Today we bring forward support for women and children that are restructuring their lives, scarves and mittens for cold hands, meals for our brothers and sisters that live unhoused or precariously housed in Northampton, for school tutors and mentors. Today we add our change and prayers to the cans of coins that will go to support an orphanage, we offer our energy and heartfelt thanks for those that are teaching our children the ways of being in community and the love of God. Today we say YES to the projects and improvements here in the building and the many hands behind the scenes that make this all possible in order to invite and welcome the listening circle, the drum circle, bible study, book studies, girl scouts, local singers and music lovers, Buffy Brownies, wonderful coffee hours and treats made with love, food from our gardens and native plants for our pollinators, birds, and bugs of all sorts. Today we recognize that our StarBucks have grown. The Parish Council noted that there was an increase in monies available and instead of building a larger barn to house all of the money, they increased the giving to the community from $12,000 to $15,000 with the blessings of this worship community, as a stretch of our love languages.

Thursday, many people will gather, stop, and reflect on how blessed we are no matter what our life circumstances might be right now. We will acknowledge that grace is a GIFT from God for the people of God, and that we are grateful. Let us remember we DO have a King, Christ the King, and there is a kingdom that we are marching toward, and that our love language for each other, and for God, can be expressed in so many ways, and for this too, we thank God. Amen.