Prayer in Preparation for Christ the King Sunday

Next Sunday (November 24, 2019) is Christ the King Sunday for those following the liturgical calendar. It is something of a seam in the rhythm of the year – culminating one year’s passage and engendering the longings of Advent. The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures this year is Jeremiah 23:1-6. I am just starting to soak in this passage, but verse 6 struck a chord in my heart. I know this came as a word of encouragement in the context of Judah’s distress in Exile. I know that the righteous branch of David carries Messianic significance. Either way, this does not refer specifically to any transitory political or government leader of the US or any other country. Nevertheless, speaking for myself as one who aspires to follow Jesus, I feel a deep longing in my soul to be led by those who deal wisely and execute justice and righteousness. And when I got to oratio in my lectio divina this morning, my prayer became an enormous lament for how far away my own country is from wisdom, justice, and righteousness.  Please don’t diminish that to any of the current lightening rod political issues of the moment, nor dismiss it by relegating it to what is impossible until Jesus returns. Juxtaposed with the Gospel for Christ the King Sunday in Luke 23:33-43 that connects Jesus’ crucifixion with his identity as “King of the Jews,” (certainly posted on his cross as Roman mockery not just of Jesus but the Jewish people), I expect my lament to grow increasingly profound as the week progresses. By the time Advent comes, I expect I will already be crying “Come, O Come, Emmanuel!”