Pastor Caitlin Trussell with Augustana Lutheran Church for Christ the King Sunday on November 23, 2025

[sermon begins after two Bible readings – see the third one at the end of the sermon]

Luke 23:33-43 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ [[Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵ And the people stood by watching, but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” ⁴³ He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Jeremiah 23:1-6 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. ² Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. ³ Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
⁵ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

[sermon begins]

“When the sun shines, we shine together
Told you I’ll be here forever
Said I’ll always be your friend
Took an oath, I’ma stick it out to the end.
Now that it’s raining more than ever
Know that we’ll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella.”[1]

I know some of you can keep singing that song with or without me but let’s try to focus. Terius “The-Dream” Nash, co-writer of Rihanna’s song “Umbrella” said that it “originally came to him as a metaphor for God’s unconditional protection reflected in the chorus of the song.”[2] While the song clearly morphed from those pious beginnings, it’s also possible that Terius knows the ancient Swedish proverb, “Shared joy is double joy, and shared sorrow is half sorrow.” Both “Umbrella” and the Swedish proverb shine a light on empathy. When you share my joy, it’s as if joy expands. When I feel sad and you’re with me, I may still be sad but I’m less alone which can make the sorrow less threatening.

It’s not every Sunday that you get a mash up of Rihanna and an ancient Swedish proverb, but here we are on Christ the King Sunday. Even the title of Christ the King strikes a discordant note in a Sunday worship service. We don’t do kings. Especially as Americans. A Revolutionary War was fought to separate from the tyranny of King George III. Even so, Christ the King Sunday is a relatively new holy day in the church. Almost exactly 100 years ago, there was a Catholic Pope, Pius XI, concerned about the rise of fascism in Spain, communism in Russia, antisemitism presaging nazism in Germany, and secularism in the West.[3] So seductive were these -isms, they captured the imagination of faithful Christians who decided God was on their side. Pope Pius XI spotlighted the Lordship of Jesus to refocus the faithful in 1925. Lutherans adopted the Christ the King celebration in the 1970s. That’s pretty much yesterday in the grand sweep of 2,000 years of church history.

Christ the King Sunday now ends our church year. It’s a New Year’s Eve for church types. As we wrap up this church year, the Biblical texts for Christ the King Sunday include: the prophet Jeremiah’s proclamation of the Lord’s promise to raise up a wise, just, and righteous king; the book of Colossians’ image of Jesus before all things and also in whose kingdom we are made subjects through redemption and the forgiveness of sins: and lastly the Gospel of Luke’s story of Jesus hanging on the cross under the inscription, “King of the Jews.”

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us don’t have firsthand experience living under a king’s reign. We know them in theory, in history, and in fabled story. The prophet Jeremiah knew three or four actual kings. Those kings were not taking care of the people. Jeremiah meant the kings of Judah when he wrote, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.” In the ancient near east, shepherd was a typical metaphor for king.[4] The Lord’s intention was to raise a shepherd from the line of King David, the line from which Jesus was born 600 years after Jeremiah wrote.

The line from which this long-promised shepherd is hanging from a cross. A King. On a cross. For the disciples, Jesus’ crucifixion was proof that the kingdom hadn’t come. Their guy and their side had lost.[5] Crucifixion was how Rome controlled the empire. You didn’t have to actually be a criminal. Rome criminalized a lot of people and hung them on crosses.[6] The empire secured their power through fear. Jesus’ death on the cross was a consequence for how he lived the last three years of his life and what he taught.[7] But it was also more than that. I mean, I didn’t sing Rihanna at the beginning of this sermon for nothing. As she sang about shining together before it started raining more than ever, she’s singing about the joy and pain of life. The great mystery of suffering finds one answer in the crucified king which is God’s solidarity with us in our suffering.[8] That’s the kind of king that’s interesting. A king of compassion and mercy who says things like Jesus, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”[9] A king not interested in power over all others. A king who empties himself in service to the world.

Years ago, when I was dipping my toe back into church after ten years away, one thing was essential and that was figuring out where suffering fits in this life. It sounds silly to say that out loud. Brilliant theologians and philosophers haven’t been able to answer the question of why suffering exists although Lord knows they’ve tried. As a pediatric oncology nurse, I saw suffering that should not exist. As a six-year-old child, I had a loving father who could no longer parent because of extreme mental illness. A brilliant father who became homeless because of a brain that could not work. I needed a way to understand a loving God, if my own father’s love wasn’t enough to overcome his illness. The cross is one way to experience God’s presence in the midst of suffering, not the cause of it. A way of understanding God suffering with us because God knows suffering personally in Jesus on the cross. The cross may be insufficient in the experience of suffering in real time. But real suffering can find comfort in the shadow of the cross.

The cross is part of Christ the King Sunday but it’s not the whole story. Jesus said to the criminal hanging next to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus’ promise makes all the difference between the kingdoms of this world based on force or wealth and the kingdom of God based on cross and resurrection.[10] The shepherd who gives life and leads in love is the Lord we follow and confess. Whose kingship compels our hearts, minds, and lives into the reign of God on earth, over and above the pull of power in the world.[11] Not a bad idea given the timeless appeal of trading grace and love of neighbor for earthly power.

On this Christian New Year’s Eve, we are on the cusp of a new church year that begins next Sunday with Advent. During Advent, we await the sweet baby Jesus’ birth. A child who grew up showing us a different Way to live. A way to shine together and protect each other from the rain. Sharing joy and shouldering sorrow with each other. A way of grace, hope, and love so subversive that it threatens the powerful who would have us fear each other. Jesus the Christ was vulnerable, non-violent, self-sacrificing, and died on the cross. He was resurrected into Christ the King who shepherds us on the Way of Jesus. Happy Church New Year everyone. This is good news indeed!

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[1] Umbrella lyrics: Rihanna Umbrella (feat. JAY-Z) Lyrics – Search

[2] Nya Etienne. The Real Meaning Behind Rihanna’s Smash Hit Song Umbrella (The List: August 12, 2023). The real meaning behind Rihanna’s smash hit song Umbrella

[3] Frank C. Senn. The Not-So-Ancient Origins of Christ the King Sunday. Lutheran Forum. November 11, 2017. https://www.lutheranforum.com/blog/2017/11/11/the-not-so-ancient-origins-of-christ-the-king-sunday

[4] Rolf Jacobson, Professor of Old Testament, Lutheran Seminary, Saint Paul, MN. Podcast commentary for November 23, 2025. #1053: Christ the King – November 23, 2025 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[4] Skinner, ibid.

[5] N.T. Wright. Surprised by Hope (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), 40

[6] Matt Skinner, Professor of New Testament, Lutheran Seminary, Saint Paul, MN. Podcast commentary for November 23, 2025. #1053: Christ the King – November 23, 2025 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[7] Skinner, ibid.

[8] John Paul II. Crossing the Threshold of Hope. (Alfred Knopf: New York, 1994), 63.

[9] Luke 23:24

[10] N.T. Wright, ibid.

[11] Lucy Lind Hogan, Hugh Latimer Elderdice Professor of Preaching and Worship, Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington D.C.  Commentary on John 18:33-37 for November 25, 2018.   https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3885 AND Frank C. Senn, 2007. Lutheran Forum  The Not-So-Ancient Origins of Christ the King Sunday — Lutheran Forum

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Colossians 1:11-20  May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, ¹⁶ for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.