A Different King; a Special Kingdom.

(Homily for November 26, 2017).


“When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” Matthew 25:31-32.

This last week happens to be a very historic week for the African Continent; it was the week that saw the resignation of one of its longest serving President; Robert Mugabe. The exit of Mugabe if for nothing teaches us a lesson; that nothing earthly lasts forever – there is no earthly kingdom or power that is reigning today that will not eventually collapse.

Today, we celebrate a different kind of kingdom; a kingdom so different that Christ himself described it to Pilate saying: “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world.” John 18:36.

This kingdom is so different from all other kingdoms because it needs no soldiers, no atomic bombs, no nuclear weapons, not even a police man for its security. It is rather a kingdom that determines the security of all other kingdoms; a kingdom that thrives not on physical structures but on souls; a kingdom whose basic currency is not hate but love; a kingdom that can never come to an end.

Today we are going to go around town to sing, dance and rejoice before our king; we will humiliate ourselves in public; we would bow, genuflect and kneel openly before this king with every atom of pride. As we do so, we are not only letting the world know that Jesus Christ is our king, we are also letting the world know who we are; that we belong to another kingdom which operates on very different standards.

If I partake of today’s procession, why should I continue to compete with the world? If I partake of today’s exercise why should I be moved when the world becomes hostile to me? Tell me, how would you feel if you see some persons parading themselves openly in public as members of Boko Haram? That is probably how the world feels it sees genuine Christians. Jesus said:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. We will be called names, many will stare at us, some may even laugh at us or try to make us feel ashamed of what we are doing. Let us not allow anyone intimidate us; let us boldly acknowledge Christ and honour him with all the honour he truly deserves. 

It will be shame that after going out today to match in acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is our king; we still return to our sinful ways of living that betray even our very knowledge of Jesus. Imagine a politician appearing on stage at APC Rally and then flying the flag of PDP in that same election. What do we say about such persons? That is exactly what we should call ourselves if our very lives do not reflect that of people who know that Jesus Christ is their king.

Indeed, our singing and dancing today may end up being an exercise of fun catching if our lives afterwards does not announce the kingship of Christ to the world. I can categorically say that since Christ himself said his kingdom is not like any earthly kingdom, Christ does not need our singing, dancing and match-past. Those are things that earthly kings cherish.

What Christ cherishes are those things he told us in our Gospel passage: “We must feed the hungry, give clothes to the naked; water to the thirsty; shelter to the homeless and support to the sick and imprisoned.”

We proclaim Christ as king when we love our neighbours as ourselves; when we allow his rules guide our lives. We proclaim Christ’s kingship when we free ourselves from worry and fear knowing that as the Psalmist sings: “The Lord is our Shepherd.” We proclaim Christ as King when we trust him as sheep trust their shepherd knowing that He will Never abandon us or forsake us as Ezekiel prophesies in our First reading.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I be found worthy of your eternal dwelling. Amen.

Happy Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Solemnity of Christ the King. Year A. Bible Study: Ezekiel 34:11-17, 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 and Matthew 25:31-46).

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