It’s over! Not Thanksgiving, which can be seen more as the beginning of the Holiday Season than the end of anything, but our church year. Once more our cyclic liturgical year has come full circle, from the smallest kernels of faith seen in Advent as the world waits in expectant hope that God’s promises would be made real, through the growth of a community of faith. Who is God? Who are we to God? To each other? To ourselves? What does God have to say to me about my daily life? And what does God do with me and for me each day to make my life more meaningful and filled with God’s purpose? We have seen, again, the early community composed of apostles and the first disciples, struggling with the absence of Christ, physically. Empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit, they became convinced that Christ was indeed present to them, though now in a more profound and spiritual way. That first community grew in size as new followers were drawn to the truth they proclaimed in word and in deed. As Christ was recognized in the celebrations and gatherings in prayer, more and more people found their way to light. Hearts were opened and minds directed toward Truth. Never forced, some would walk away, finding the Christian way of life too difficult for them. Throughout this revisiting of all that our faith is meant to be, we too have been challenged to grow in our own understanding and acceptance of what Christ intended for us. The Christian life is at times very difficult, especially when it flies in the face of all for which our society seems to stand. Like Christ, we need to accept God’s will for us, in humility and obedience. Such surrender is never easy for us as human beings, but certainly possible through God’s grace. As Christ lived and died, so too are we to live and die. The Feast of Christ the King, celebrated this weekend, is our annual opportunity to recommit ourselves to live as a disciple of Christ, an obedient child of God. It is the end of our cycle of renewal of our faith, and like the end in any cycle, a new beginning to move one layer deeper in that faith. Christ our Lord and King never forces any of us to follow Him, Our King is one of love, not demand. Our King is one of acceptance and healing, life and promise. Our King gives freely of himself so that we may have the courage and ability to do the same for those we love. Our God has the utmost confidence in our ability to be transformed and to grow more deeply in love with Him. God has shown us all we need to see, and it is up to us to accept God’s gifts, and use them. Let us take Christ as our King today, and begin again tomorrow to live more deeply in and through Him.

© 2006 Peter J. Andrews