What is a king? We have one in the technical sense, because officially we are still a monarchy. King Charles visited only recently, but it was Lydia Thorpe’s protest that got more of the attention of the visit, rather than the King himself. Gone are the days when people lined the streets waving flags, hoping for a glimpse of the monarch. We are interested in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle but only in the way we are interested in most celebrities. The royal family has entertainment value, but no real power.
Kings, of course, used to have power, which is why a visit from the King or Queen used to be a big deal. But in the wave of decolonisation after the Second World War, not to mention the rising secular nationalism that proceeded it, different forms of political power have replaced monarchies.
Who holds political power in our country? The government, of course. But more than the government: we know that corporations have enormous sway on governments, as do trade unions to a lesser extent, and other interest groups. The church used to have significant influence on government, but as religion is declining and secularism is rising, this is no longer the case.
Coming up is Christ the King Sunday, which is a day to ask questions of political power and kingship. The feast day was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, because he was concerned about the rising nationalism after the First World War – a nationalism that did not include the church. Pope Pius wanted to reassert Jesus as ultimate leader.
But if Jesus is king, what kind of king is he? In John 18 Jesus says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Much to the disappointment of many of his followers, Jesus, it turned out, was not vying for political power. No, he was doing something different.
What do you think?
If Jesus is a king, what kind of king is he?
And what implications does that have, on the way we engage and vie for political power?
Image: BBC Creative
Words: Rev Andreana
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