A difficult choice...

In 26 years of ordering the worship life of a church, I don't remember one time that people came up to me and said, "I am really looking forward to our Christ the King worship!" There were many years that people commented on how much they love Thanksgiving and how much they look forward to Thanksgiving. In recent years, people have lamented how Thanksgiving gets completely squeezed out in the rush to shop (which has never been more evident that this year...)
When the calendar falls like it does this year -- with the first Sunday of Advent just 3 days after Thanksgiving, pastors face a dilemma when planning the focus of the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Liturgically, it is Christ the King Sunday. Traditionally, it is Thanksgiving. The two Sundays are not opposites -- one good and one bad. But they are not the same in focus.
I believe one of the greatest gifts of the church is the church year. Because of our observance of the CHRISTIAN year - which is centered around CHRIST-we have a chance every year to walk through the life of Christ and the Scriptures. The Christian year keeps us grounded in Christ. Because of the observance of the Christian year, I hope that people are already anticipating that our Christian Happy New Year begins this coming Sunday - not with the partying and resolutions of the calendar year/January 1 new year -but with the joyful reminder that Jesus is coming again to claim this world in victory. What a great way to begin a year!
And the great addition to the thrilling, reassuring beginning of the Christian year is the triumphant, praise-filled close of the Christian year: Christ the King Sunday. After months and months and months of "Ordinary Time" - the longest of all the seasons of the church year-Ordinary Time comes to a dramatic close with a glorious celebration called Christ the King Sunday. Of course, some churches didn't observe it...because this year-as many years-because of the way the calendar falls, ministers have to choose between a worship emphasis on Thanksgiving (which people are often expecting) and Christ the King (which people are rarely anticipating). I hate it when the calendar forces a choice. As with life's hardest choices, this is a choice between two good things. How important it is to lift up the thankful heart! But, if I have to rank one over the other, I would have to say that lifting up Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords is more than anything.
So I say hooray for all pastors who shaped last Sunday as a Christ the King service in our churches. I am guessing they didn't get much other thanks. They run the risk of grumbling from the congregation about why there wasn't a thanksgiving emphasis. These last few days of ordinary time are the right time to remember Christ the King -- in worship and each day.
We spend most of the time in our lives, just like in the Christian year, in ordinary time. And day after day, week after week, ordinary time in our family life, on the job, in friendships we value and in the church doesn't seem like it is sensational or dramatic. (If, of course, you have teenagers in your home, that's an exception. There's plenty of daily drama during some seasons of life. J) But, for the most part, we spend our life in ordinary time - learning, living the Gospel, practicing love in small, daily ways. Christ the King - the end of ordinary time-defines what gives substance and hope to all our ordinary time. Christ the King says that all our ordinary times are shaped around the safe, secure and ultimate ground of our hope: the victorious Jesus-Lord of life. So you can see why I hope Christ the King doesn't slide away into enhanced gratitude. Christ the King is like the triumphal spike of the winning touchdown for the game of games ---and the jubilant coach on the sideline who is wanting to say to his players: "Now, see, THIS is why we have practiced so hard every day....." There's a victory coming. And, for those of us who are in Christ, it is a certain victory.
So, no matter what Sunday's worship included, in these last days of Ordinary Time (which last until Saturday night at midnight), I hope Christians will cherish our great hope in Christ-King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Name above ALL Names. My prayer is that the daily routine of life does not dull us to the great adventure of living in love with a magnificent Savior. I long for the glorious victory of Christ to burn bright in our hearts. " Lift up your hearts!" is more than an introduction to the communion prayer of Great Thanksgiving. Life has a lot of ordinary time - but it is all in light of the great victory of Christ. Now, THAT's the foundation for a rich and powerful Thanksgiving!