Christ the King
This last Sunday in our year has now been designated as the festival of Christ the King.
We celebrate the kingship of our Lord. We contemplate the all-embracing authority of Christ that shall lead us to seek the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ. In the icons of the Christian Orthodox Church Christ is often depicted as ‘pantocrator’, as the ruler over all things. Sometimes he is sitting enthroned on the throne of glory holding open the book of the New Testament, sometimes just his head and shoulders are painted.
Always the impression of our Lord as formidable ruler over all things is given. But as always when we get to know Christ this is not the whole story. The longer we look into the eyes of Christ the more we discover that while his rule may be universal, and awesome, fearful it certainly is not. The grave expression of His face is full of sweetness, it is our compassionate Lord, come to take on Himself the sins of the world.
At Stephen’s we have an icon of Christ the king painted by an icon painter in Tanzania. The tradition of this icon is the same as all Christ the King icons, it’s just that his skin colour is black. The Jesus who lived in Palestine in the first century may very well not have been as white as we sometime make him out to be! Icons are only icons because they are painted in an attitude of longing and prayer. How much are we longing for Christ to be our King?
Bernhard Schünemann
23 November 2025
