But the reality is today that Kings and Queens and the whole panoply of royalty are not of immediate concern to most of us. That does not mean that many of us do not enjoy TV programs like Monarchy or the Tudors; or films like Queen or Elizabeth of England; or books about the Hapsburgs, the Romanovs or the French monarchs of old. But the language of monarchy is irrelevant in a modern republic like this and even in a country like England with a reasonable stable monarchical system the monarch is more a figure head without any political power or influence. That is a far cry from kings of old who like Henry VIII or Louis XIV had absolute power which they wielded for good or ill.

But what has this all to do with today’s celebration, the last Sunday in the Church’s liturgical year which we nickname, Christ the King. In any case why do we use the language of Kingship at all today if it is so irrelevant, dated and outmoded? Well to begin with as we see in all our readings for today including the Psalm the language of kingship and of kingdom is all through the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. The Psalmist exalts “The Lord is King”; Pilate asks Jesus “Are you the King of the Jews”. The Book of Revelation calls Jesus the “ruler of the kings of the earth”. In the Daniel reading the Ancient One is given “dominion and glory and kingship”.

Like all writers the authors of the Biblical books were searching around for language to describe both what they experienced and what they believed. So like we do when we are trying to communicate to another some new experience or to describe our feelings we use the language of description and simile and metaphor to help us. It was like this or like that; “my love is like a red, red rose”. So it was for those biblical writers. They used the language of the day. And in describing God’s grandeur: God’s power and dominion; God’s glory they used the grandest language they could lay their hands on. And in ancient societies the language of kingship was the best they could find.

Those two lessons from Daniel and Revelation are in the literary genre we call apocalyptic. In fact the opening words of the Revelation reading, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, reads in the Greek as the “apocalypsis” of Jesus Christ. This was often rather fantastic language used as a sort of code to speak to people who were suffering oppression to encourage them not to give up but to keep their Faith. The book of Daniel was addressed to Jews who were suffering cruel oppression in the 2nd and 1st century before Christ; and the Revelation was addressed to seven churches in modern day Turkey who were enduring the full on persecution of the Roman Caesars, especially Domitian and Nero.

But it is in the Gospel lesson in that dialogue between Pilate and Jesus which is one scene out of many in John’s Passion that we see how the same language can be interpreted differently. Pilate is fixated on Kingship from a political point of view. There was only one king in the Roman Empire and he was Caesar and woe betide anyone who challenged that kingship. Jesus’ enigmatic responses to Pilate’s insistent questioning talks of kingship on quite a different level. Jesus is speaking of the reign of God, of spiritual not earthly dominion. “My kingdom is not of this world.” Jesus speaks of another kingdom, the kingdom of God, in which truth reigns supreme.

The Kingdom Jesus proclaims is not to do with earthly power or dominion but rather it is the kingdom of truth, righteousness and peace which is associated with the reign of God. Paradoxically in John’s Gospel following this dialogue about kingship the soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head and robed him in royal purple, like an earthly monarch. But the throne they placed him on was none other than the Cross of Calvary. This is the paradox at the very heart of our faith that the Kingship of Christ is most truly seen when he reigns from the Cross. Christ’s kingship is defined in the end by his washing of the disciples’ feet and by his Passion and Death. His kingship is to do with sacrificial servanthood. In a sense that is what the Resurrection affirms. That paradoxically the way of the cross leads to abundant life, the life of God’s Kingdom.

But all this seems distant from our everyday experience just as the very language of kingship is somewhat esoteric. But when it comes to issues as to what we believe in or what gives meaning and shape to our lives or where we place our hope we may well ask “Who do I trust or believe in? What is it that gives my life purpose? The real danger is that we drift along like a ship without a rudder just dealing with what life serves up to us. Or we adopt a certain cynicism or distrust of other people or of life in general. Or we may opt for a hedonistic lifestyle of wine, women and song, with no care for the morrow.

What the Christian faith offers is a life based on the reign of God and his Christ in and through whom we are invited to share in the Kingdom life based on righteousness, peace, love and truth. That is what is at the heart of the Baptismal affirmation that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is my Lord; he comes first for me; Jesus reigns in my heart; He is my King. That is what is spelt out in the Baptismal Covenant that we renew at every baptism. That covenant spells out what that kingdom life looks like. That is the life into which Oliver and Nicholas are being baptized this morning.