Luke 1:68–79 • Jeremiah 23:1–6 • Colossians 1:11–20 • Luke 23:33–43
This week’s theme is the raising of our King. Our call to worship response for Reign of Christ Sunday is supplied by the Benedictus in Luke where Zechariah’s prophecy envisions God’s raising up from the house of David a Savior. Similarly, the Old Testament text in Jeremiah 23 presents God’s promise to raise up a wise and just king from the Davidic line. The New Testament text in Colossians presents an extraordinary hymn on Christ that lifts up Jesus as Creator, reconciler, Redeemer, rescuer, head of the church and the one who made peace through his sacrifice on the cross. The Gospel text from Luke recounts Jesus being raised up on a cross with the detail of the inscription over the crown of thorns on his head that says, “This is the King of the Jews.”
Reminder: This introductory paragraph is intended to show how the four RCL selections for this week are connected and to assist the preacher prepare the sermon. It is not intended to be included in the sermon.
How to use this sermon resource.
Worship of the King of All
Colossians 1:11–20 ESV
Today is the final day of the Christian calendar before we begin again with Advent. For some time now we have been journeying through the season known as “Ordinary Time” or simply “The Season after Pentecost.” Today, that season comes to an end with a special day called, Reign of Christ Sunday or Christ the King Sunday. Our passage for the day will take up that theme. Our whole journey from Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and everything in between arrives at today’s crowning conclusion: Jesus is King.
For our text today, we would be hard pressed to find a more fitting passage to celebrate Christ the King. It is commonly understood among scholars that this passage comes from an early hymn or poem used in the worship of Christ. In addition, the letter of Colossians was written as a response to some teachings that were threatening the understanding of Christ’s supremacy. It is in this context the hymn is used, serving as a poetic launch pad for Paul’s argument for the supremacy of Christ. The passage we will cover breaks in on a prayer being offered and then gives way to these poetic lines of praise.
This section is so packed with truths about who Jesus is and what he has done for us it would take 20 sermons to scratch the surface. That should not be surprising, as we are talking about the supremacy of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. So, we take a cursory journey through the passage, letting it lead us to worship as a hymn is intended to do.
But, before we get to the hymn, we break into a prayer offered by the apostle Paul.
… being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:11–14 ESV
Paul’s prayer is asking that we will be “strengthened with all power” for the purpose that we will have “all endurance and patience with joy.” Take note of the two “all” statements. This is a very big ask. He’s not asking for just a little power to get by on or just enough power for temporary use, but for “all power.” Also, this power is not a power that comes from an anemic source but is “according to his glorious might.” Let that sink in. God intends to fill us with the very power he has in himself.
And that is why Paul knows such power will be enough for “all” the endurance and patience we may need, even to the point of joy. These two “all” statements will gain momentum when we get to the hymn portion of our text that will include another seven “all” statements. What will become increasingly apparent is the fact that Jesus is the King of all. And the good news right out of the gate to this proclamation is that it means the “domain of darkness” no longer has any power over us. The Father has delivered us by this King and brought us into the beloved Son’s kingdom. It is this Son “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” This certainly is amazingly good news to be thankful for.
We will read this section in its entirety and then take note of the many points of praise of who Jesus is. As we read through, see if you can catch all seven of the “all” statements.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:15–20 ESV
The hymn opens with proclaiming that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God.” This means Jesus gives us a self-revelation of God. Now in Jesus we can come to know the Father in the same way the Son knows the Father. There is no other person, thing, place, or idea that can give us such a revelation. Only in the Son can we know the Father. That alone makes Jesus a radiant King of glory.
Next, we are told that Christ is “the firstborn of all creation.” Here is the first of seven “all” statements. This statement does not mean that he is the first thing to be created. That was an early controversy the Church had to sort out and write down in a creed. What is meant by this phrase is that Jesus is preeminent in rank. Nowhere can you look in all creation and find anything that outranks Jesus in any way. The “all” in that statement leaves no room for competition.
On the heels of that “all” statement we have two more in succession. Jesus is not only the “firstborn of all creation,” but he is also God’s agent in creation where “all things were created” and where “all things were created through him and for him.” And in case we need clarification of what is meant by “all” the hymn makes it clear that “all” includes everything “in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.” That should pretty much cover it. Also notice that all these things created are not only created “through” him but “for” him. So, all of creation, including you and me, finds its ultimate purpose and meaning in Christ the King.
Next, we see Christ’s preexistence by the statement that “he is before all things.” There is “all” number four. There is nothing that can make the claim that it existed before Christ. He is the eternal one.
Next, in relation to that staggering claim, we also find that in Christ “all things hold together.” Another “all” statement to make it five. They are adding up fast. Now we see that Christ is the sustaining of all existence. We exist and continue to exist because this King will not let us go.
Now we will see that the “all-ness” of Christ is not limited to the created order but also includes the new created order. He is also the “head of the body, the church.” Just as the created cosmos is created and sustained by Christ, so is the Church his creation which he sustains.
Jesus’ status as head of the church results from him being the “beginning, the firstborn from the dead.” Jesus was the first one to break through death into resurrected life. He is called the “firstborn” which lets us know that more are to follow. Thanks to this King, we are given new birth into his resurrected life. And we are told “that in everything he might be preeminent.” That’s not a strict “all” statement but means pretty much the same thing. Jesus surpasses all things in the new creation.
For our sixth “all” statement we find that, “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” God does not hold himself back in Jesus. On account of what God has done in Jesus for us, we now have access to the full presence of God — all of him.
Our final “all” statement has to do with King Jesus being the reconciler of “all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Because of who Jesus is, he alone becomes the one in whom all things are reconciled. This is a reconciliation that permeates every conceivable level, from the personal to the cosmic.
So much more could be said about each of these statements included in this passage of praise. It’s a hymn that continues to lift our eyes to see the exalted and reigning Christ. One thing this passage does for us is to obliterate any imposed limits we may place on Christ. Jesus is King from creation to new creation. His reign spans from the beginning of time to the end of time and beyond. He is King of the microscopic world hidden from our sight to the macrocosm world our vision cannot contain. His rule has delivered us from alienation and brought us into his peace. No matter where we go, we will find that “Christ is all, and in all.” As we conclude this liturgical calendar year, may our eyes be lifted up in praise and worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the King of all. Amen!
Dr. Dwight Zscheile—Year C Reign of Christ
Sunday, November 23, 2025 — Reign of Christ
Colossians 1:11–20 NRSVUE
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Program Transcript
Dr. Dwight Zscheile—Year C Reign of Christ
Anthony: Our final pericope of the month is Colossians 1:11-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Reign of Christ Sunday on November 23. Dwight, this is one of my favorite passages, so read it well, brother. No pressure.
Dwight: All right, so here we go.
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Anthony: Whew. That is a doozy of a passage, and I want to give you an opportunity to proclaim it, to just riff on the supremacy of Christ. So, preach, preacher. What would you say?
Dwight: Oh, yes. This is such a rich — it’s really almost a hymn, I think, or a poem almost, in the way that it is just so rich. And I think where I want to go in this is thinking about these terms, strength, and power: “may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power.”
His glorious power, right? From God’s glorious power, from Jesus’ power, which again, is power that’s made known in weakness, that’s revealed on a cross, “so that you may have all the endurance and patience, giving thanks to the Father.” So, this sense of needing to endure patiently. And the root of patience, of course, is to suffer, right?
Anthony: Yes.
Dwight: As we’re taking this journey together with an eye toward an inheritance, right? We have this gift that’s coming from God and he’s transferred us from the power of darkness, from the dominion, if you will, of the world and its powers into this kingdom, this reign of his Son, which is this upside-down reign where the crucified God is the ultimate authority, right? It’s turning on its head so much of what we see in our world and its structures. And being transferred into that realm, if you will.
I used to live in Virginia and I used to joke when I lived the, in Virginia, as we talked about, the old dominion and the new creation. I like it. And so, even though we were living still the old dominion of Virginia, we were living in the new creation, right? And so, we’ve been transferred into that kingdom, that new creation. And so, what does this yield for us? It’s this redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
And I think so many of people in our society are living haunted by the mistakes they’ve made, the estrangement and broken relationships that they suffer and don’t know where to turn for an alternative. How, what’s a way out of this, right? And so, people just double down. Again, as we talked about earlier, grievance or resentment or enmity, hate, and things like that.
But Paul here is saying, we have this gift that fundamentally reorients our relationships. And it begins with God’s relationship with us, and that is restored in Christ, right? The forgiveness of sins, the redemption, the freeing from whatever we’ve done, from all of the things that have kept us from God and from one another. We have been transferred into this other reality that we live in. And we have the grace and the power and the strength that comes from that so that we might suffer, endure, serve, minister joyfully, right? This paradox here of freedom and joy that comes through being restored to our kind of relationship that is not about our own kind of self-justification or self-aggrandizement, but really about being joined in Christ to God’s life and then through Christ to one another. We live not to ourselves, but to Christ.
There’s so much here in this text. But I think if we can unpack these words and bring it down to earth for regular people, saying, what is it that’s keeping you from the freedom of trusting that God has made you right with God and is freeing you to be right in right relationship with everyone else in your life?
Anthony: You know this song, poem, hymn to the supremacy of Christ is a theological tour de force, right? And so, I’m curious from your perspective, what are the theological implications of the statement — and it’s just an awesome statement — that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ.
Dwight: So, I love, again, I love this. This is about the incarnation and I think so often, Christians don’t take the incarnation as seriously as we should. There’s a kind of lingering, often Docetism, I think, that happens in the church where people are kind of, “Yeah, yeah, God became flesh, but we’re not really comfortable with like, how that actually works.”
So, I don’t know if you’re a “Chosen” fan or if you watch “The Chosen”, but there’s a remarkable. documentary called Jonathan and Jesus. I don’t if you’ve seen that, but …
Anthony: Yes. I haven’t watched it, but I did see it advertised.
Dwight: So, it’s about Jonathan Rumi, who of course is the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen.” And it’s a little documentary following around his own story. It is really quite remarkable. He’s a faithful disciple of Jesus himself. But what’s powerful to me watching that is they show him being in public different places in the world and people will just come up to him and almost ask for a blessing from him or almost fall at his feet just because they know he’s Jonathan Rumi, the actor, and there’s something about the image, the presence of, here’s this person, embodying the Lord. Even it’s just in a show that we’re watching on TV, but the physicality of that, the tangible incarnation of that, has this effect on people. And you see these people just weeping and wanting his blessing.
And I think there’s something in that that’s a reminder of when Jesus came in human flesh to be with us to heal and redeem and restore us. That is the only way that God could restore human nature from the fall to its glory — that taking, sharing our place, taking our place, if you will, is the way, right? And it’s the kind of crazy claim of Christianity, the scandalous claim, right, from the very beginning it’s been offensive to all kinds of people and yet it is the good news for us that God has joined us in the flesh, right?
So, when I read in this about the fullness of God dwelling in Christ, it is to say that — I’ll go back to Martin Luther — that what we know of God’s love is what we see in the life, in the face of Jesus, and particularly in the suffering of Jesus, his willingness to join us in the worst of human experience.
And so, if we can trust that God’s love is that deep and that wide, and that profound, to meet us where we are, even when we hate him, even when we crucify him, then there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, to get to Romans 8, that there is truly nothing that can that can separate us. And I just think that is a message we need to hear over and over again. We have a lot of stories, a lot of figures in our culture that are trying to be literally influencers, to influence us in different ways. And so many of them are leading us astray from God’s way.
And so, for us to recenter ourselves and say, if we want to know what ultimate reality is like, if we want to know what human nature, what abundant life, a good life is like, we need to focus on Jesus and we see it in him. We see it in the whole of his life, death, and resurrection. And we are to be conformed into that image through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the practices of the community in life together.
Anthony: Amen and amen. There is no other God behind the back of Jesus. He is the highest resolution image that we have of the very nature and being of God as the writer of Hebrews tells us. And God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in Christ. Hallelujah. Praise God.
Gospel Reverb exists to help pastors and preachers and teachers proclaim the word. And I just want to remind our listening audience that I believe the best kind of preaching leaves the congregation talking about Jesus, not the preacher, not the sermon, but Jesus and the text that was read. So, thank you for what you’re doing.
Dwight, it’s been a joy having you on the podcast. It’s a delight to meet you and we praise God for the work that he’s doing in and through you, especially helping the church understand how we can be swept up in all the good things God is doing through his mission. Thank you so much for joining us, and I also want to thank our team of people who make this podcast possible, Reuel Enerio, Elizabeth Mullins, and Michelle Hartman. It’s a joy to work with them. And again, Dwight, thank you. It’s our tradition on Gospel Reverb to end with prayer, and we’d be delighted if you’d pray for us.
Dwight: Wonderful. Let’s pray.
God, our Creator, we just give you thanks for the ways in which you are renewing the world, the ways in which you have joined us in Christ and bound yourself in love to us to heal all that is broken and estranged and all of the things that keep us from living abundantly. And Lord, we just pray that your Spirit may encourage all of the listeners on this podcast, all of those who are entrusted with the sacred work of proclaiming your Word. May you give them confidence and clarity and wisdom. Help them to listen carefully to their people. Help them to be rooted in you and your presence and your love. And Lord, we just pray for all those neighbors outside of our churches who don’t know your gospel, Lord, that all your people may live into their vocations as witnesses and ambassadors of reconciliation. Lord, we pray for encouragement and hope always in the gospel. We pray this in Jesus’ name and in the power of the Spirit. Amen.
Anthony: Amen.
Program Transcript
Dr. Dwight Zscheile—Year C Reign of Christ
Anthony: Our final pericope of the month is Colossians 1:11-20. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Reign of Christ Sunday on November 23. Dwight, this is one of my favorite passages, so read it well, brother. No pressure.
Dwight: All right, so here we go.
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, so that you may have all endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Anthony: Whew. That is a doozy of a passage, and I want to give you an opportunity to proclaim it, to just riff on the supremacy of Christ. So, preach, preacher. What would you say?
Dwight: Oh, yes. This is such a rich — it’s really almost a hymn, I think, or a poem almost, in the way that it is just so rich. And I think where I want to go in this is thinking about these terms, strength, and power: “may you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power.”
His glorious power, right? From God’s glorious power, from Jesus’ power, which again, is power that’s made known in weakness, that’s revealed on a cross, “so that you may have all the endurance and patience, giving thanks to the Father.” So, this sense of needing to endure patiently. And the root of patience, of course, is to suffer, right?
Anthony: Yes.
Dwight: As we’re taking this journey together with an eye toward an inheritance, right? We have this gift that’s coming from God and he’s transferred us from the power of darkness, from the dominion, if you will, of the world and its powers into this kingdom, this reign of his Son, which is this upside-down reign where the crucified God is the ultimate authority, right? It’s turning on its head so much of what we see in our world and its structures. And being transferred into that realm, if you will.
I used to live in Virginia and I used to joke when I lived the, in Virginia, as we talked about, the old dominion and the new creation. I like it. And so, even though we were living still the old dominion of Virginia, we were living in the new creation, right? And so, we’ve been transferred into that kingdom, that new creation. And so, what does this yield for us? It’s this redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
And I think so many of people in our society are living haunted by the mistakes they’ve made, the estrangement and broken relationships that they suffer and don’t know where to turn for an alternative. How, what’s a way out of this, right? And so, people just double down. Again, as we talked about earlier, grievance or resentment or enmity, hate, and things like that.
But Paul here is saying, we have this gift that fundamentally reorients our relationships. And it begins with God’s relationship with us, and that is restored in Christ, right? The forgiveness of sins, the redemption, the freeing from whatever we’ve done, from all of the things that have kept us from God and from one another. We have been transferred into this other reality that we live in. And we have the grace and the power and the strength that comes from that so that we might suffer, endure, serve, minister joyfully, right? This paradox here of freedom and joy that comes through being restored to our kind of relationship that is not about our own kind of self-justification or self-aggrandizement, but really about being joined in Christ to God’s life and then through Christ to one another. We live not to ourselves, but to Christ.
There’s so much here in this text. But I think if we can unpack these words and bring it down to earth for regular people, saying, what is it that’s keeping you from the freedom of trusting that God has made you right with God and is freeing you to be right in right relationship with everyone else in your life?
Anthony: You know this song, poem, hymn to the supremacy of Christ is a theological tour de force, right? And so, I’m curious from your perspective, what are the theological implications of the statement — and it’s just an awesome statement — that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in Christ.
Dwight: So, I love, again, I love this. This is about the incarnation and I think so often, Christians don’t take the incarnation as seriously as we should. There’s a kind of lingering, often Docetism, I think, that happens in the church where people are kind of, “Yeah, yeah, God became flesh, but we’re not really comfortable with like, how that actually works.”
So, I don’t know if you’re a “Chosen” fan or if you watch “The Chosen”, but there’s a remarkable. documentary called Jonathan and Jesus. I don’t if you’ve seen that, but …
Anthony: Yes. I haven’t watched it, but I did see it advertised.
Dwight: So, it’s about Jonathan Rumi, who of course is the actor who plays Jesus in “The Chosen.” And it’s a little documentary following around his own story. It is really quite remarkable. He’s a faithful disciple of Jesus himself. But what’s powerful to me watching that is they show him being in public different places in the world and people will just come up to him and almost ask for a blessing from him or almost fall at his feet just because they know he’s Jonathan Rumi, the actor, and there’s something about the image, the presence of, here’s this person, embodying the Lord. Even it’s just in a show that we’re watching on TV, but the physicality of that, the tangible incarnation of that, has this effect on people. And you see these people just weeping and wanting his blessing.
And I think there’s something in that that’s a reminder of when Jesus came in human flesh to be with us to heal and redeem and restore us. That is the only way that God could restore human nature from the fall to its glory — that taking, sharing our place, taking our place, if you will, is the way, right? And it’s the kind of crazy claim of Christianity, the scandalous claim, right, from the very beginning it’s been offensive to all kinds of people and yet it is the good news for us that God has joined us in the flesh, right?
So, when I read in this about the fullness of God dwelling in Christ, it is to say that — I’ll go back to Martin Luther — that what we know of God’s love is what we see in the life, in the face of Jesus, and particularly in the suffering of Jesus, his willingness to join us in the worst of human experience.
And so, if we can trust that God’s love is that deep and that wide, and that profound, to meet us where we are, even when we hate him, even when we crucify him, then there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, to get to Romans 8, that there is truly nothing that can that can separate us. And I just think that is a message we need to hear over and over again. We have a lot of stories, a lot of figures in our culture that are trying to be literally influencers, to influence us in different ways. And so many of them are leading us astray from God’s way.
And so, for us to recenter ourselves and say, if we want to know what ultimate reality is like, if we want to know what human nature, what abundant life, a good life is like, we need to focus on Jesus and we see it in him. We see it in the whole of his life, death, and resurrection. And we are to be conformed into that image through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the practices of the community in life together.
Anthony: Amen and amen. There is no other God behind the back of Jesus. He is the highest resolution image that we have of the very nature and being of God as the writer of Hebrews tells us. And God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in Christ. Hallelujah. Praise God.
Gospel Reverb exists to help pastors and preachers and teachers proclaim the word. And I just want to remind our listening audience that I believe the best kind of preaching leaves the congregation talking about Jesus, not the preacher, not the sermon, but Jesus and the text that was read. So, thank you for what you’re doing.
Dwight, it’s been a joy having you on the podcast. It’s a delight to meet you and we praise God for the work that he’s doing in and through you, especially helping the church understand how we can be swept up in all the good things God is doing through his mission. Thank you so much for joining us, and I also want to thank our team of people who make this podcast possible, Reuel Enerio, Elizabeth Mullins, and Michelle Hartman. It’s a joy to work with them. And again, Dwight, thank you. It’s our tradition on Gospel Reverb to end with prayer, and we’d be delighted if you’d pray for us.
Dwight: Wonderful. Let’s pray.
God, our Creator, we just give you thanks for the ways in which you are renewing the world, the ways in which you have joined us in Christ and bound yourself in love to us to heal all that is broken and estranged and all of the things that keep us from living abundantly. And Lord, we just pray that your Spirit may encourage all of the listeners on this podcast, all of those who are entrusted with the sacred work of proclaiming your Word. May you give them confidence and clarity and wisdom. Help them to listen carefully to their people. Help them to be rooted in you and your presence and your love. And Lord, we just pray for all those neighbors outside of our churches who don’t know your gospel, Lord, that all your people may live into their vocations as witnesses and ambassadors of reconciliation. Lord, we pray for encouragement and hope always in the gospel. We pray this in Jesus’ name and in the power of the Spirit. Amen.
Anthony: Amen.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Which “all” statement stood out to you the most?
- Share anything further you came to understand about the greatness of King Jesus.
- How does Jesus’ rule and what he does compare to our earthly kings and rulers and what they do?
- Share with each other any insights you had from the passage that builds your faith and brings you further into worship of our Lord and Savior.
