Dean's Message for November 20, 2025

Author:
November 20, 2025

Happy New Year’s Eve! These holidays really do come upon us one right after another.

In the church calendar, this Sunday is the final day before we turn the page and begin a whole new liturgical year. It is known across our tradition as Christ the King Sunday—a day when scripture and song lift up the imagery of Christ’s reign: not a reign of domination, but one of mercy, justice, strength, and righteous love.

We end the year by proclaiming that Christ is sovereign over all things, even over the places in our lives and our world that feel fragile, unfinished, or uncertain. Christ the King is a feast of defiant hope, a reminder that God’s power is made known not through force, but through faithfulness.

Next week, we will step quietly into Advent and begin again the story that has shaped us for generations. Our lectionary resets to Year A, the Daily Office to Year Two, and we begin once more the sacred cycle of waiting, watching, listening—one of my favorite rhythms in our tradition. The season that lies ahead will invite us into holy longing, honest reflection, and renewed trust in the God who comes among us in vulnerability and love.

May Christ’s mercy lead us, Christ’s love sustain us, and Christ’s hope anchor us.

The Very Reverend Katie Churchwell, 15th Dean, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

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