Each year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical year. We crown the closing year by proclaiming Jesus to be King and Lord of history, of the world, of the Church, and of our hearts. In celebrating Christ as King, we renew our allegiance to him and our desire that he might have absolute reign in our lives. As a Church, we also renew our hope that his kingdom will one day come in its fullness when all things are summed up in Christ (cf. Ephesians 1:10).  As we journey through these meditations, we will reflect on various facets of Christ’s kingdom. We will see him choose the way of humility and service over that of power and dominion. We will contemplate a king who empties himself completely in order to give life to his people. We will consider the thrones he has chosen to occupy: from the manger, to the mountain, to the cross. We will ask him to teach us to embrace his criteria so that we, too, might reign with him. Written by Teresa Williams, CRC, Encountering Our King was originally written as a novena for the Feast of Christ the King. The nine meditations can be used for personal reflection or group discussion.  Each meditation is followed by questions for reflection.