Christ the King
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King which reaffirms that the Kingship of Christ holds the place of ultimate authority over all aspects of human life, including the political and economic realm. Christ the King. This is a relatively recent addition to our liturgical calendar that was founded in the early 20th century when Europe was struggling with the destruction of World War I.
Well before Christ the King Sunday was established, the last Sunday before Advent was known as “Stir Up Sunday.” “Stir Up Sunday” is an informal term that gets its name from the opening words of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 (and in subsequent editions including 1662 and 1928). “STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
It was traditional in England to stir up Christmas puddings on Stir Up Sunday. Christmas plum puddings were made in advance so that they could mature before being served on Christmas (supposedly, they do not spoil because of their high alcohol content).
Part of the Tradition was that the pudding consisted of thirteen ingredients to represent Christ and his disciples and was always stirred from East to West in honour of the three Wise Men who visited the baby Jesus from the East. The pudding represents all of the good things of heaven that Christ brought to mankind.
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