What often happens when planning music for today’s feast is that every “king” song in the repertoire gets dragged out. And we have a lot of them: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” “Jesus, the Lord.” “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus,” and so on. Any hymnal has a “Christ the King” section; all you have to do is fill up the “slots” and you’re all set, right?

Not exactly.

Take a little time at rehearsal to ask your music ministry: what does kingship means today? Jesus is Lord, definitely, but a topsy-turvy kind of king, one who was ignored by most and died a criminal’s death. What does kingship mean in today’s world? Power? Riches? (You couldn’t prove it by Mother Teresa.) What kind of king do we celebrate?

Finish rehearsal by singing the classic hymn, “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” (MORNING SONG). On the last verse, drop out the accompaniment and sing it a cappella. On Sunday, do the same thing: for the closing song, sing that hymn with the congregation—dropping out the accompaniment and going a cappella on the last verse. It may slow down; don’t worry about it. The pitch will probably drop; don’t worry about it. But while everyone’s singing, experience the power of the community’s voice, the unfettered praise of the People of God.

And it wouldn’t hurt to make that a tradition. Jes sayin’.