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Christ the King—we trust in you. One - two...one - two.
Jesus Christ is a King. The Jews weren't waiting for some Hippie to come along, or somebody
who would be their buddy or homeboy. They were waiting for a king to come and rule the
nations and establish peace and justice on the earth. When he was born the three Magi
- the wise men - came looking for him, they were looking for the King of the Jews. When
he stood before pontius pilate he said you're right in saying I am a king. When he started
his ministry he announced the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He talked about the final judgement
where he would sit over all the world over all the nations and judge them as king. When
he hung on the cross "King of the Jews" hung over his head. And the Good thief next to
him said "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And he said I promise
you today you will be with me in paradise. But this wasn't like any other king. He wasn't
born in a palace, he was born in a manger. He lived his whole life in poverty. Instead
of trying to acquire more and more wealth and power he renounced it every chance that
he got. He didn't wear a crown of gold, he wore a crown made of thorns. He was lifted
high above the world but it was in a cross, blessing and forgiving those who killed him.
But make no mistake about it, he is a king. And a king has a kingdom and a kingdom has
boundaries. He invites us to accept his reign over our minds and hearts and wills and lives.
See having a king means you're not the king, I'm not the king. It means we don't do religion
on our terms but on his. We can't be cafeteria Catholics picking and choosing the doctrines
that we follow...picking and choosing our commandments that we want - chucking out the
rest. We don't set the terms of our faith, we receive it. Jesus Christ is the king. The
fact that he's a king means he reigns over our hearts and minds which means that our
faith has implications in our lives that stretch way beyond what happens in Church on the pew
every Sunday. The fact that he's my king means I'm called to serve. He washed his apostle's
feet and he told them "you call me lord and master". Look what I'm doing. If you call
me Lord and Master, this is how you're supposed to serve other people. Look I know it might
be scary this whole idea of having a king. In fact kingdoms of this world have gone out
style because a lot of kings have violated people's freedom in establishing their kingdoms
and their power. But Jesus is unlike any other king. He's a king who guarantees our freedom.
Here's a king who makes us free from sin, free from self-centeredness, free even from
death, free from the reign of this world. This is a king who invites us not just to
be subjects, but who raises us up and makes us heirs, heirs of far more than kingdoms
of brick and mortar. Jesus Christ is a king. Is he YOUR king?