King of Kings!

A Reflection on the Second Reading for November 25th, 2018: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Revelation 1.5-8

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will lament. So it is to be. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

---

Once upon a time in a land far far away…

This was the first phrase that came to mind after reading this scripture about the King of kings. In 2018, where royalty are more known for their celebrity than the way they rule, it can be hard for us “commoners” to relate to what a king is or does. A king is a story book character. While I know full well that there are current day royals (that admittedly I follow a little more closely than maybe I should), my brain relegates royalty to the land of fairy tales rather than real life. However, in the time of Jesus and the early Church, kings were prevalent, and they were spoken of in relation to the way in which they wielded their power. By referring to Jesus as the King of kings, Saint John, the writer of Revelations (and other writers before him) caused more controversy than any current royal scandal could. How could this man—born in a barn, to put it bluntly—be a man whose power is EVERYTHING (Alpha and Omega) for ALL time (is, was, will be)? It’s mind boggling! Yet at the same time indescribably and unfathomably awesome!
​
And the piece that inspires even more awe in me? The fact that as a follower of Christ, I am a daughter of the King. The last thing I would consider myself is a princess (whatever others might tell you!). I could maybe consider myself a down-to-earth duchess or working class consort. Royal titles aside, we were “made to be a kingdom”. God’s kingdom. God’s real life story. ​

"Royal titles aside, we were “made to be a kingdom”. God’s kingdom.
​God’s real life story."

Tweet

Through our adoption as daughters (and sons) of God by our baptism, we are co-heirs to the kingdom that Christ creates through and with us. Thus, we all have a role and responsibility to help build this kingdom through our love and service to our God/King, our love and service to one another, and our invitation to others into that love and service in order to grow the kingdom.​

Our Almighty God gives us this meaning and purpose. If we look at this through the lens of a king of old, the notion of service can lean toward being in service to the king because he has power over me. But once again, Jesus turns that notion upside down. The depth of God’s power is so evident in this reading! In recognizing that power and serving our God we have access to that power with and through Him. Imagine what our world could look like if we recognized the power for goodness that we have!

As we prepare to enter the season of Advent and ultimately the joy of the birth of the newborn King, we must be mindful that our story is definitely not a fairy tale. It is very real life ‘“story” where we all have the ability to help one another reach our “happily ever after”—an everlasting life in Christ.

​Aurea Sadi

---