This is Christ the King weekend in the Christian tradition. Although “Christ the King” is frequently ignored because of its proximity to the culture’s celebration of Thanksgiving, it is nevertheless an important yearly affirmation and celebration of the Lordship and universal Kingship of Jesus Christ. Given the fact that our nation just elected a new president, Christ the King weekend has about it a particular sense of urgency this year. On Christ the King weekend, the church celebrates the fact that, no matter who is in the White House, the Lord Jesus Christ still occupies the most important office of all.
During this year’s Christ the King weekend, the song “Come Be Our King” will be part of my church’s liturgy at all three of our weekend worship services. The lyrics of that song have become a personal prayer for me in recent days:
Yours is the throne of eternity. Come fill the throne of our heart.
Yours is a kingdom of righteousness. Come now your reign to impart.Chorus: Come, Lord Jesus, reign in us. King of Glory, reign in us.
Be the Monarch of our mind. Be the Sovereign of our soul.
Bring your Lordship into our lives. Come be our King. Come be our King.You are the Lord of creation. Come now your people to raise.
You govern with wisdom unspeakable. Come wear the crown of our praise. (chorus)Truth, grace, and love are your politics. Holiness covers your throne
Now be enthroned in your people. Come now and make us your own. (chorus)
I pray that all of you will experience this often-overlooked weekend in the Christian year as a unique opportunity to reflect upon the peculiar royalty of the One we follow. He is the Lord of Creation and the Savior of the world. He is the supreme and only ruler of a Kingdom that he himself established through his life, death, and resurrection. He is a monarch whose reign is eternal (meaning that he never has to campaign, thank God—and he never has to be re-elected!).
In short, on Christ the King weekend, we remember that the Kingdom of God is not a democracy but a monarchy, one that will stand long after all the other kingdoms of this world have fallen.
The question that I find myself pondering, however, is a question that relocates my focus from the cosmic significance of Jesus’ kingship to its personal implications. The question to which I am making reference is this: Although Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, am I allowing him to occupy the throne of my heart? In other words, am I allowing the Lord Jesus to hold governance over every segment of my living, so that my entire life bears consistent witness to the ongoing reality of his kingdom?
Indeed, come, Lord Jesus, reign in us. King of Glory, reign in us.