On Saturday we saw a rare event - the coronation of a British king. Full of pomp and circumstance, we do ceremony so well.
At the heart of the ceremony is a commitment to God. A
commitment of service to a people and to God Himself. Having said that, some of
the words were a bit over the top - we can’t really declare Charles III should
live forever. Nor can we claim him to be the ‘Lord’s Anointed’!
There is a vulnerability to some of the ceremony, not least
the disrobing from royal robes to a plain shirt in order to receive (behind a
screen) the anointing of oil – what is termed the Act of Consecration.
And so we have a king.
But we already have one.
His name is Jesus.
This is what the Archbishop of Canterbury said in his
coronation address:
‘His throne was a cross, His crown was made of thorns, His
regalia were the wounds that pierced His body.’
One day Charles III reign will end. But Jesus’ reign which
began at the moment he broke the chains of death and rose from the dead, will
be a reign that never ends.
We are invited to reign with him. Commoners, poor people of
no consequence, we are invited to ask Jesus to forgive us and to change our
lives. In doing so, He comes to live in us and through us. Him in us, us in
Him, reigning with Him.
If you choose to reign with Jesus, here’s a prayer you can pray:
Lord Jesus
I know you are
alive and are still changing lives today. Please change mine.
Forgive me Lord
for my life lived without you.
I invite you in
right now as my Lord and Saviour. Please come and change me.
Amen.
