Jesus is King of the Universe!

Did you ever think about how many scriptural references there are to the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God was hailed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures long before Christ was born. The Psalms reference it over and over.

Remembering that these were the prayers of the Jewish people, the Angel Gabriel in his announcement to the young Mary said: “He shall be great and shall be called Son of the Most High…and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)

John the Baptist proclaimed: “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Jesus, Himself, taught the apostles “Our Father who are in heaven…May your Kingdom come.”

And finally the discussion between Jesus and Pilate: “Are you a king?” “My kingdom is not of this world.” “So you ARE a king?” “You say I am a king. For this, I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (John 18:37). Jesus does NOT deny His kingship!

For us, Americans Kings and Kingdoms have a bit of a Fairy tale ring to them. But kings were of great importance in the time of Christ and had been for years. People paid allegiance to them.

If we think of Christ as our King, do we give HIM the allegiance that we should? Is He our leader and guide? Do we make our daily decisions with allegiance to Him in mind?

As Hitler rose to power and took over the occupation of Denmark, he declared that all Jews must identify themselves by wearing yellow armbands with the Star of David. King Christian said this was not right—one Danish person was the same as the next. He put on the first Star of David and let it be known that every loyal Dane should do the same. The next day almost every Dane in Copenhagen was wearing a yellow armband with the Star of David! Consequently, much of the Jewish population was saved. He went on to form a resistance that smuggled thousands of Jews into Sweden. For this, he was imprisoned. The Feast of Christ the King asks us to whom and to what do we pay our allegiance and what guides our life. For King Christian it was justice and charity—the very things preached by Christ!

It stands to reason that on this great feast where we give full thought and praise to Christ our King that the magnificent reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians is read. Sit for a few quiet minutes, re-read it, really think about it: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For him, all things were created in heaven and on earth….”

May Glory and Praise, Dominion and Power be His forever and ever! AMEN.

Linda Caminiti