A Word from our Pastor

It is hard to fully grasp what it would be like to have a king. We are so heavily influenced by harbor-soaked tea and Jonathan Groff’s rendition of King George in Hamilton, or long episodes of The Crown on Netflix, that calling Jesus our king feels like an impersonal caricature. For most of us, a king is an aloof figurehead with no real power. Why would we yearn for someone like that?

For millennia prior to George and the disintegration of the British Monarchy, a king was far more than a status or even a political figure. The king was the representation of God on earth, and his responsibility was to fend off evil from outside invasion while providing for the prosperity of his subjects. A king who did his job well would inspire devotion. It would be good to live in the land of a powerful and generous king.

Of course, evil exists and power corrupts. History is littered with stories about the evils of monarchies. Ultimately, this leads to the downfall of that system of government. Imagine, however, if there was a perfect king who could not be influenced by evil or greed? Who really was fully righteous and just? Living in the land of that monarch would truly be a wonderous and prosperous thing. That’s the promise Isaiah prophesies in Isaiah 9, and it’s what we look forward to when we celebrate the birth of our true King every Christmas! 

~ Pastor Jeremy