The Reign and Majesty of the Lord

Scripture Reading: Psalm 93
1The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
3The seas have lifted up, Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty.
5Your statutes, Lord, stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days.
Message: The Reign and Majesty of the Lord
Reign of Christ Sunday
Today is the last Sunday of the so-called ordinary time in the church calendar
It is the time between pentecost and the start of lent
In some liturgical traditions it is called the “kingdom time”, as to commemorate the coming of God’s kingdom in this world
Traditionally, this period in the liturgical calendar comes to a close on the last Sunday (today) with the Reign of Christ Sunday
Hence our reading of Psalm 93 today
An Old Testament reading that is echoed in the book of Revelation… words like robed, majesty, armed in strength, eternity, voices proclaiming kingship, ruling over nature (seas, thunder, great waters)
Even the expression “the Statues of the Lord” being used as a confirmation of the reign and majesty of the Lord
Today we celebrate Jesus as the King of this world
And today we remind ourselves of the meaning of his reign
And we allow ourselves to find hope in his kingship
Jesus as King in the Gospels
The gospels tell the story of Jesus as the King
In the time of advent we will hear again the story of the Magi who came to honour the new born King
We will hear of king Herod that felt threatened by the coming of this new kind
We can remind ourselves today of Palm Sunday - the day Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey - in a royal manner
Let us think about the arrest of Jesus that took place because he was perceived as a threat in leadership
Think about the trial before Pontius Pilate where the accusation of his kingship was made
Think of the sign was put up on the cross - mocking him as the king of the Jews - an ironic truth of which his accusers had no comprehension
There’s the crown of thorns that was put on his head - a symbol of his kingship for Christians to this day
And then there is throne in the book of Revelation - the throne that is reserved for the Lamb
So much symbolism in the reign of Christ…
We could ask ourselves today, what does this idea “the reign of Christ” mean to me today?
Reign of the Lord when good and bad things happen
Our selfish and ungrateful nature causes us to forget about the reign of Christ when things go well
When things are going well, we are satisfied and happy citizens of the kingdom
Not always acknowledging the role of the reign of Christ in our daily lives
But it is when things start to go wrong that we tend to speak about it…
“How could a loving God allow something like this to happen?”
If He is the prince of peace, why are the so much war going on this world?
If He is the King, why does He allow such terrible leaders to have so much power?
Isn’t a King supposed to make things better?
Why are we faced with so much suffering and struggle?
Can’t He make our financial situation better?
Can’t He appoint better leaders to lead us?
Can’t He take care of the villains in this world?
Can’t He make my pain better?
Reign of Christ is different
These are all relevant questions being asked from a place of need - knowing that we need a higher power
But the reign of Christ is different than any other reign
The reign of Christ is not a transactional reign like constitutional monarchy where we have a king that unites us and the we find collective strength in this unity under a monarch
The strength of the reign of Christ is to be found in the victory over death
It does not lie in the physical benefits for us to be had in claiming our citizenship
The reign of Christ goes beyond our earthly needs
The reign of Christ remains despite our struggles and hardships in this life
Today we celebrate a King that rules over more than just what lies before us
We celebrate the eternal King - that is described to us in the Gospels and in Revelation
We celebrate the King before Whom every knee shall bow and of Whom every tongue shall confess that He is truly King
Majesty of the Lord brings hope
This celebration today, is a source of hope in this life
It is living with the knowledge that there is King that is ruling over this world despite all the hardships all around us…
It is knowing that all will be ok because we have an eternal King
It is to remain hopeful despite terrible leaders of a earthly rule
It is to remain hopeful despite the horror of wars raging on
It is to remain hopeful despite personal challenges and loss
It is knowing that Jesus is Lord, the King of Kings
Under the reign and majesty of our Lord, all is going to be ok!
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