Devotional for the Week

Grace-Filled Reign

Devotional for the week of November 24, 2024

Popular images of monarchs through the centuries have often emphasized their material wealth, excess riches, crushing power, and military might. Their opulent headwear, jewelry, and beautiful clothing are enough to impress even the wealthiest members of society.

We call Christ a “king” on this festival day of the year, but Christ’s reign is expressed very differently than those of the human rulers around the globe. Compassion, inclusive love, and restoration of justice are markers of God’s kin-dom here on earth. Jesus worked to make things right between God and people, and among us human beings. Today our worship recognizes his unique reign as providing the type of powerful mercy we truly need in our king.

Jesus often used metaphors to illustrate what God’s love and faithfulness look like in our lives: as sheep trust the guidance of their shepherd, we, too, pay attention to the care Jesus provides for us. As Christ the Monarch draws near to us, loves us, cares for us, and accompanies us through all of life’s hard times, we bow before divine mercy and splendor.

Christ may not be a “king” or “queen” according to the usual imperial standards, and perhaps that is for the best. Yet in Jesus God brings that wide-reaching, world-covering love that transforms us. Christ washes us in grace, forgives us generously, and is as close to us as water on our foreheads and bread and wine on our lips.

Even when it feels like this kin-dom of God is still too far away, God reminds us of its presence among us already at the baptismal font and around the communion table. These gifts have been here for generations and will continue to comfort us in our struggles: Water! Bread! Wine! Our king providing grace and love for us along life’s way, today and always.