What does it mean to recognize and receive Christ as King? On this last Sunday after Pentecost, Canon Jonathan reminds us why it matters so deeply. Only the reign of Jesus can anchor our hope and provide a way forward in a world filled with leaders who often misuse their power and harm the vulnerable. Many in Jesus’ day misunderstood him, because they couldn’t imagine a king who wouldn’t use his power to save himself. But some saw him clearly. Like the thief on the cross, the humble recognize their need and receive Christ the King as he is.
What does it mean to recognize and receive Christ as King? On this last Sunday after Pentecost, Canon Jonathan reminds us why it matters so deeply. Only the reign of Jesus can anchor our hope and provide a way forward in a world filled with leaders who often misuse their power and harm the vulnerable. Many in Jesus’ day misunderstood him, because they couldn’t imagine a king who wouldn’t use his power to save himself. But some saw him clearly. Like the thief on the cross, the humble recognize their need and receive Christ the King as he is.

At the core of our faith is the reality that the God we worship actively speaks to us. In this fifth and final installment of For This Child I Prayed, a series focusing on the first three chapters of 1 Samuel, Bishop Paul unpacks what it means for God to speak to us—and for us to hear him. The normative way that people in the Bible heard the voice of God was through meditating on Scripture, and it is the same for us today. Like Samuel, we are invited to orient our lives around the voice of God. He is speaking. Are we listening?