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.
After administering the rite of Baptism to dozens of baptism candidates, Bishop Paul preached the third installment in the sermon series, Jesus’ Bride—the call of the church to holiness. We, the people of God, are to be holy like him, for the sake of and for the salvation of an unholy world. But we must remember that this is only possible through the Lord’s work of washing us and causing us to walk in his ways. Weekly we remember our baptism and the Holy Spirit’s enabling grace at the font—intentionally found at the church’s entrance—and realize we are that holy Church he sends into the world.