Jesus, Our King

~~~ Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe ~~~

"You say I am a king. 

For this I was born and for this 

I came into the world,

to testify to the truth. 

Everyone who belongs 

to the truth listens to my voice."

As we come to the end of this liturgical year we are
reminded that Jesus is our King.

A typical king rules over his kingdom
where all are subject to him.

Our king is the ruler of our hearts.
His kingdom is the universe and all that is a part of it.

Our king is ruler over all.
Our king rules over our hearts in wisdom and truth.

The ancient peoples could not comprehend Jesus as a King.
He did not dress as a King.
He did not act as a King.
He did not think of himself as a King,
in the traditional manner.

Today we celebrate Jesus as our King
as we approach the threshold of Advent.
The time of waiting for the birth of Jesus
gives us time to prepare our heart to receive our King.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,
"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

Our God is both the beginning and the end.
Our God is continuous...motion...
creation...truth...love...goodness...and mercy.

Our God will never change.
He is everything that was, is, and will come to be...
He is God the Almighty.

Today we praise him as King and Ruler.
We give him thanks for sustaining us for all ages.
We wait in hope for all that is to come for us.

Our God is a Mighty God;
who cares for you by name.
No earthly king knows all of his subjects,
but our God has counted every hair on your head.

This liturgical year closes but our King
remains ever present in our hearts.

Let us begin to prepare our heart
for the birth of our infant King, Jesus.

Blessings from the One who is, was, and is to come.

~~~Peace~~~

Dazzling Beauty

~~~ Revelation 22:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 95 ~~~ Luke 21:34-36 ~~~

Just think for a moment how amazing our world would be if
we were only allowed to use words
depicting truth, beauty, and love.
That would truly be the miraculous 'new earth'
we read about this week.

The best written words bring alive in your
minds eye pictures and feelings.
If you have ever gazed upon the water as the sunlight
danced about like tiny diamonds then you can
 picture the passage from Revelation today.

An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,
sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God...

There is one significant note to make here...
this river is sparkling like a crystal, not from
the sun as we experience it;
this river is sparkling from the glorious face of Jesus.
It is the full glory of God that creates the dazzling beauty on the water.
This water is the life giving water...alive with pure redemption...
alive with resurrection...
This water gives new life to all who believe in the source.

“Behold, I am coming soon.”
Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.

Today is the final day of this liturgical year.
Let us begin to prepare our hearts
for the coming of the Lord.

Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!

The weeks of Advent remind us of just how human God became.
He comes into our world as an innocent infant.
Blessings of innocence.
~~~Peace~~~