Dear Friends,
Whether or not you consider yourself a royalist, you can’t help but be aware of the forthcoming coronation – if nothing else, we’re getting an extra Bank Holiday! But what’s the point of the coronation? It’s not really the occasion when Charles becomes king – that happened automatically as soon as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died last September. No, the coronation is both an official ceremony and a religious service when special prayers are said, blessings pronounced, vows are made and the monarch is anointed with oil as an outward sign of his calling and commitment to serve the people of this land.
And it’s a bit like that with Jesus, too: He is already King – in fact, He’s the King of all Kings but He hasn’t come back to reign on Earth yet. Whilst we know when Charles’ coronation will take place, the Bible says that no-one except God knows when Jesus will come back as King. Without having a date in our diaries it’s easy for us to put off our preparations for Jesus’ return until another day, but He will come so it’s important we make sure we’re ready.
The reason that Charles’ coronation is taking place more than seven months after he became king is because of the tremendous amount of preparation involved – the food, the music, horses and carriages, soldiers, robes, crown, decorations, rehearsals and so on. What preparations do we need to make in order to be ready for the return of King Jesus?
Perhaps we can use the occasion of King Charles’ coronation to nudge us into preparing for Jesus’ ‘coronation’ by spring-cleaning our lives – clearing out the junk – things that we’ve accumulated along the way but which are now cluttering up our lives. We can also have another look at how we spend our money, our time, our energy or leisure and so on and see if we need to make any changes. Are we living in a way that pleases God, doing the things Jesus wants us to do? Are we sharing what we have, showing care and compassion for others, and living with humble and thankful hearts? And are we remembering to invite our friends, family and neighbours so they can get ready to join Jesus’ royal banquet, too?
Rev’d Lindsay Harrod
