All hail, the Once and Future King

Today is Palm Sunday. I went to Trinity today for the first time in quite a while. I am so grateful that I went back though. I realized some things today...

Lately I have been a bit out of sorts and have, unknowingly to myself, been trying to do everything on my own...again. It seems that I have a habit of doing this. I'm very independent and am generally quite content to do things myself, but then, like anyone, I get very lonely and realize that I have essentially cut myself off from the world. In the process of doing this, I have ultimately cut Christ out of my life.

This morning the sermon was about Mark 11:1-11...when Jesus basically commandeers a donkey (or a colt depending on the translation) and rides into Bethany. The pastor this morning took this passage in a new direction from that which I've heard in the past. Today he spoke about how this passage speaks of Christ as a king. Historically, monarchs retained the right to commandeer anything from anyone within their realm of ruling. As a king, Jesus had every right to that donkey. He need not ask permission to take the animal or to make prior arrangements to borrow it; he simply had to say he was taking it, and it was done. Also, the Jews removed their outer garments and laid them in the street, much like rolling out the red carpet for celebrities today. In this time period though, this ritual was equivalent to laying down one's own life for the king or queen whom tread upon the clothing. The Jews were not intimate enough with Jesus to know him as a great teacher or as the Messiah upon whom they waited. They did this though because they hailed him as a king.

The point of this sermon is that so often in our lives, we accept Jesus as our Savior, but we do not allow him to be King of our lives. We attempt to withhold parts of our lives from him, when in fact, as king, he has every right to commandeer any part he chooses at his leisure.

I sat thinking to myself today about how I have withheld so much of my life. I am always holding back my heart, not allowing him to rule over me as I should. I sit and wonder why I am alone. Well I am alone because I try to do things my way. I am somewhat content, but truly I am in need. My life is empty and seems mundane because I have not given God what is rightly His in the first place.

Hence forth, all hail the Once and Future King. The King that was, and is, and is to come.