Today's Lectionary TextJohn 18:33-37Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that 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.” Today's Devotional
You may be thinking, “Isn’t this a scripture we read around Easter?” Yes, it is, but as we enter into a time of preparation – Advent – it’s important that we pause to recognize why we celebrate the birth of this baby in the first place.
It’s Christ the King Sunday, a day we commemorate Christ’s place in our lives. He’s not merely a teacher and a shepherd, though those roles He plays in our lives certainly are important. He is the Savior who gave His life for all humankind so we can live with Him in eternity. Jesus is fully human, which is why we’ll be talking about his birth a lot over the next four weeks. And He’s fully God, which is why this scripture is important for our reflection on this celebratory Sunday. As our king, Jesus seeks our devotion, just as any other ruler does. The difference is earthly rulers want devotion to bolster their own egos and to show power over the people. Jesus’ kingdom, as He explains to Pilate, is far different. Jesus seeks our devotion so we eagerly tell others about Him. He seeks a relationship with us not so He can lord over us, but so we recognize Him as our Lord. He doesn’t seek us out to be His slaves, but so He can be our servant, preparing us to do the will of God by ushering in the Kingdom on earth so more people can experience the eternal Kingdom! – Todd Seifert, communications director
Prayer for ReflectionLoving God, we thank you for sending Jesus and for placing Him on the throne. Prepare us as we await the joyous time of Christmas to do our part to share the good news of Christ with the world around us. Amen.
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