Chaplain’s Column

Jesus Our King

On the last Sunday before Advent we end the Church year with the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This special celebration every year helps us to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ kingship for us.

Kingship for many people today may seem out of date especially in democratic countries where everyone is treated equal and free. God at first did not want to give the people of Israel a king.

Why?

Because God alone was their king and they needed no other.

The people of Israel, however, insisted on being like the other nations around them and so God relented and promised his people that through David’s line he would establish a Ruler and a Kingdom that would last for eternity (Psalm 89:29).

In the Book of Daniel, we read: “He received dominion, glory and kingship; nations and peoples of every language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14).

As our King, how do we allow Jesus to guide us, care for us and command us?

There is a story from the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that helps us to better understand what kind of king Jesus is.

Tolstoy said: “There was a king who was a brutal dictator and he demanded that the wise men and the priests of the kingdom show him God.

The wise men tried to convince the king that this was impossible but the king kept demanding an answer.

At that time, a humble shepherd was coming in from the fields and said he could answer the king’s request. The king looked at the simple shepherd whose eyes did not seem powerful enough to see God.

The shepherd said to the king: “to be able to answer your question we must trade clothes.” Filled with curiosity, the king went along with the shepherd’s request. The shepherd dressed as the king, and the king dressed as a humble shepherd.

Then the shepherd said to the king: “This is what God does.”

Jesus is unlike any other king we have ever seen. His power is not in land or castles, but in love and mercy.

He is a king who serves and lays down his life for us. He is a king who walks next to us and carries us when we need him most.

Now we see how Jesus reigns: it is with humility and gentleness. His kingdom, he told Pilate: “is not here.” Jesus’ kingdom is without borders and is eternal.

Other kingdoms last for a time because of economic or military power, but the kingship of Jesus stands forever by the power of Truth.

Jesus shows that the only true and lasting power in the world is that of unselfish love. Jesus stood before Pilate as a condemned prisoner because of His love for us. This love will conquer the hearts of millions while the power of Pilate and the Roman Empire will soon fall.

Jesus taught us to pray the perfect prayer, the “Our Father” in which we say: “thy kingdom come.”

Celebrating the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe each year helps us to desire more than anything to be part of God’s kingdom as we look forward to the return of Jesus our King.

While we await his return we can selflessly serve others, following Jesus’ example of unselfish love and making the Kingdom of God better known in the world.

By serving and living our lives for others we will be well prepared when Jesus comes to hear him say “you did it for me, come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

WORSHIP SERVICES

ABOARD NASCC:

Protestant Worship Service

Base Protestant Chapel

Sunday Service: 10 a.m.

Catholic Worship Service

Catholic Chapel Daily Mass Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 11:30 a.m.

Sunday Mass: 9 a.m.