This week's readings are Colossians 1:11-20, and Luke 23:33-43.  They really are readings of contrast - one full of heavenly glory, supremacy, might, and majesty; and the other a convicted man, hanging from a cross, tortured and dying.  And yet they are about the same person.  And that's sort of the point, really, of this Sunday.  It's about recognising that Jesus, who we spend most of the year meeting in the gospel readings as a (relatively) easygoing, (often) understandable, (frequently) friendly human being is something more.  It's a Sunday when we stop to acknowledge that this person, who for many is the most relatable way of thinking about God, isn't just our friend, but the king.  Of everything.  Enthroned in heavenly splendour.  For all eternity.

That's pretty amazing.  

I've been thinking about Christ the King with the children in school assemblies over this last week.  We've been thinking about what kings have, and what kings do.  One of the questions that came up was whether, if Jesus is King, does he have any gold?  One answer (which was great) was that yes, he did, because he was given some at Christmas.  The answer I added was that because he's the King of everything, who creates and sustains all things, then actually everything that exists is his - so all the gold in world is his.

Then I got blown away by a follow up question from one of the kids, "If everything in the world is his, does that mean we are his?"

Yes.  We are his. We are his - and how we respond to that is one of the most important decisions we can ever make.  We can accept it, and live the lives he wants us to live, do the things he wants us to do, and become the people he wants us to be.  Or we can refuse to accept it, and work against it.

As we approach our church new year, maybe it's a time for resolutions  about who, what, and how we are - which would you choose?

Pause for prayer:  Take some time to find somewhere quiet.  Close your eyes and begin to imagine yourself in the presence of a king.  Look around - what does this place look like?  How is it furnished?  Who is here?  What is the king like?  When you've got comfortable, approach the king, and as you do, consider that everything (even you) is his.  He has complete authority, and control.  This is the one who creates and sustains the universe in every single moment.  When you reach him, you can ask one question, tell him one thing - what will they be?  And, perhaps more importantly, how does he reply?