A Timely Reminder of Who I Serve
By Beth Demme
Did you notice that between Black Friday and Cyber Monday we had Christ the King Sunday?
The Christian church has its own calendar and it usually ends on the last Sunday in November with Christ the King Sunday. I say usually because it moves around a bit on the secular calendar. Christ the King Sunday is always the last Sunday of the church calendar—five Sundays before Christmas—but it is not always the last Sunday in November. About 25% of the time it works out the way it did this year, with Christ the King Sunday landing between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When that happens, Christ the King Sunday feels especially timely.
It is a timely reminder of who I serve. I serve a selfless king who—let’s be honest—is probably not impressed with the consumer I become this time of year.
I serve a king who says, “blessed are the poor” and “woe to you who are rich” (Luke 6:20-26). My king says, “whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave.” He himself, “came not to be served but to serve” and not to take but “to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:20-28)
I serve a king who lived a life of vulnerability and sacrifice. (Luke 23:33-47) He came to earth as a helpless infant who, as Frederick Buechner notes, “the world was free to care for or destroy.” But his vulnerability didn’t stop there. Jesus tells us he IS the vulnerable in the world today:
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. (Matthew 25:31-46)
This is a timely, and poignant, reminder for me as we move into a season when my tendency is to go into full-on CONSUMER mode.
Right there between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the church calendar was reminding me to live differently. Instead of wielding the almighty dollar for my own selfish purposes, I need to remember I serve a king who models a different way of life for me.
What about you? Is this a time of year when you tend to shop/buy more? How does Christ the King Sunday impact those decisions? Tell me about it in the comments, in an e-mail, or on Facebook.
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