Coronation of the King

In one paragraph

Brian used the coronation of King Charles III as a running comparison to help the congregation see what scripture says about Jesus as king. Working through the ceremony piece by piece, he kept returning to the same point: the earthly version, impressive as it is, barely hints at the real thing. The coronation of King Charles III took place the day before this service at Westminster Abbey. Brian...

Read together

1. Isaiah 66:1 Heaven is my throne, earth is my footstool, contrasting God's throne with King Charles's wooden chair
2. Revelation 3:21 promise that the one who conquers will sit with Jesus on his throne
3. Isaiah 6:1-5 Isaiah's vision of the Lord on a high throne, seraphim crying holy holy holy, pillars shaking
4. Revelation 4:1-11 John's vision of the throne in heaven, four living creatures, 24 elders, sea of glass
5. Isaiah 61:1-2 the Spirit of the Lord anointed Jesus to preach good news, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives
6. Isaiah 11:2 sevenfold spirit of God resting on the Messiah, son of Jesse
7. Hebrews 1:8-9 the Son's throne endures forever, he rules with a scepter of justice, anointed with oil of joy
8. Revelation 2:27 ruling the nations with an iron scepter, dashing them to pieces like pottery
9. Psalm 86:9 all nations will come and bow before God
10. Isaiah 66:23 from one new moon to another all mankind will come to worship before the Lord
11. Revelation 19:12 his eyes like flames of fire, on his head were many crowns
12. Psalm 23 your rod and your staff comfort me, mentioned in discussing the scepter as a shepherd's staff
13. Psalm 100:5 the Lord is good and his faithful love endures forever, his faithfulness through all generations

What was said

• Sit with Revelation 4 or Isaiah 6 this week and read it slowly, pausing to let the scene land rather than rushing past the familiar words.
• Pick one facet of Jesus's character from scripture that you have avoided or found uncomfortable and spend time with it honestly.
• Spend a quiet moment this week inviting Jesus back to the seat of authority in your life, using your own words out loud.
• Sign up for the Wind River VBS trip in late June and give a block of your time to serve the reservation community.
• Fill out the small group interest card if you have not already, so the leadership team can build something that actually fits where you are.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about how the ceremony for King Charles copied elements that were already in Scripture, like the anointing and the scepter. What does it tell you that human kings have always seemed to reach for these symbols? Where else do you see people reaching for something they can only really find in Jesus?
2. When Isaiah saw the Lord on his throne, his first reaction was 'woe is me, I am undone.' Brian asked us to try to sit with John at his writing desk and feel the limits of his vocabulary as he tried to describe what he saw in Revelation 4. When you try to picture that scene yourself, where does your imagination run out?
3. Brian said there are facets of Jesus's character, like the iron scepter and the authority to shut up the rain over a nation, that we don't hear much about, and that being unprepared for them could cause us to be offended when we encounter them. How do you personally hold together the gentle shepherd and the king who rules with an iron scepter? Where does that tension sit for you?
4. The parable Brian described has the king sending servants out to the highways and byways, specifically to find the people the world overlooks. Who came to mind for you when he said that? Who in your own life might feel like they would never get an invitation to something like this?
5. Brian closed by asking everyone to use their imagination and invite Jesus back onto the throne of their life. He said removing yourself from that throne and pledging allegiance to Jesus is what it means to be born again. What does that actually look like in a practical decision you are facing this week?