Let Earth Receive Her King (from “Joy to the World”)

By Lesa Mayes-Stringer
Edmonton, Canada

Scripture Reading:
Zechariah 9:9
Matthew 21:5

Have you ever met real-life royalty? I know a prince! I was at the same event as a prince for a week. During this time, I noticed that everyone was surrounding him constantly, asking for pictures with him with eager, wide eyes as they tried to get his attention.

In general, people tend to do this when they see someone famous; perhaps so that they can later tell other people they have met a famous person. It becomes all about them. For celebrities it can be draining. For a prince, it’s probably even worse. Everybody wants a piece of them.

Meeting Royalty

When I first met the prince, I was already a Christian. I wanted him to have room to breathe and to enjoy himself, so I decided that I would keep my distance and that I would not meet him at all. At the end of the week, to my astonishment, I saw him walking toward me. He wanted to introduce himself to me. God’s Spirit moved in me and for a few minutes we had a very real and honest conversation.  From then on, a friendship ensued. Imagine, a friendship with a prince!

In the years to follow, my husband and I and our children were invited numerous times to his home to spend time with him and his family.  So, you might ask, what is it like to feast with royalty?  It is beyond words. It is everything in abundance and more.

For example, there is always a small house filled with candy for the children. As it is all free, the children can eat as much as they want. There are no limits. The first time we visited, our son took full advantage of that! He literally just sat in front of the candy house eating for hours. Food? Drinks? Imagine having an all-you-can-eat buffet for the day cooked by the top chefs in the world. These are truly some treasured memories.

Royal Protocol

Unsurprisingly, there is protocol with royalty. You cannot approach the prince. He must approach you. You cannot call him by his first name. You must be granted permission from the prince himself for this. When he enters an event there is an entourage around him and if he is being driven to an event there are sirens announcing that he is coming. His arrival is in a luxurious multi-million-dollar car, flanked on the sides, in front and behind by other expensive cars.

Firsthand, I have witnessed all of this and to experience it is both overwhelming and humbling.  Unbelievably, I was invited into the circle of the few who are allowed to call the prince by his first name.  This is an honor that I do not take lightly because, as I attended more events, I heard everyone calling him, “Your Royal Highness.” No one called him by his first name. I slowly came to understand the enormity of the privilege I have.

The Prince of Peace

Yet, when I stop and reflect and think about Jesus, even the prince himself must bow down to Him. And though experiencing time with royalty may feed the stomach and momentarily excite the senses, it can never replace that emptiness that every human being feels outside of a relationship with God. 

Jesus was sent to give us true life. When He came to earth, like with the prince, there was also an announcement. But for Jesus it wasn’t just a few sirens. All of heaven was interested in the entrance of its Prince. There was an angel heralding the arrival of Jesus on earth and a multitude of heavenly hosts—a multitude! We know that Jesus had access at a moment’s notice to 12 legions of angels. Isaiah 37:36 records that one angel obliterated 185,000 men in one night. Therefore, 12 legions of angels could annihilate 13,320,000,000 men—almost twice the amount of people living on earth.

In other words, Jesus is powerful!  However, He uses His power to help others and not for selfish gain. The angels were crying out that the “Prince of Peace” had arrived. Our world had and has become broken and chaotic.  Jesus came to bring us peace.

A Different Kind of King

Unfortunately, the fanfare of Jesus’ arrival on earth did not last for long. His life was devoted to submitting His will to His Father’s and to living a life filled with suffering, sacrifice, service, and great joy. He didn’t have a palace. In fact, He was homeless.
 

From the start, Jesus was reshaping our concept of success and happiness. Instead of arriving in luxury adorned with gold and jewels, God arrived in the form of a baby in a smelly, dirty barn surrounded by animals. He was not welcomed by a swath of servants sent to serve Him hand and foot. Instead, Jesus came to serve others day in and day out.  When He entered Jerusalem for the last time, he was not on a beautiful white horse adorned with riches. He entered Jerusalem humbly on a donkey.

He was and is teaching us that true life is not made up of the abundance that we have or our position in life or the job that we hold, but it consists of creating ways to be at peace; first of all, with God, secondly with our fellowman, and especially with those who belong to the family of believers. In fact, He tells us not to even take communion if we aren’t completely resolved with a fellow Christian. He also promises that we don’t need to worry about material things like food or clothing or even a place to live, but that when we put His kingdom first, He Himself will provide us with all these things and much more.  Therefore, we can be generous with our money and earthly possessions.

In the King’s Inner Circle

Jesus is the King of all Kings.  He is the Lord of Lords. Yet, he has invited every single one of us into His inner circle and all we have to do is show up and humbly submit our will and our ways to His. In this inner circle, He guides, He comforts, He protects, He provides and most importantly, He loves with an unconditional 24/7 love.

We can even call Him by His first name: Jesus. On top of all this, He has no protocols. We don’t have to wait for Him to approach us. We can go to Him at any time throughout the day and communicate our most intimate thoughts, our fears, and our joys. He wants to hear it all and He is eager to help us. But He doesn’t want us to selfishly keep this for ourselves. He desires for us to take what we have learned and the blessings that come with that, and to use it to help the poor and needy both physically and spiritually.

We should be taking every opportunity to know, understand, love, and follow Jesus. His way is clear and right and gives us a life that is truly worthwhile. A fulfilling life is not accomplished through following the ways of the world, but rather through our submission to Jesus in everything.

Let us commit to submitting our thoughts, our words, our will, and our actions to following Jesus and not our own desires. This is the way I have chosen. It has proven to be by far the best and I am filled with joy as I choose to submit to God’s will and plan for my life and not my own.

Questions for reflection:

1. Are you in awe of God today or are you in awe of the world? If the answer is the world, ask why and what can you do to change that way of thinking?
2. Are you submitting your will to God’s? If not, what do you need to let go of?
3. Are you at peace with the family of believers? If not, who do you need to talk to?

Today I will:

Take a moment to mediate on the royalty of Jesus. Share your reflections and observations with someone.

About the Author:

Lesa Stringer and her husband, Christopher, have been married for 28 years, and they lead the church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Together they have three children: Adam, Madison, and Meigan. Adam is in his second year of design and marketing studies at the University of Alberta.  Madison is finishing the second year of her master’s of neuroscience program at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. She is also the U23 World Champion 2021 in bobsleigh. Meigan just finished her degree in international business from the University of INSEEC in Lyon, France, and recently moved back to Canada where she is having a great impact in the campus and young professional ministry. 

Lesa is a former Canadian Champion for Bobsleigh and competed internationally as a pilot for 10 years.

To hear a special version of "Joy to the World" sung by your sister Amy Kinzer, click the image below:

Photo Credits:

(crown)

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

(Manger with crown)

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash