Remembering the King at Christmas

Many of our carols speak of Christmas as the celebration of the birth of our King. Not only should we stand amazed at the incarnation of our Lord, we would do well to remember He is ruler of all. Here are some pertinent passages as we consider the birth of our King:

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. Isaiah 9:6-7

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:2

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” John 18:36

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Matthew 28:18

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:22-25

Sometimes we get so caught up worrying about the rulers of this world, we forget what it means that Christ is the King. While we recognize these are ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s reign in His eternal kingdom, we also realize that He rules today. Jesus taught us to pray for His kingdom to come and be more fully expressed in our world (Matthew 6:10).

Let us consider anew Christ as our king. Let us pray that Christ’s rule will grow in the church, in our families, in our own lives, and in our nation.

Read the study from our series on The Lord's Prayer entitled, "Thy Kingdom Come".