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although you told us in so many ways
not to make of you a king...
But I think I just might need a king...
I need you to reign over my choices
because when I'm left to my own devices
I mess things up way too often...
I need you to rule over my passions:
my hungers and my desires too often override
my thinking, reasoning and conscience...
I need you to govern and hold sway
over my erratic ways, my ups and downs,
my inconsistent unpredictability...
I need you to decree again your law of love,
commanding me to give with generosity
when I'm so tempted to hold back...
Be my king, Lord:
reign with loving order over chaos in my day;
rule with gentle strength when I start to go astray;
and govern with your word of truth the way I live my life...
Be my king, Lord,
and rule with gentle grace my heart and soul
and all my thoughts and words and deeds
that I might serve you always,
loyal to your name...
Amen.
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Jesus, the Gospels are unambiguous: You clearly and often invited us (me) to call you brother, not King. Help me accept that invitation.
ReplyDeleteFaced with a well-meaning, strongly pious but totally human analogy about Kingship, help me not think of a brother as King since it subtly creates a distance between brothers.
Help me appreciate how a loving brother has more power than a King to strengthen me where I'm weak, to trust a brother to help me clean up messes I make, to manage and moderate my passionate tendencies, to balance my ups and downs...my inconsistencies and human unpredictability.
Help me recognize you as the brother who encourages and models generosity when I hold back.
Help me accept the meaning of your gospel lessons: a King might possess coercive and overwhelming external power, but a brother shares my DNA fiber and is infinitely more powerful in shaping my thoughts and actions.
Because of your repeated gospel invitations to call you brother, I have a hunch that you smile as a brother would at the incongruity of being called King. Give me courage to smile along with you.