Daily Devotional • November 24
Christ the King
A Reading from Matthew 1:1-13
1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.”4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
12 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 He said to them, “It is written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
but you are making it a den of robbers.”
Meditation
On this day often referred to as the commemoration or observance of Christ the King, we hear once more of the coming of the king, mounted on a colt with shouts of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Likewise, we are mindful of the coming Advent season, now just one week away.
As we reflect on the one who has come, who reigns in glory, and who will come again, we think of Jesus who is the Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. His arrival in Jerusalem draws us ever nearer to his journey’s end as he prepares the path of salvation. He who in his humility shared our humanity, who knows and ministers to us in our struggles, goes forth into his Passion in order that he may triumph and reign even over death.
We do well not to relegate the Passion to one week in the year. Keeping it ever before us, we ought to decide how we will share in the Lord’s Passion and death day by day, in order that we may share in the Resurrection. Under his most gracious rule, we who live by faith set aside our division and enslavement to sin as we go forth in the way that has been prepared by our Lord, looking to and lifting high the banner of Christ the King.
The Rev. Benjamin Hankinson serves as Director of Community Life and Operations for his alma mater, Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He also serves as Priest-in-Charge of St. James Episcopal Church in West Bend, Wisconsin.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley, California
The Anglican Church of South America