May 29thPsalm 110
King Jesus
On Saturday, May 6, 2023, King Charles lll was crowned at Westminster Abbey. The coronation liturgy runs to some 34 printed pages (not including the sermon) and is steeped in tradition. On reading the liturgy I was struck by its emphasis on the King as the servant of the true King, Jesus Christ. At one point Charles prays this prayer:
The King’s Prayer
God of compassion and mercy whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
After the prayer, Charles was handed the orb, one of the symbols of kingly authority, with these words said by the Archbishop:
Receive this Orb, set under the Cross, and remember always the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.
This psalm was an enthronement psalm used at the coronation of Judean kings. It emphasized the authority of the king but recognized that true power and might came from Yahweh.
This is the most frequently used Psalm in the NT. It was used by the early Christians to affirm their faith that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were and are the ultimate demonstration of God's sovereignty in the world. Christians continue to make this affirmation every time they recite the Apostle's Creed.
'I believe in Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God.'
This is a profoundly radical affirmation. The enthronement of Jesus calls in to question political power in the world. Jesus was crucified because he subverted both the power of Rome and the authority of religious tradition when he announced the simple good news that God rules the world (Mark 1.14-15). The confession is a world-transforming challenge to every form of politics and power that does not begin with the submission of the self to God.
It is important to note that to confess the resurrection and exaltation of the crucified Messiah, early Christians significantly transformed the OT image of holy war. The Messiah's enemies, whose final defeat is certain, are not Gentile kingdoms, but the hostile principalities and powers of this world, including Death itself (Ephesians 1.20-23; 1 Corinthians 15.20-28). And this worldwide dominion of Jesus, the exalted Son of David, now brings salvation to the very ends of the earth (Acts 1.8).
https://youtu.be/NzODZk7fgkg?si=xW_-4A2Ms0RdTRAv - Ride on King Jesus