There is a deep truth embedded in the Christmas story that is often overlooked. It’s the fact that Christmas is not just about the advent of a Savior for the redemption of sinners, it is also about the announcement of a King!
The prophetic voice of Isaiah 9:6 puts King Jesus at the center of Christmas:
“For a child will be born to us…and the government will rest on His shoulders…there will be no end to the increase of His government…because He will establish it and uphold it…forevermore!”
Unfortunately, we tend to lose sight of things that become too familiar. What is powerful at the beginning becomes almost invisible over time. So, to refresh our hearts in the reality of Christmas as a coronation, I am going to point us back to how this theme is woven throughout the classic songs of the season:
“Joy to the World” – The Lord is come/Let earth receive her King
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” – Glory to the newborn King
“Angels We Have Heard on High” – Come, adore on bended knee/Christ the Lord, the newborn King
“The First Noel” – Noel, Noel/Born is the King of Israel
“We Three Kings” Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain/gold I bring to crown Him again/King forever, ceasing never/Over us all to reign/Glorious now behold Him arise/King and God and Sacrifice
Jesus as King is not just an interesting sidebar to the Christmas story, it is half of the central story. The bumper sticker for modern Christianity is “Jesus Saves,” and so He does; but the rallying cry for which the early Church was willing to die and what ultimately changed the world was the fact that, “Jesus is Lord!” Savior and Lord are two wings of the same bird. Without both, the Gospel does not fly.
In my journey, I have come to understand there is a big difference between a Gospel of Salvation and a Gospel of the Kingdom. With a Gospel of Salvation, you get believers in Jesus who inherit Heaven and escape Hell. But with a Gospel of the Kingdom, you get followers of Jesus who seek to obey the King in everything. The difference is profound and puts Christmas in a whole new light.
One of the most powerful Christmas songs ever written is the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. It beautifully reflects our theme: Jesus as the King of Kings at Christmas. The link below will take you to what is called a “flash mob” singing this soul-stirring song in the middle of a shopping mall food court. Beyond the majesty of the words and music is the profound message of the setting: ordinary people from all walks of life in the open marketplace raising their voices to declare that Jesus is not only the reason for the season; He is the King who will reign forever and ever!
Merry Christmas,
Harry Brown
“Hallelujah Chorus” – Food Court Flash Mob
