December 18: Come, O King of the Nations
♫ Music:
Friday, December 18
Scripture: Isaiah 2:4
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
Poem: O Rex Gentium
Author: Malcolm Guite
O Rex Gentium
O King of our desire whom we despise,
King of the nations never on the throne,
Unfound foundation, cast-off cornerstone,
Rejected joiner, making many one,
You have no form or beauty for our eyes,
A King who comes to give away his crown,
A King within our rags of flesh and bone.
We pierce the flesh that pierces our disguise,
For we ourselves are found in you alone.
Come to us now and find in us your throne,
O King within the child within the clay,
O hidden King who shapes us in the play
Of all creation. Shape us for the day
Your coming Kingdom comes into its own.
COME, O KING OF THE NATIONS
The vision of God as King and “judge between the nations” hasn’t often been a place I have turned for comfort. I am often much more interested in images of God as our peace, a safe refuge in times of trouble, our provider, and our salvation. Having been raised in the United States, a country without a king, my knowledge of kings is based on my understanding of history, and current European monarchies that tend to be more pomp and circumstance than just, sovereign rule (don’t get me wrong, I watched William and Kate’s wedding with the rest of the world and loved it).
This image of a just judge would have been much less foreign to the people of Israel during the time of Isaiah. They were experiencing life under the direct reign of kings, deeds were both evil and good. When Isaiah paints a vision for peace, “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore,” this image would have resonated for them deeply as they witnessed and heard stories of nations warring against nations.
But Jesus as King—the disciples would have struggled to reconcile his seeming destruction with their knowledge of prophecies about a Messiah and a coming kingdom. “A King who comes to give away his crown, A King within our rags of flesh and bone.” In our limited human wisdom, we see these characteristics and truths as oppositional. How does a king go without a crown or a throne? How does a king say he came to bring not “peace, but a sword,” but also tell us to “be at peace with one another”?
I find myself wondering lately what it looks like to enthrone this king in our lives, to live in the now, and not yet of the coming kingdom. How do we invite Jesus into our lives to find his throne in us? I’m increasingly convinced that one important way is to pursue unity with others, especially those who are different than us, people with whom we might find it harder to find peace. And some divisions are more profound and challenging than others—racial divides, injustices surrounding socioeconomic or ability status, denominational conflicts, to name a few. But Christ prayed for our unity in his final hours. So cultivating the coming kingdom means we must fight for and invest in unity today in a way that costs us something, that he would be able to “shape us for the day, Your coming Kingdom comes into its own.” Let us have a vision for the diverse kingdom of God and pursue the heart of Christ; that our belief in Him would cause love and humility to flow out of us toward others.
PRAYER
O Christ, King of the Nations:
Their desire, the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.
Amen.
Carrie Stockton, Dean of Student Success
About the Artist and Art
Hope of All Nations
Rachel Pearsey
Oil on Fabric
Rachel Pearsey uses mixed media oil paint on used fabric, each piece layered with depth and symbolism. She explores transcendent realities and seeks to convey them through images that penetrate the heart. Her work is exhibited in galleries throughout Southern California and can be found in private collections in North America, New Zealand, Australia, Morocco, and North Africa. Rachel lives and works in Morocco, where the colors, culture, and history are highly influential, especially when it comes to biblical imagery. She is the co-founder and director of women’s initiatives and studios at Green Olive Arts in Tetouan, Morocco--a new art residency and collaborative art space. This piece, Hope of All Nations, speaks to the unity Christians around the world will find in Christ
Website: www.rachelpearsey.com
About the Poet
Malcolm Guite (b. 1957) is a poet, author, Anglican priest, teacher and singer/songwriter based in Cambridge, England. He has published four collections of poetry: Saying the Names, The Magic Apple Tree, Sounding the Seasons: Poetry for the Christian Year, and The Singing Bowl. His writing has been acclaimed by Rowan Williams and Luci Shaw, and his Antiphons appeared in Penguin’s Best Spiritual Writing 2013, edited by Philip Zaleski. Guite’s theological works include What Do Christians Believe? and Faith, Hope, and Poetry: Theology and the Poetic Imagination. He is a scholar of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and the British poets and serves as Bye-Fellow and chaplain at Girton College at the University Cambridge, supervising students in English and theology and lecturing widely in England and America. Guite plays in the Cambridge rock band Mystery Train, whose albums include The Green Man and Dancing through the Fire.
Website: www.malcolmguite.wordpress.com
About the Music
“Into My Heart” | “Fairest Lord Jesus”
Lyrics
Into my heart, into my heart;
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
Come in today, come in to stay;
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.
Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son.
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor.
Thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.
Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host.
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer,
Than all the angels heaven can boast.
Beautiful Savior, Lord of all nations,
Son of God and Son of man.
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be Thine;
About the Hymn
Some sources suggest that “Fairest Lord Jesus” is as old as the 12th century, sung when Crusaders made their way to the Holy Land. Originally the words were sung to a Gregorian chant. Others attribute the hymn to around 1620, when the followers of the reformer John Hus were driven from Bohemia in a bloody purge. They settled in Silesia, now part of Poland. Fairest Lord Jesus is said to have been a Bohemian folk song. The first known appearance of the hymn was in the Roman Catholic hymnal of 1677. In 1842, Hoffman Fallersleben heard a group of Silesians singing this hymn, wrote down what they sang, and published it in his Schlesische Volkslieder. This is the version of the hymn we know today.
About the Performers
From their inception, Selah has been synonymous with the singing of hymns. In fact, the understated beauty of the trio’s 1999 debut, Be Still My Soul, helped initiate a hymn revival in Christian music that continues today. Selah’s discography has significantly re-popularized the church’s greatest songs while decorating the ensemble with numerous Dove Awards, number one singles, sold out concert tours and over two and half million sold albums.
Website: selahonline.com