Pomp, Circumstance, Pageantry
Admittedly, there’s something spectacular about the English pomp, circumstance, and pageantry of their royalty! I watched a few months ago, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Then this morning, for a couple of hours, I watched the coronation of King Charles. What a sight to behold! The immense robes, the diamond-studded crowns, the gala uniforms of the royal guard, hundreds of enlisted militaries in dress uniform on the parade grounds of Buckingham Palace, and the innumerable multitudes of people rushing into the grounds to see the honored king and queen as they appeared on the balcony for the first time as monarch over England was absolutely spectacular. But, dear reader, it pales in comparison to the display of the King of Kings!
Though King Charles is now head of the church of England, his prominence in that religion is far from equal to the King of the church of which we read in the New Testament. His “coronation” was not with a crown of diamonds but of thorns. His robe was one placed in mockery upon Him by a Roman soldier. His scepter was a reed the soldiers later used to strike Jesus. His lofty position above the people was not a balcony, but a cross. The military was not in honor of Him but rather chiding against Him. The public was not there in praise of Him, but instead, in hatred they shouted, “We have no king but Caesar!”
There is such a remarkable difference between the world’s respect for royalty and the respect given to Christ, the King of Kings. Perhaps it is because of the difference between spiritual and temporal realities. (Romans 8:6) Even in our country where the civil rule of a monarchy was defeated (Revolutionary War), we still express a great deal of pomp, circumstance, and pageantry toward our dignities. Haven’t we seen such with the elections of presidents, and certainly with their funerals? I still remember the ornateness of J.F.K.’s funeral nearly sixty years ago. There’s still a lot of “England” in our society when it comes to respecting the rulers of our country.
The king of England’s coronation took months of planning, and months of rehearsals (you don’t think they just “instinctively” performed all this display, do you?) and generated enormous anticipation for its arrival. For us to assemble to worship and honor the King of Kings, how much planning is made, and with what genuine excitement of anticipation? Do we realize the true honor granted us by His grace to come before Him with praise and thanksgiving? Note the writer of Chronicles: “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:29) and Job’s statement: “He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.” (Job 13:16)
In Old Testament times, respect was given to the Lord, and it is no different in the New Testament. (John 4: 23 – 24) But notice from this passage that it is God the Father of whom Christ is speaking, and yet it is Christ Whom the Father made King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and Head over THE church which is His body! (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 1:22 – 23) What honor and praise does He merit?
Consider a few things: 1) What thanks does He receive from us, and how often is that thanksgiving made, for His unspeakable gift of love? It was He who shed His blood for the remission of our sins (Matthew 26:28) and purchased the church (Acts 20:28). 2) How grateful are we that He sent the Spirit to guide the apostles in all truth, bringing to their remembrance all things He commanded (John 14 – 16)? Without it, we would not know the gospel, and thus have no knowledge of what we must do to be saved (Hebrews 2:1-4). Do we praise Him for this? 3) By inspiration, the apostle John wrote, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Revelation 4:11) We know this to be true from John 1: 1-4 and Colossians 1:16. That creation includes you and me! No king of any country could do that, but the King of Kings did!
On the day of Judgment, note what the inspired apostle Paul wrote: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 5 – 10) Not even the pomp, circumstance, and pageantry of England’s finest days will match this announcement and its reception! Why, then, do men now fail to honor, respect, love, and obey this King? Answer: Their hearts are carnal and not spiritual (Romans 8:6). They fail to realize the greatest of all things is not of this world!
Folks today are so much like those of Micah’s day who had forgotten how and why to worship God (Micah 6). Perhaps we need to be reminded that rather than pomp, circumstance, and pageantry, the Lord requires we love mercy, do justly and walk humbly with our God! (Micah 6:8)