Kin-dom Come

As a clergy person, I spend a lot of time meeting new people. Whether it's in the church building or out in the community, getting to know my neighbors is a big part of what I do. I love getting to know people, hearing their stories, and exploring the ways we can grow in connection. As an introvert, though I truly love these connections, it takes energy to put myself out there. Believe it or not, I am a little shy and after a day full of people and meetings, there's nothing more I want to do than hide at home with a good book and my cats.

In getting to know people, I love that moment when you've passed the basics and small talk and start to get deep. That being said, I like to do that with the person and not before I've met them. It always makes me anxious when people tell me, "I've heard so much about you!" …what is it that you've heard? And from whom? Will I be able to live up to whatever they said?

As much as that phrase makes me nervous, it's a reminder too that as much as we understand ourselves and identify in certain ways, we are perceiving and being perceived by others all of the time. Regardless of what we think, we are communicating — each encounter, each interaction leaves opportunities for interpretation.

In this week's scripture, Jesus has an encounter with Pilate who wants to know if Jesus is whom everyone says he is. Jesus, in his typical style, doesn't quite give the answer Pilate is looking for. Pilate wanted to know about Jesus's status as king.

As we find ourselves on the Reign of Christ Sunday, we encounter Jesus who is indeed "king," yet what that means is probably not what Pilate or Herod or many other people were thinking. When you think about power, what comes to mind? What does it mean to have power and how is one to use it? Did Jesus meet the expectations of the people back then? Does Jesus meet our expectations as one with significant power? We'll explore this and more on this Reign of Christ Sunday.