All being well, Charles III will be crowned as king on 6th May 2023, having acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022. The last coronation in the UK was that of his mother, 70 years ago, when Charles was a little boy. Born as an heir to the throne he has waited many years for this occasion, and at the age of 74 he will be the oldest person ever to assume the British throne.
This is not, however, a world record. For example, King Abdullah was over 80 when he ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia, and Emir Nawaf ascended the throne of Kuwait at the age of 83.
Many years ago, someone else was born to be a king, and knew it from an early age.
“And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end”.
Luke 1:32
The angel Gabriel said these words to Mary, the mother of Jesus, before he was conceived.
It was confirmed by Jesus himself, at the trial which led to his crucifixion:
John 18:37
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.
And, although Jesus was never crowned, the inscription on his cross declared him to be ‘King of the Jews’.
The Bible is full of references to the kingdom of God on earth with Jesus as king. Jesus is waiting in heaven for the time determined by God, and then he will come back to earth and rule.
There will be much pomp and ceremony when Charles III is crowned. Although some people are not in favour of such pageantry, or even of the monarchy itself, few people will be unaware of the event.
But how many people are aware that a greater king is coming? And how many will be pleased to see Jesus as God’s king over the whole earth?
Are we ready for that event which will be even more splendid and glorious than 6th May? Indeed, it will be awesome and earth-shattering in its impact. For Jesus is the future king of the world and he will come again to rule for ever.