God.

It’s hard to talk about your kingdom and you being a king.

We pray all the that that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. That your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But we don’t trust leaders and we want our independence. And we don’t like the pain and confusion we see and feel.

And I think part of our resistance to you is the pictures we have of you.

Forgive us the pictures we’ve created of you.

We think you are chasing us like a wolf when you seeking us like a shepherd.

We are worried about what people think of us when you think of us constantly.

We cannot understand what you are doing to us. Why you are doing this to us. What you are allowing to us. And you are telling a story much richer than we can understand.

To be honest, even if we understood it, I’m not sure we’d like it.

Paul asked that you would give people a glimpse of you, enough that even if they didn’t always like what you did, they would begin to trust your love.

I ask that, too.

Give us a glimpse of a king that is a servant, a shepherd, and a sovereign.

Help us see a king that is compassionate and capable.

Remind us of a king that is self-sacrificing and worthy of receiving honor.

Help us know you, Christ, our once and always and future king.

Amen.

+++

Reflecting Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24 and Ephesians 1:15-23