At our special service on Sunday we looked at the fact that Jesus is the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ (Rev 19:13). There, we read that on His head were many crowns – crowns even more splendid than the St Edward’s Crown, Imperial State Crown and Queen Mary’s Crown used in the Coronation service on 6th May.

Yet we see from the description in Revelation 19 that Jesus is not a king like any earthly king. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood (Rev 19:13) – not blood from having killed many, which is what kings of old were famous for: how many battles they had won, how many enemies they had killed. His robe is dipped in blood and His name is the Word of God because Jesus is our King through His sacrifice on the cross for us. One of the greatest crowns He ever wore was the crown of thorns which was rammed onto His head by Roman soldiers just before His crucifixion. (John 19:2-3) There, He was called the ‘king of the Jews’ somewhat scornfully and the crown He was given was really a badge of shame, but in actual fact, we still remember this crown today because we understand that it is through what happened at the cross that we are saved.

The armies with Jesus in Revelation 19 wear white linen – they are white and clean because His blood was shed. Paul reminds us that ‘For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.’ (Col 119-20) Christ did not come to be served but to serve. Amazingly, He will give us crowns too:

• A crown that will last for ever (1 Cor 9:24-25)
• A crown of rejoicing (1 Thess 2:19)
• A crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:8)
• A crown of glory (1 Pet 5:4)
• The crown of life (Rev 2:10)

Yet when we see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we will find that those crowns will mean nothing compared to the greatness of being with Him forever. Rev 4:10-11 tells us, ‘They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”’ Only the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is worthy of our worship, worthy of our crowns.

We had a lovely Coronation Afternoon Tea today, with food fit for a king (and chocolates featuring him – the large bar was won by Bev’s team who scored 13/16 on the coronation quiz.)

It was lovely to see so many people there (83 in total) and to enjoy chatting with people before our service.

At our service we did a variety of coronation crafts,including amking crowns, decorating coasters and making teddy bear guardsmen.

We enjoyed our monthly coffee morning even more than usual as we celebrated the Coronation of King Charles III. A number of people dressed for the occasion:

We even had a surprise visitor:

Earlier on our prayer walk we had seen some lovely decorations at Petite Fleurs and Goldthorpe Primary School:

It was good to decorate outside with bunting and after the coffee morning, we spent time getting ready for our afternoon tea tomorrow, which will be at 4 p.m.

Every weekday morning my older grandchilden get ready for school or nursery, a process that involves getting dressed and having their curly locks brought into some kind of order. I watch as their mother’s deft fingers straighten collars and fasten buttons, as her skill makes pigtails and ponytails, neatly fastened with bows or ribbons, as she sponges stains off clothes and rearranges clothing to a pristine condition. ‘I want you to look smart’, she tells the girls each morning.

A day’s activity means that if I pick them up later, they look very different. Hair has usually escaped from fastenings; buttons are undone; fresh stains have emerged. This is all part and parcel of a normal day!

The problem for all of us is not to live in a slovenly way with ‘unbuttoned minds and disheveled spirits,’ as Eugene Peterson puts it. It’s easy to see disheveled hair and unbuttoned cardigans (and to do something about them.) It’s not so easy to see the same state inwardly. Paul tells the Corinthians we must take every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor 10:5) In the Message version, Peter says that God ‘won’t let you get away with sloppy living.’ (1 Pet 1:17) Malachi speaks of ‘shoddy, sloppy, defililng worship’, fuelled by indifference and a lack of proper reverence and respect for God. (Mal 1:6) We need to pay as much attention to our inner life and thoughts as my daughter-in-law pays to her children’s morning appearance. We must be vigilant in prayer, attentive to God and mindful of His requirements to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God through the busyness of each day. (Micah 6:8)

Programmes like ‘The Blue Planet’ and ‘The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau‘ introduce us to a world rarely seen by most peopole, the world of the oceans, the world of marine life. They provide fascinating insight into what goes on beneath the surface of the water.

I love the sea, and really enjoy visits to the coast, but I have to admit that I am not comfortable with diving below the surface. I’ve never been good at diving or snorkelling.

Such programmes remind me that there are worlds beyond life on solid ground and that it is good to understand there is more going on in our world than we can see normally with our natural eyes.

Life so often keeps us busy ‘on the surface’, dealing with the immediate needs: what to put on the table to eat, what to wear, how to pay our bills and keep a roof over our heads. The dominant voices around us yell imperatives at us on a daily basis: ‘Consume! Hurry! Buy! Don’t think! Don’t be quiet! And above all, don’t pray (except in emergencies.)’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘On Living Well’) It takes determination and strength to swim against this tide and to slow down enough to explore freshly the ‘reality beneath the surface.’ (ibid.)

I will soon be exploring a new coast (to me) in Norfolk, and I’m looking forward to the therapeutic benefits of sitting on a beach surveying the magnificence of the sea and reflecting on another world I rarely contemplate. Such contemplation in the spiritual realm needs to be a feature of my daily life if I am to live a counter-cultural life that honours God.