December 22, 2025
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid all our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
Three days before the birth of the Light, in the O Antiphons, the ancient prayer-song of waiting and expectation, the sixth title given to the Christ (or Light, or Love, or Universe, if you prefer) is King of Nations, based on the prophecy found in Isaiah 2:4: “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
To be honest, I struggle with this title for Christ/Light/Love because Jesus, whoever we believe him to be, never asked to be a king. Born in humble surroundings to blue- collar parents in the midst of an occupied country, Jesus demonstrated that same humbleness his entire life. Whenever people expected him to be king, to wage war, to conquer the Romans, to take up the sword, he did the opposite. Whenever people pushed to proclaim him king, he pointed to God, never to himself. When his followers wanted to crown him in gold, he accepted a crown of thorns.
The contemplative author and teacher Fr. Richard Rohr points out that Jesus never asked us to worship him. Instead, Jesus asked us to follow him. Isn’t it much easier, though, to put Jesus on a throne and worship him as king for an hour a week instead of accepting his invitation to follow him (which means to model what he taught) in servanthood and humility? Isn’t it easier to say, “Jesus is my King!” instead of feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, practicing hospitality to the foreigner, muzzling our judgments of others, even loving our neighbor? Why, Jesus asked, do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do as I say?
If we did indeed truly follow King Jesus, then his kingdom would be coming about. The wolf would be lying down with the lamb, the leopard with the kid. The holy mountain would be intact and the earth full of the knowledge of the Lord of love (Isaiah 9). Can our hearts receive the little child who will lead us? O Come, O Come, King of Nations.
O King of Nations, whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and deliver the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth. As we await your arrival, help us to realize that we are the ones you have invited to make your kingdom a reality. Prince of Peace, be born in our hearts so that we will follow you—not just worship you—in creating a world where hurt, destruction, war, and injustice are no more. Help us to understand the true nature of your servant-kingship and to accept your invitation to follow.
Blessings to you ~ Rosemary
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: David James, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xZnKUUNaYo.
Photo credit: jclk8888, Pixabay
Spirit Reflections 
Yes, thank you so much, Rosemary. How easy it is to idolize rather than to follow! (The opening image is especially moving, too.)
LikeLiked by 1 person