1/15/2020 – Pastor Brian’s Blog –
January 8, 2020 could be a date that goes down in infamy. No, it was not the day that the U.S. military killed the terrorist Qasem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force. It was not the day that Congress said that they would impeach our president. It wasn’t even the day that the Patriots lost in the first round of the playoffs. Although it could have been one of those days when a presidential candidate promised to give you another perk if you would just vote for them, but that is a subject for another blog.
It was the day that the unimaginable happened. January 8, 2020 was the day that “Megxit” happened. It was the day that Harry and Meghan announced that they would be “stepping back” from their roles as senior royals and splitting their time between Britain and North America. It was the day that Prince Harry & the Duchess of Sussex informed the world via twitter that they will be walking away from the Royal family. That they wanted to become “financially independent” and provide their son, Archie-Harrison, with a more balanced life.
It isn’t easy being part of a Royal family. It is difficult having people serve you all the time. Judy and I know from experience when we were at a conference in Scotland, that living in a castle can be cold. And to have your grandmother get upset because you decided to tell the world you quit the family before you told her yourself!
Being part of a Royal family can be a very difficult life calling. You have the best of the best, there is nothing you want that you do not have the money to buy. People worship you; thousands show up for your wedding while millions more watch it on TV. Servants are ready to serve you, bakers and chefs are ready to feed you, there are people ready to watch your children, clean your home and protect you from those common people.
Harry & Meghan are willing to give it all up, and the world cannot stop talking about it. The world cannot understand why one would want to walk away from such splendor, comfort, glamor and notoriety.
There was another man that walked away from His Royal surroundings many years before. A person from a Royal family that was willing to step away from his Father, but for a much more noble cause. This Royal Son was willing to walk away from everything, walk away from personal worship, walk away from a perfect environment, perfect comfort, perfect fellowship, perfect rest, walk away from a perfect paradise.
This Royal Son walked through the gates of heaven to become a man. Although He became a man, Jesus remained Royal, He remained God… Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8
Unlike Harry & Meghan who walked away from the Royal family for their own betterment, Jesus walked away from His Royal family for the betterment of the world. Jesus walk through the gates of heaven to come to earth, not to receive a better life, but to give up His life so that we could have eternal life.
The crucifixion of Jesus was a part of God’s plan from the very beginning, even before the birth of Jesus. The sin of mankind would require payment. Payment that only a perfect, sinless sacrifice could make. Jesus lived that perfect, sinless life so that all people could receive salvation and eternal life in heaven.
Yet walking away from heaven was the easy part, becoming the perfect sacrifice required much more. The Royal Son had a choice to make, even though He had willingly walked away from heaven, He now must face the reason He came… “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.” Matthew 20:18-19
It was a decision that did not come easy… Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Matthew 26:36-44
“Megxit” has been the talk of media heads for the past few days and it might be the talk for days to come. Yet the real story is that Jesus’ infinite love for you and me motivated Him to walk away from heaven’s splendor to take on the humiliation of humanity, being rejected and scorned in order to bring us to heaven.
And on our trip to heaven, He has promised never to leave us alone… God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 Can Megxit promise that? Not even close.
May this song encourage you today…
