With love and respect to our friends in England and the UK, I am glad our founding fathers spelled out in the U.S. Constitution that we would give “no title of nobility.” In other words, no one gets to be king or queen here in the U.S.

Other than the baseball team in Kansas City, we have no Royals.

But this doesn’t mean that we miss out on the opportunity to have a relationship with royalty.  For those who have placed faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you have an everyday relationship with the ultimate King.

This reminder comes in the midst of a chaotic and unnerving political season. As inauguration day rolls around, many of us would say that what we have witnessed coming from Washington D.C. and many state capitals over the last several months has been less than inspiring. Servant leadership in the public square has given way to something completely unrecognizable.

But don’t lose heart.

As the Son of God, Jesus has been enthroned as King forever. No matter what happens in Washington, we have a sovereign King who reigns over us with kindness, justice, and mercy. Psalm 2:6 gives us a glimpse of the coronation, where God the Father installs God the Son on the throne:

“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

Of course, this King is quite different. Rather than being sheltered and served hand and foot in a palace, He was out in the streets rubbing shoulders with the masses and washing the feet of His followers. Out of love, He endured a substitutionary death on a painful cross on behalf of folks like us, so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to God. He even let them put a crown of thorns on his head, a sarcastic jab at the idea that this humble leader was really a King.

But, as the resurrection proved, He was King and He still is. Paul describes it beautifully:

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:8-11

Bible scholars tell us that the reign of Jesus has an “already, not yet” quality about it. That is, He is King already, right now, but his kingdom has not yet fully come as it will at some point in the future as described in Revelation and elsewhere. Jesus is King now, but there are rival kingdoms that, until they are finally subdued, hinder full enjoyment of His reign.

To illustrate already/not yet, think of my friend, Jeremy, who’s wife is expecting a baby. Jeremy is already the father of that child in his wife’s womb, but he won’t fully experience the reality of that relationship until the baby is in his arms. His fatherhood is already, but not yet.

Friend, to take the edge off of the current political mess we’re facing, let’s dwell on the reality that Jesus Christ is King today, no matter what happens. No need to wish for that blessed day when we’ll finally have the Leader we need. We have Him already. And He’s got this.

It’s a new day with God. Run with it.