At my last birthday party, I had quite an interesting surprise. I have expressed my interest in monarchies, more specifically the English monarchy so the theme of the party was about royalty. After leaving the seminary I did not want to get rusty in my learning, so I went to the local bookstore and found an interesting book about the six wives of Henry the VIII and bought it. From there I started reading about the whole Tudor dynasty and when I had finished, I started reading about the story of the English monarchy in general.
    One king whose life was controversial, but I found interesting, was King Richard III and how he fought to the end and died at the battle of Bosworth. There are so many kings in the English throne and their lives are fascinating. Today, royalty doesn’t seem to have the same importance or eloquence. There are now movements that protest the monarchy by saying "not my King or Queen."  Whether for or against the monarchy, all the kings of the world do not measure up to the type of kingship Jesus proposes.  Some like Richard III have died to defend their crown but Jesus died without a royal crown to defend the guilty. 
     Jesus’s strategy was surrendering to the cross and giving his life to the many, not to fight a battle in a field. Jesus, as the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, humbled himself accepting death even to death on a cross. Jesus as King shows us kingship is about service and humility.  At my birthday party I was blushing when they placed a nice homemade crown of plastic on my head, they wrapped a little plastic cape around my shoulders, then they seated me on a nice couch meant to be a throne and handed a scepter to have a little fun. I enjoyed the moment because I knew the great effort and the thought put into this surprise. There might have some people who did not understand what was happening and even started to criticize. They did not know all the background of the theme.  I explained to all as I laid down everything that kingship is about service.  All royal power which all of us have because of baptism is given to serve others. A king of God is not one who sits on a throne but one who gets right to work. 
    If at any moment there is doubt what type of service to provide as a king of God, look no further than to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25:35-46. This gospel lists most of the Works of Mercy. These works are a way to serve the least of our brethren.  One of the Works of Mercy not listed is burying the dead. In my ministry as a priest, I have had the wonderful opportunity to live this work of mercy on a frequent basis. I have been able to be present to the families as their beloved passed from death into eternal life. I have tried to put the kingship entrusted in this service of my brethren with the hope that one day I will stand on the right side for judgment. A king of God serves the least with a spirit of humility not expecting a reward but welcoming it at the end of times, where goats and sheep will be separated according to their work. Let us learn how to truly live our kingship not modeling after earthly monarchs but as Jesus, King of the Universe showed as in the way he lived and in the way he died.