A Cross Forsaken for Crowns of Glory
Throughout the world today, over 2 billion people celebrated the most important day in Christianity: that of the resurrection of Christ. In this nation alone, over 200 million Americans worship as Christians and this morning gathered in churches to hear about empty tomb, a risen king, and the ultimate triumph of the divine and life everlasting against despair and death. Yet far too many wish to gloss over what was required of Christ for that victory to occur. He had to suffer and ultimately to die, sacrificing His life so that we might live.
This concept of sacrificial kingship and suffering for the sake of the people is not a new one. It has been told in one form or another throughout the eons, whether it be through songs and stories, myths and legends, or histories and chronicles. Yet throughout all these tales whether they be history or legend, one thing remains constant: the mantle of the ruler requires great suffering and self sacrifice so that the people may prosper.
Whether it be kings and empresses, senators and deputies, elders and chieftains, or prime ministers and presidents, it is their sacred responsibility to care for the people and the land. In doing so they must often forego accolades and fanfare, comfort and rest, sanity and peace of mind. It is a burden but for the most part they willingly accept, for they know that with their high office, comes obligations and duty to the people over whom they rule.
We are under no illusions that the leaders of our nation have always kept the faith or upheld their oaths or even borne the injuries and hardships that we as ordinary citizens do, but it seems that more and more, our leaders have forgotten that with the trappings of the office, come burdens. They seek only that which is gold, not realizing that we as the people expect for them to advocate for us and bear the burdens that we too must bear. No one is more guilty of this than the man who currently occupies the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump for all his talk about suffering for the people of the United States, has done nothing of the sort. Rather he prospers and enriches himself for the sake of that glorious crown which he hopes to wear. Despite the vows of Trump and his loyalists to bring back “Christianity” and “God” to America, they have forsaken that which truly defines Christians: the sacrifice of the cross and what it bought: freedom and life.
On this Easter Day, we are reminded of the story of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. Whether we be Christian or no, His story serves as an inspiration to us all. No other king would choose to endure torture, humiliation, ridicule, and an ultimately cruel and painful death upon a cross, all for his people’s sake. He could have had legions of angels rescue him yet, Jesus chose to die anyway. So many of leaders claim to be Christians, yet they forget the central tenet of the faith they preach; that of Christ’s suffering on a cross for the sake of our redemption. For the love of crowns of glory they have forsaken the cross.
America is not a Christian nation, but we use Christ as the example of the ideal ruler. He willingly serves all people, not just those who follow Him. He feeds them, clothes them, comforts them in their most trying times. He heals their wounds, listens to their cries, and gives His all to them, not for glory, but because of the love He bears for them. Whether our leaders be Catholics or Protestants, Jews or Gentiles, Hindus or Muslims, Buddhists or Pagans, Heathens or Humanists, Agnostics or Atheists, we ask only one thing of them: uphold the rights of the people and serve them.
We know our leaders cannot bear all the burdens for us nor they can end all suffering, but what they can do is ease the hardships that so many in our nation and this world face. Our president must be one who serves all the people, not just those who voted for him. He need not love nor even like any of us, but he must protect and defend all of us. It is his sacred obligation to do so yet in this he has failed and continues to fail. He will sacrifice us for his own sake, not the other way round.
It therefore remains to us to find a leader who is willing to fight, bleed, and endure all manner of insults, humiliation, and hardship so that we as a people may live in peace and prosperity for all our days and that our children and the generations who follow from them may live in justice so long as the sun continues to rise.
