The King

 

“Hooray! Dad’s HOME!!”

These were the cheers that filled my ears for years as I entered my home.  Whether having been gone for a week on a ministry trip, or just the afternoon at the office, it was a common experience to be celebrated upon walking through the door.  My children would scream my name. They would chant. They would run to me and jump in my arms…sometimes 2 or more at the same time.  I was the hero of the home!  I felt like a king! After I was able to peel the hanging children from around my neck, I would gather them together and give them hugs and kisses.  I would wrestle with them on the floor.  I would sit in my chair and they would hop into my lap and I would ask them about their day.  With a smile on my face and contentment in my heart I would take my book from the end table…flip up the foot rest of the recliner and lean back to relax while doing some reading.  My four children would continue to run around the house screaming songs of joy and celebrating Super Dad’s arrival. 

It would happen that about this time I would look over toward my beautiful wife who was standing in the kitchen working hard to cook supper. I would smile at her and our eyes would meet, and seeing the look in her eyes…I would swallow hard…put down my book…lower the foot rest…raise the recliner back and stammer nervously…”Ummm…how was your day Dear?”

“…” silence, “…”

“ummm…do you need any help with supper?”

“No…just engage with the children and keep them out of the kitchen while I finish up.”

Interestingly, things are now different in our home.  I am no longer celebrated in the same way as I once was by my children.  I cannot pinpoint the cause of the transition, but somehow in the age of preadolescence, I lost my coolness.  As I enter the home today, I find that my children…at least the ones that are home…have their faces glued to their phones, laptops, tv’s or pillows. 

“Hey kids!” I exclaim excitedly.

“Uh.” One may reply.

“How was your day?” I ask.

“I dunno.”

“What don’t you know?”

“I dunno.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I dunno.”

It is obvious that things have changed.  Perhaps I am not the father that my children expected me to be, or perhaps I was not the kind of father that gave them everything that they wanted and more. 

“Dad can we have Doritos?”

“If by Doritos you mean nacho flavored corn chips placed in an all white bag with bold black lettering…then sure…when it goes on sale.”

Perhaps it was moments like these that let my children see that I may not be who they want me to be. 

In a much grander scale do I see the remarkable moment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, (Luke 19:28-42).  Here, Jesus enters the city on the colt of a donkey, and he is celebrated as the coming King of Israel.  As the crowds were calling out “Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” some of the religious leaders call on Jesus to make them be quiet.  At this point Jesus says that “If they remain quiet…the rocks will cry out.” I have often overlooked the significance of this statement.  Jesus is the King of Kings.  He is creator God.  He is coming into the city that he created among people that he created and if the people will not acknowledge him as King…then the very earth that he created will cry out and proclaim the truth of who he is. 

It would be as if my Microwave began to celebrate my arrival into my own home upon the silence of my children. 

May we come to see who Jesus really is.  He is the creator. He is the Savior. He is the King!  May we cry out in praise to the King!