Annoucing the King (not quite as expected)

Announcing the King

(not quite as expected)

by James Mercer

Alexandra Burke’s ‘X Factor’ 'Hallelujah', a reworking of Leonard Cohen’s original beautiful song, is deeply rooted in the Old Testament story. It alludes (amongst other things) to David, the ‘model’, the ‘ideal’ king of Israel, God’s anointed one. As the song intimates, David whilst chosen, was flawed, but nonetheless the man God called to rule his people with wisdom and justice and to set the gold standard for just and kingly government. Two thousand years ago, Israel was once again anticipating and longing for a king, a rescuer, a saviour, one in the image of David, David’s son. One to lead the nation to freedom from oppressive Roman rule; to re-establish Israel’s fortunes and to usher in a time of peace and justice; all according to the prophets of old. Isaiah foretold the coming of God’s servant, the one who will inaugurate justice to his people. Matthew announces the arrival of this long awaited Saviour, Emmanuel, ‘God with us’, born to an incredulous but faithfully courageous virgin. But what would this Emmanuel be like? He was to subvert every expectation - both then and now.

Great Reversal

Walking with the crowds, carried along by the pressing forward.

Each one eager to get ahead,

But each one starting the same - born as a baby and from then on struggling towards meaning, power and influence.

Be someone,

Be remembered,

Make a big impression;

Leave some indelible mark in your 3 score years and 10.

From birth, a struggle to find eternity, to burst through life with such dazzling intensity that everyone will remember forever.

But walking the other way, picking out a route against the crowds,

A solitary figure passes me, passes all of us -all straining away innocence, to be someone and he passes us, a quiet chaos in the crowd.

Christ, eternal, omniscient, creator, beyond time, source of wisdom, and beyond petty claims of influence ... in very nature God, slips into reverse and walks back past us - away from Kingship, away from power, away from influence, away from

eternity, away from wisdom, towards infancy, calmly stepping into the body of a tiny child.

And even as this baby grows, figuring out how to control the body he himself designed, he still walks the other way,

realizing that life cannot be found in the struggle for permanence, but in giving it up.

The great reversal subverts me.

Tired of pressing forward,

I realize I need to turn, for what I have been searching for has just walked past me the other way.

^{Source: Baker, D. Gay, J Brown Alternative Worship SPCK, 2003}

The Revd James Mercer is vicar of All Saints' Harrow Weald, London and treasurer of Fulcrum