The Chorus is the Thing
Scripture Reading — Luke 1:26-33
“The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign . . . forever; his kingdom will never end.”
As I write this, I’m visiting with my brother, his wife, and their cat, Bennie. Ever since I arrived, I catch myself singing the chorus of an old Elton John song: “B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets!” Meeting Bennie the cat and seeing him around the house has brought that chorus from the fringe of my mind to the center. Something like that has happened for me with the New Testament too. A theme that was on the fringe is now front and center. Because it is the center. That theme is the kingdom of God.
When we read Luke 1, we focus on angels and announcements. We focus on the birth of John the Baptist and the impending birth of Jesus. All great stuff! But here’s what we tend to miss. Jesus comes to be a king. He comes to reign over a kingdom. It’s the kingdom of his father David (an ancestor who lived about 1,000 years earlier). But, more than that, it’s the kingdom of God. That’s where our attention will be this month. Because the kingdom of God is the chorus that repeats throughout the New Testament. And like any good chorus, it’s really the point of the song.
So let’s give it a listen. It may even start us singing. I think Bennie would like that.
God our Father, may your name be hallowed, may your kingdom come, and may your will be done on earth—the same as in heaven. Amen.
About the author — Bob Arbogast
Bob Arbogast is the pastor of Celebration Fellowship church in Ionia, Michigan. In his spare time, he plays guitar in a West Michigan blues band. He and his wife Jan have been married forty years and have three adult daughters. Bob has been praying the psalms since 2002.
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