‘Whose king is Christ Jesus?’ by Owen Lynch - 30 April 2023
We’re celebrating a coronation soon, but why? Owen Lynch looks at how the king is already king, but it makes a difference to us when we recognise and remember that. In many ways, Christ’s ascension to heaven was the same as a coronation - memorable and amazing for everyone who saw it, but Christ was already king. Was he only the king of people who recognised him or followed him at the time?
Christians and countries with Christian traditions cannot and should not claim ownership of Christ - the events of Pentecost showed that his kingdom and power are for everyone. But do we get that?
This talk concludes with a time for contemplation that, because of Christ’s ascension and the way the Spirit spoke at Pentecost, Christ Jesus is for everyone.
MORE IN THIS SERIES
How can we hope to see Christ working when we make ourselves available to serve the vulnerable? Owen Lynch interviews David Jennings about his experience of working for three years with “Chasing The Dragon” author Jackie Pullinger’s ministry in Hong Kong.
We’re celebrating a coronation soon, but why? Owen Lynch looks at how the king is already king, but it makes a difference to us when we recognise and remember that. In many ways, Christ’s ascension to heaven was the same as a coronation - memorable and amazing for everyone who saw it, but Christ was already king. Was he only the king of people who recognised him or followed him at the time?
What nutrition do we need to be healthy, physically or spiritually? Owen Lynch looks at the role of what we feed on, and the surprising claim from Jesus that he is real food and drink for us. What does it mean to practise feeding on Jesus?
What do we have to do to earn God’s acceptance? Owen Lynch looks at the difference between a religion driven by rules and regulations and the unconditional love of God demonstrated by Jesus and written about through much of the Bible. Jesus embraced groups who were on the fringes of society, including women, the poor and the unclean with apparently limitless love. Could we have been missing this love while distracted by other issues?
Have you ever had an encounter with Christ Jesus in nature? Owen Lynch looks at how prominently nature featured in the Psalms and was woven into Jesus’ teaching as well as Old Testament stories. Do we tend to separate spiritual and physical things, or can we learn from looking for God’s nature in the world and universe around us? This talk concludes with a visual meditation on Psalm 104, and there’s a guide for how to take this further at the end.
How and where can we encounter Christ? Owen Lynch looks at the story of Saul who had a famous roadside meeting with the risen Jesus but later wrote about how God revealed his son "in me". Taking on his new name, Paul asked others, "Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you?" Could the life, breath and word of God also be in you? How would it change our lives to believe that we are made in God's image and have never been separate from God?
Owen Lynch interviews Dan Morrice about his experiences of finding God at work in dramatic situations, including the rescue of over 30 trapped miners in Chile. Dan shares about the heights of discovery and creativity, followed by the valleys of dealing with long COVID, and how he has encountered Christ in this range of life experience.
How can we recognise God’s presence, and where can we find this? Owen Lynch looks at ways Israel learned to follow and enshrine the presence of God, but also recognise when it seemed to be absent. Was their longing for its return fulfilled in Christ? What would this mean for us if it was? And when the writers of the New Testament point to Christ’s involvement in all of creation, does this mean we can learn to see Christ in everyone and everything? This talk concludes with a time of contemplation for us to engage with these huge questions.
Owen Lynch interviews Sam Sayer about her life journey of faith, work and health. Clips from the podcast “The Bristolian Refugee” are included - find more about this here.