CROWNED

A recent birthday tradition at our house is having the birthday person wear a crown. Ultra fancy—paper—free from a local burger drive-in. At one recent birthday, our youngest grandson decided he wanted to wear Papa’s honorary crown. Down it went to his shoulders. Yes, I could have adjusted it for him with the pre-cut notches, but we’d had our fun and he decided he’d rather eat cake than don crown.

Even though this country isn’t a monarchy, we seem to have a lingering fascination with royal things. Witness the number of young women who vie for the title of “Miss-Something” or some other honor with a tiara (like homecoming queen). Or the little girls for whom "pretend princess" is part of their imaginative play. 

Probably one of the most famous crowns of our times is the magnificent British Imperial State Crown, refashioned for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It’s heavy: more than two pounds of gold and studded with more than 3,000 diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and pearls.

But the King of Kings had only a crude, piercing crown during His time on this planet. One of painful thorns, slammed down on His head hours before His crucifixion.

Here is the mystery: that God’s Son should endure thorns, while His followers can look forward to heaven’s “forever” crown. Scripture names four:

*The crown of righteousness—for believers looking forward to Christ’s return.  Like Paul, who said as he suspected a martyr’s death wasn’t too far ahead, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

*The crown of life—cast in the crucible of trials, for those who allow the love of God to reign in their hearts and sustain them, even to death (James 1:12, Revelation 2:10).

*The crown of rejoicing—for people won to the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:19, Philippians 4:1).

*The crown of glory—for those faithful in the Lord’s work. Peter (a pastor himself) wrote: “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).

Crowns are not for the greedy. In John’s vision of Heaven in Revelation, we’re given a glimpse into heaven’s throne room. There, Almighty God is surrounded by twenty-four elders who remove their crowns and lay them before Him, declaring, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Rev. 4:11).

“Crown Him with many crowns!” wrote hymnist Matthew Bridges. “Crown Him Lord of All,” declares the hymn by Edward Perronet and John Rippon. And these words from Isaac Newton: “Endless praises crown His head.”

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