Laying our crowns at the feet of Jesus (Jonah 3:6)
Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Margret Nyegenye
This is our second Sunday in lent and the Lord is calling us to move from our various thrones and fall at the feet of Jesus as we sing together this great song “we fall down, we lay our crowns, at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of his mercy and love, at the feet of Jesus”
When the king of Nineveh heard the word of God he rose from his throne in reverence to the word of God but also in fear of His wrath. He took responsibility of the sinfulness of his people, filled with sorrow and shame for sin, he commanded a fast. The king laid aside his royal robe, the badge of his imperial dignity, as an acknowledgment that he had not used his power to restrain his people from violence. He rendered himself unworthy of the honour put upon him and allowed God to deal with his sin. The king covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes, as a sign of his humiliation for the sin committed and his dread of divine vengeance.
The act that was done by the king of Nineveh calls for all of us to pray for leaders in all sectors. Some leaders have been the course of pain and suffering for their people. When the ego of a leader is so high and they have no space to lay their crowns at the feet of
Jesus, it takes long for sin to be dealt with. When leaders lay their crowns at the feet of Jesus, the blood of Jesus cleanses them and also opens a door for others to believe in Jesus and be saved. For every leader beginning at family level as you read this short message, ask yourself a question whether you are the reason for people’s pain in your home, office or that particular institution that you are heading. Your change of heart will save so many souls that you are leading to destruction.
The king of Nineveh had held so many people captive; he chose to release his people by releasing himself first. The wearing of sackcloth and laying down fine linen, was a very uneasy thing, and he would not have done it if he did not have a deep sense of sin. When God’s judgment threatens us all we are left with nothing except to humble ourselves under his mighty hand. God in his providence calls us to mourn and gird ourselves with sackcloth as an outward expression of the inward sorrow to glorify him with our bodies, at least by laying aside that which makes us beautiful outwardly and yet ruined inside. Dietrich Bonheoffer said “cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession, grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, and grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” He adds that “costly grace is the kingly rule of Christ for whose sake a man will pluck out an eye which causes him to stumble…”
I pray fellow believers that this week God will cause us to pluck out that sin which causes us to stumble. The king of Nineveh plucked off his robe of honour, his pride, left his throne, his ego and laid his crown before God. What is your crown? I pray that you will lay it at the cross of Jesus today and receive his everlasting crown of glory.
May God bless us all.
Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Ag. Provost