The Good Word for Nov 22. For the complete Sunday readings click here.

When I was 10 years old a friend and I were kicking a soccer ball against a wall of the outside of my house. On accident he missed the wall, hit a storm door and shattered the glass out of the door. I went my parents and repeated the famous line from George Washington, “I cannot tell a lie.” And then quietly confessed, “Jason did it.”

It seems that honesty in leaders is important. The story of George Washington cutting down a cherry tree is known to nearly every school child (at least it was, when I was growing up.) We called Abraham Lincoln, “Honest Abe.” Nothing is more scandalous to a leader than being caught lying.

I think there is a difference between “not lying” and what the gospel says Jesus came to do, to “testify to the truth.” Avoiding stating falsehoods is avoiding evil. But Jesus just didn’t come to avoid evil; Jesus came to save the world. Jesus came to testify to the truth.

Jesus bears witness to the truth of God. In the gospel, Jesus says this is the very reason he was born. Jesus mission was to not only share the truth about God, but be the very way in which that truth is made manifest. In other words, Jesus shares the good news and is the good news.

This weekend we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Every year we hold the truth that Jesus is king of heaven and earth and came to establish his kingdom on earth. If honesty is important to leadership, then Jesus’ kingship is built upon the foundation of the greatest truth – that God loves us and died for us so that we could be with him forever.

The last line of the gospel should challenge us to ask, “Do I listen to Jesus’ voice? Do I belong to the truth?”

Live it:
Listen to the song read the lyrics to Here is our King by David Crowder Band.