Next month the world will be gripped by football fever as the 21st World cup kick’s off in Russia. But this month it’s all about a wedding.
All eyes will be fixed on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they marry on the 19th May at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Earlier this year, the prince’s fiancée was baptized and confirmed in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel. It’s easy to see this act as a ‘rubber-stamping’ exercise to grant the new addition to the royal family access to the institutions that the family represents. But there is another way to view it.
Baptism is a public witness to communicate your allegiance to Christ alone. During the English civil war, the Roundheads often went into battle against the King’s forces carrying banner’s stating ‘No King But Jesus.’ To say that Jesus is the only king is to say that no one else can claim that title absolutely. Not Charles I then or any political leader since.
It was the same logic that founded the Baptist Church, of which I am a part. It was the same logic that made the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, challenge the government’s definition of extremism last year. When a senior politician described an extremist as someone who’s faith is more important than the rule of law, he replied “Well, you have a real problem here because for me personally, my faith is more important than the rule of law, so you have an extremist sitting here with you.” He might just as well have waved a ‘No King But Jesus’ banner at that MP.
Christians believe that God’s kingdom outweighs everything else and that our allegiance to any human power is only temporary and conditional. That’s because God’s Kingdom is different. It alone is eternal. It alone offers a total inversion of the wealth, power and crowns philosophy of the world. In Jesus, monarchy is redefined. He is the servant king who sacrifices himself for the sake of others.
So I’m glad, and not cynical, that Meghan was baptized. Her baptism was a reminder in the high halls of human power of who it is that ultimately holds authority. It was a reminder of our true allegiance and of the servant nature of leadership. As a global ambassador for the Christian Charity “World Vision Canada”, I’ve got a feeling Meghan Markle already understands this. I look forward to her bringing the spirit of our Servant King-of-Kings into the life of the royal family.
– Phil.
