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11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:11-20 NIV)
I heard an interesting and true perspective from a video with Steve Harvey, radio and tv star, as he shared the sad news about the day his father died. He said he realized that on that day, he lost the only man who wanted him to be more than he could be. In talking with two friends on video, he said, "You father is the only man who can honestly say he wanted his son to more than he was." His friends agreed, and so did I. Steve went on to say his father had been the first and only man to say that he was truly proud of him. He also said if you think about it, most men want to outdo other men in almost all aspects of life, but not your Dad. My Dad always stressed the need for me to get an education so that I wouldn't have to work as hard as him. He didn't get beyond junior high and his struggles led us to move from Kingsville to Houston, but he was always loving and as great an example I could have wanted for my life to be work hard, love my family, and serve my Lord. And we find in this passage a hint of the love and belief that God the Father had in His Son, Jesus Christ. We have evidence of Him speaking twice in Jesus' life by affirming the sonship of Jesus and the love He has for Him. And in this passage we also can read into its words the love and joy in Jesus' role as King and as our Savior.
In this magnificent passage, Paul presents one of Scripture's most comprehensive portraits of Christ's kingship—not the kingship of earthly rulers who dominate through force, but the kingship of the One who created all things, sustains all things, and reconciles all things through self-giving love. And all in obedience to God's will for His Son.
Paul begins with a prayer that reveals what spiritual maturity actually looks like: "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience." Notice what God's power produces—not flashy miracles or dramatic experiences but endurance and patience. The strength God provides isn't primarily for performing but for persevering, not for impressing but for enduring. And not just for His Son, but also for you and me. This power enables us to keep going when we want to quit, to remain faithful when faithfulness is costly, to wait patiently when we want immediate results. And remarkably, Paul says we're to do this "while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." Joy and thanksgiving aren't the rewards that come after endurance—they're the companions that sustain us during it. We can endure with joy because we know we've been qualified not by our performance but by the Father's grace to share in an eternal inheritance.
Paul then paints a picture of what our King has done for us: "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." This is the language of royal rescue—a conquering King liberating captives from enemy territory. We were under the dominion of darkness, subjects of a usurping tyrant, held captive by powers we couldn't overcome. But our King intervened decisively. He didn't negotiate or compromise; He transferred us from one kingdom to another through royal decree backed by divine power. We've been relocated from the realm where darkness rules to the kingdom where God's beloved Son reigns. On Christ the King Sunday, we celebrate not just that Jesus is King in some abstract theological sense, but that He has already exercised His kingly authority to rescue us, making us citizens of His kingdom of light. And in this King, we have redemption and forgiveness—not partial payment or probationary pardon but complete redemption and full forgiveness. This is our current reality under Christ's reign, not our future hope.
Paul then launches into one of Scripture's most magnificent descriptions of Christ's royal supremacy. First, Jesus' relationship to God: "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." The title "firstborn" is royal language—in ancient culture, the firstborn son held the position of supremacy, authority, and inheritance rights. Jesus isn't merely a prophet who speaks about God or a teacher who explains God—He is the visible image of the invisible God, the perfect representation of divine kingship. Want to know what the King of the universe is like? Look at Jesus. Then Paul describes the scope of Christ's kingdom: "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." Notice what falls under Christ's kingship—not just religious matters or spiritual things, but all things. Every earthly throne, every human power structure, every invisible spiritual authority—all were created by King Jesus, through King Jesus, and for King Jesus. Even the powers that appear to rival His authority are actually His creations, existing only by His permission and ultimately serving His purposes. This is kingship on a cosmic scale that makes earthly monarchs look like children playing dress-up.
Paul continues: "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Our King doesn't just rule from a distant throne—He actively sustains His kingdom moment by moment. At this very second, Christ the King holds your life together, maintains the physical laws that make existence possible, keeps creation from flying apart into chaos. His is not an absentee monarchy but an actively engaged reign. Then Paul shifts to Christ's relationship to His people: "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Here's the explicit statement of Christ the King Sunday's theme: "that in everything he might have the supremacy." Not supremacy in religious matters only, or spiritual things alone, but in everything—science, art, politics, family, work, leisure, suffering, death, and resurrection. All of it belongs under King Jesus' authority. He rules not just creation but the new creation, not just the physical realm but the resurrection realm, having conquered even death itself. Finally, Paul explains how this King established His reign: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Here's the stunning paradox of Christ's kingship celebrated on Christ the King Sunday—this King establishes His throne not through conquering armies but through His own blood, not through dominating enemies but through dying for them, not through violence but through peace-making sacrifice. The fullness of God—all divine authority, power, and glory—resides in this crucified and risen King who is reconciling all things to Himself. The cosmic scope is breathtaking: not just reconciling individual souls but all things, heaven and earth, reuniting the fractured universe under the lordship of the One who holds all things together. On Christ the King Sunday, we celebrate a King unlike any earthly monarch—one whose power is perfected in weakness, whose throne is a cross, whose crown is thorns, whose kingdom comes through self-giving love, and whose reign will one day restore all things. Our appropriate response is worship, joyful submission, and grateful thanksgiving that we serve a King who died to save His subjects rather than demanding His subjects die to save Him.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, our crucified and risen King, You are supreme over all creation, all powers, and all authorities—thank You for rescuing us from darkness and bringing us into Your kingdom of light, for ruling through self-giving love rather than dominating force, and for holding all things together by Your power; on this Christ the King Sunday, we bow before Your throne and pledge our allegiance to Your reign in every area of our lives, in Your strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: Sometime this week seek to consciously surrender one specific area of your life where you've been trying to maintain control, bowing before King Jesus and inviting His reign into that space, trusting that the King who holds all things together can handle what you've been clutching in your own hands.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me. Be the son/daughter who knows and shares King Jesus with many this day!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
