It’s a compelling image – one of thrones and rainbows and strange symbolic objects. But nothing more compelling to me than the scene of people on thrones falling down before the One who sits on THE throne, and offering their crowns… their worship.
It’s been popularized in Christian circles for centuries – best expressed in a cherished old hymn that speaks of “casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.” People commonly say that whatever reward they get – whatever crown – they’re going to lay at the feet of Jesus.
There is no way to understand the significance of this, however, until we recognize that before Jesus took His crown He wore mine. Before He received worship Himself, He bore mine. My crown… my worship.
My crown was made of thorns. Twisted. Perverted. A mockery of His authority and a statement of defiance. It may have been some Roman thugs who shoved it on His head, but make no mistake about it. Sometimes one of us shows up to represent the whole bunch. And that crown of thorns has my DNA all over it. It was my crown. And it was yours. And He wore it.
And then, what gets lost in the shuffle of the pounding nails, the jeers and curses, and the high-tailing disciples is that the cross of Jesus was an act of worship. In fact, it was humanity’s ultimate expression of self-worship. It was the final act of defiance that said to our Creator, “This is my life!” And in the strangest plot twist of all, even then… even there… Jesus bore the guilt of that self-worship. It was my worship. And it was yours. And He bore it.
Because He took my crown… my worship… He lives today as the eternal victor over sin, death, and the grave. He now is seated at the right hand of the Father with all authority. He has a name that is above every name. He is Lord, and worthy of my submission and my confession. All my crowns… all my worship.
One day I will see with my eyes what I have heard all my life – the worthiness of the Lamb of God to receive my power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. All those crowns He has been promising me will fade to insignificance before the beauty of the One who purchased them for me in the first place. And there, together with saints from every generation, I will offer to him my eternal gratitude and praise… my crowns… my worship.
Call me contrarian, but I’ve always wondered… Then what? What happens after the elders lay their crowns at Jesus’ feet? What happens after I do? After all, the New Testament invests a lot of space talking about rewards in heaven. And I think Jesus meant it when he said that even if we give a cup of cold water in His name, there’s no way we’re losing that reward.
I think He gives them back… to lay at His feet again and again… to offer our crowns… our worship.
It’s not that I am so arrogant as to give up the reward that He has given me. To lay my crowns before Him is to say that even in heaven, the Giver is greater than the gift. And to be with Him is the greatest gift of all because He’s worthy of my all… my crowns… my worship.
Again and again, in worship…
I will lay before Him my imperishable crown – knowing that the only reason I live for eternity is because He does.
I will lay before Him the testimony- the crown – of every person who ever came to Christ because of my influence – knowing that the joy I have in their eternal live is no comparison to the celebration that took place in heaven around the One who purchased it in the first place.
I will lay before him the victor’s crown of every battle won, every prize attained because I “competed according to the rules” and overcame – knowing it was because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony that it happened.
I will lay before Him my crown of righteousness – knowing that it is only in His righteousness that I stand complete and forgiven.
I will lay before Him my crown of life that God has promised to all who love Him – knowing that He is the reason I have quality – not just quantity – of life.
I will lay before Him my crown of glory that He has promised to faithful leaders – knowing that the glory of the crown is to be in the presence of the One my soul longs for.
But the beauty of my relationship with Christ is that I don’t have to wait for His coming or my going. I can make this day a day of togetherness – to offer Him my crowns… my worship.
The crowns don’t wait until I get to heaven. On this day He has crown my life with loving kindness and tender mercies. On this day I stand forgiven of my sins, healed from my diseases, redeemed from the pit of destruction. My mouth is satisfied with good things and my strength is renewed. All these and more are expressions of the crowns I wear today because of His goodness. All of these and more are blessings I can lay at His feet. My crowns… my worship.
How? Gratitude. I bless His name because He is the source of all that’s good – He is the fountain of every blessing.
How? Release. I hold the blessings loosely, with open hands pointed toward Him, knowing that every blessing, every gift pales in comparison to knowing Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.
How? By wearing the crown. I choose to stand today in the full blessing of the ways He has crowned my life. I choose to live in love because I am greatly loved. I choose to stand in forgiveness because I am forgiven. I choose to live today as one who is healed because He has healed me. I choose to live as one whose soul has been satisfied by loving kindness and tender mercies. I choose to see myself as one whose life has been crowned with good things. In short, I choose to worship by wearing the crown He has given on this day.
Never forgetting the Source… never ignoring the blessing… I wear my crowns… and offer my worship.
You can, too.
God took the crown of thorns to replace your crown with the crown of glory. Death of God has been our triumph, because death has no power over us. Thank you for this inspiring message.
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