Lords and Commoners
I watched the most amazing show on PBS about British Parliament.
As you may know, there are two houses or chambers much like our House and Senate, but how they begin their legislative session each year is fascinating and has a wonderful spiritual application.
Parliament is made up of The House of Lords (aristocrats, members of high society or nobility) and The House of Commons (commoners). Once a year the King or Queen of England arrives at The House of Lords to open Parliament.
Once on the throne, the Queen says “go get the rabble”, referring to those common people in the House of Commons. A man with a large wooden stick walks down the hall to the House of Commons. As the legislators in the House of Commons see him coming they intentionally close the doors in his face! He then pounds on the door three times with the stick, they open the doors, and follow him back to The House of Lords to hear the Queen officially open parliament. This process has been going on for hundreds of years and is symbolic of the traditional distaste commoners and nobility had for each other.
“Go get the rabble!” Isn’t that what the King of Heaven did? He sent His son down to the earth to bring the rabble to Himself and what did we often do? We shut the door in His face! But, He “knocked on the door” (Revelation 3:20), we opened it, and followed Him to enter the presence of the King! This process has been going on for thousands of years and expresses, at least in part, the transformation of commoners/sinners to heavenly nobility by the King’s saving mercy and grace!
As you may know, there are two houses or chambers much like our House and Senate, but how they begin their legislative session each year is fascinating and has a wonderful spiritual application.
Parliament is made up of The House of Lords (aristocrats, members of high society or nobility) and The House of Commons (commoners). Once a year the King or Queen of England arrives at The House of Lords to open Parliament.
Once on the throne, the Queen says “go get the rabble”, referring to those common people in the House of Commons. A man with a large wooden stick walks down the hall to the House of Commons. As the legislators in the House of Commons see him coming they intentionally close the doors in his face! He then pounds on the door three times with the stick, they open the doors, and follow him back to The House of Lords to hear the Queen officially open parliament. This process has been going on for hundreds of years and is symbolic of the traditional distaste commoners and nobility had for each other.
“Go get the rabble!” Isn’t that what the King of Heaven did? He sent His son down to the earth to bring the rabble to Himself and what did we often do? We shut the door in His face! But, He “knocked on the door” (Revelation 3:20), we opened it, and followed Him to enter the presence of the King! This process has been going on for thousands of years and expresses, at least in part, the transformation of commoners/sinners to heavenly nobility by the King’s saving mercy and grace!
Bless His Holy and Noble Name!
Pastor Mark