Exodus 90 continues to explore kingship in our summer challenges. It’s proven to be a powerful model for living the Christian life in the battle against vice and acting as a steward of Christ the king in our family life and work.
This summer we’re reading from the First Book of Kings with Joseph Pearce, while also drawing on the imaginative vision of J.R.R. Tolkien in our Return of the King Challenge.
Jesus was the Davidic Messiah, inheriting the role of the anointed leader of God’s people even as he established a kingdom that transcends the earth. David’s own descendants made a mess of their rule over Israel, which fractured into the divided kingdoms northern and southern tribes. Kingship, like fatherhood, ultimately concerns stewardship on behalf of God, who is the true king of our lives. The Book of 1 Kings shows good and bad examples of this, helping us to grow in wisdom and virtue as we serve Christ the King who will return to this world in glory.
Joseph Pearce, renowned author and biographer of G.K. Chesterton and other major Catholic literary figures, will lead us in our reflections on kingship in the weeks following Pentecost. He brings his literary background and expertise on the life and thought of J.R.R. Tolkien to bear on this topic. Middle Earth is not simply the realm of fantasy, for Tolkien used his myths to hit at the deepest aspects of human life and culture through his stories, informed by his deep Catholic faith. Pearce beautifully weaves this vision into our daily biblical reflections to help place ourselves before Christ the King as his stewards.
Pearce offers his own invitation to join him in the Return of the King Challenge:
“Exodus 90 does such great work to promote and build true Christian manhood that it’s an honour to have been invited to be the spiritual guide for the Return of the King series of reflections. I hope that my Exodus 90 brothers in Christ will join me as we read and reflect on the First Book of Kings in the company of Gandalf, Frodo, Bilbo, Aragorn and other heroes of Middle-Earth.”
You can learn more about Joseph Pearce and support his work on his personal website Thoughts from Home and Abroad: Celebrating the True, the Good & the Beautiful.
Join Joseph Pearce on the Exodus 90 app starting Monday, May 25th for the Return of the King Challenge.
