Jesus Will Be

To crown Jesus King
is to participate in the peace he brings.
To crown Jesus Lord
is to long for war no more.

He may fit “inside” our hearts,
But he will not fit inside our preferences.
He may stoop down to us in love,
But he will not comply with our politics.

He will be King, not concierge.
He will be Savior, not subordinate.
He will be Redeemer, not Republican.
He will be Day-Star, not Democrat.
He will be Liberator, not Libertarian.
He will be our mediator of a New Covenant,
Not mediator of a nationalistic commitment.
He will be our Advocate and Victor,
Not our advocate of violence.
He will be our Prince of Peace,
Not our prince of war.

Jesus is the Lamb of God that was slain,
The First-Born from the dead
Given authority over all things.

He is the head of the Church
Whose reign will never fail,
Whose love is never fickle,
And power never frail.

The Church can not betray her confession
With the witness that she brings
To a world suffering in violence.
She must crown Him Lord and King.

Crown him Lord and King.

We must crown him Lord and King.

~ a free verse poem published in this form on January 9, 2020

About Fred

Fred came to serve greater Williamsburg and WCC as lead pastor in October of 2010 and is grateful to be a part of the family. He is a husband, father, certified trauma professional, S.T.A.R. (strategies for trauma awareness & resilience) practitioner, community organizer, TEDx alum, founder of 3e Restoration, Inc. and co-owner of Philoxenia Culture LLC. He received his B.S. in Ministry/Bible at Amridge University and his Master’s of Religious Education in Missional Leadership from Rochester University. Currently he is a candidate for a Doctorate of Ministry in Contextual Theology in at Northern Seminary in Chicago. Fred has also served as an adjunct professor for Rochester University and Regent University where taught courses in philosophy, ethics, leadership, pastoral care, intro to Christianity, and ethnography. He has also served as a guest lecturer on the subjects of racialized cultural systems, poverty, and missiology at various universities, such as William & Mary and Oklahoma Christian University. Fred has authored on book (Racialized Cultural Systems, Social Displacement and Christian Hospitality) and several curriculum offerings, including The FloorPlan: Living Toward Restoration & Resilience. Fred enjoys hanging out with his family anytime, anywhere. He is deeply grateful for how God graciously works through the Church in all her various forms, despite our brokenness. He is passionate about seeing the last, least, and lonely of every neighborhood, city and nation experience God’s in-breaking kingdom, and come to know Jesus as King. Oh, and his favorite season is Advent and Christmas. Fred is a founding member of the board of directors for Virginia Racial Healing Institute, a member of the leadership team for Williamsburg's local chapter of Coming to the Table, and a member of Greater Williamsburg Trauma-Informed Community Network's Racial Trauma Committee and Training Committee.
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