The Associated Press ran a story in May of this year regarding Dutch King Willem-Alexander. The article began by describing the difficulty and hard work related to running a country—or, at least, it seems like it is. So, it makes sense to see royals and world leaders out playing sports or taking up other hobbies to relax.
But King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has a hobby that brings him particularly close to his people—while they're cruising at 30,000 feet. The king is a qualified pilot who sometimes flies KLM [Royal Dutch Airlines] passenger airliners. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf recently reported that Willem-Alexander would fly two times a month, but will now retrain to fly Boeing 737s as the Fokker 70 planes he flew are being phased out of service. The 50-year-old father of three and monarch to 17 million Dutch citizens calls flying a 'hobby' that lets him leave his royal duties on the ground and fully focus on something else. When he gives announcements, he is not required to identify himself, as he co-pilots. He admits that he is rarely recognized by passengers. Does the story of a king who ‘lowers’ himself to the status of a commoner and serves others sounds familiar? The example of Willem-Alexander might recall certain words about another king in history who made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant (Phil. 2:7). As we enter the Christmas/Advent season, may we not become so distracted that we fail to recognize and remember the King of kings, who entered this world in the form of a babe laid in a manger; Jesus our Savior and Lord. Keep the faith, Pastor Tony Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorOriginally from Huntington Beach, CA, Tony received his Bachelor's degree in religion from USC and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Talbot School of Theology. Tony loves spending time with his wife, Sheri, and their two sons and daughter (Bryce, Braden, and Brooke); cheering for the USC Trojan football team; and playing tennis. Archives
August 2019
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