If a Christmas tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Does it say “ouch”?

I’ve had nights where sleep hides from me. On those sleepless nights, I cannot find a comfortable position. My brain is busy–worrying, planning, wondering. I watch the hours tick by and the only way I know I’ve slept is by waking up. I glance at the clock to calculate how many hours it’s been since I last glanced at the clock. Two? Three? Even four?

The words King and kingdom stand out in this gospel reading. Kings books and movies are often depicted as either just rulers, or evil tyrants. They rule unquestioned and without the need for their people’s approval. Whether they are just or unjust, they have full control over the lives of their people. When I think of “kings and kingdoms” I think of colonization. I think of wars and famine and an imbalance of power. The opulence of royalty and the devastation of poverty.

Of course, our country has ruins. Being from Colorado, I have to name Mesa Verde National Park. These cliff dwellings are the largest archeological site in the United States. They date back to the Ancestral Puebloan people that built these structures in 1000-1100 AD.