On this Last Sunday of the Church Year, also known as Christ the King Sunday, we see Christ nailed to the cross with a sign above His head which reads, "King of the Jews." The one thief says to Jesus, "remember me when you come into Your kingdom." As we gather around God's Word and His Sacrament, we ask the same of Jesus, to remember us in His Kingdom. By faith, his answer to us is the same as to the thief, "today you will be with me in paradise." Paradise is a present reality for those who believe.