For over a thousand years our kings and queens have been invested with ring, sceptre, rod, orb and crown. These golden objects are adorned with diamonds and other precious stones, worldly wealth beyond measure.

And yet the ring is marked with a cross, and the other objects are each topped with one, symbolizing the authority of Christ. A dove, the symbol of God the Holy Spirit, perches on the cross at the top of the rod. Together they remind us that Jesus Christ is king over all. Christ reigns from the cross, wearing a crown of thorns, defying the world’s expectations, forgiving and loving to the end, dying and rising that we might have life in all its fullness.