Christ the King Sunday
Today
our focus was “Christ the King” which was reflected in the sermon, readings and
hymns. The following hymns are all well known and give praise and thanksgiving
for the joy Jesus brought to the world.
Hymns:
Hymn
275: Hail to the Lord’s anointed
Hymn
293: Unto us a boy is born! verses 1, 2, 4 & 5
Hymn
216: Rejoice the Lord is King
Hymn
279: The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices
Hymn
771: Now to him who loved us
I have selected a sentence from each reading which resonated
with me:
The
First Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-7. “One
who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, 4 is like
the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from
the rain on the grassy land.”
The
Gospel Reading: John 18:33-37 “You say that I am a king. For this I was
born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Christ
came to be our King. We have come to be Christ’s people.
The
King of kings calls us to follow him. We have come to be Christ’s people.
Christ
came to be our King. We have come to be Christ’s people.
Opening
Prayer
Mighty
Sovereign, we approach your throne to behold your glory. Open our eyes, that we
might
witness your Son coming with the clouds to rule with justice and righteousness.
Open
our
hearts, that we may rejoice in your covenant, like the sun rising on a
cloudless morning. Amen.
Prayer
of Confession
Almighty
God, we are intoxicated by power—
the power
to dominate, the power to control, the power to punish, the power to reward,
the power to have our own way.
We
live in a powerful country with powerful leaders and a powerful military.
Forgive
us when we lose sight of what true power is all about. Forgive us when we
forget that Jesus is our true and only King.
Help
us refasten our gaze on Christ’s kingdom, that we might work to bring this
kingdom here on earth.
In
the name of the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, we pray. Amen.
This
is a very strong prayer where we confess that we have tried to usurp Jesus role
and have tried to rule the world. No wonder things have come unstuck. We can't
even run our own lives without running into trouble. We are such small people.
Someone once said to me that there is something wrong with humans. If is only
when we face that fact and hand over the reins to the creator that things can
go right.
Declaration
of Forgiveness
The
Lord made a covenant with King David, promising faithfulness to his
descendants. In Christ, we have a new covenant, assuring us forgiveness of sins
and fullness of grace. In Christ, our true king, our lives are made whole.
Thanks
be to God!
Preaching
of the Word - Famous Last Words
“…King
David’s final words, as they are remembered by his people and written in
scripture are eloquent and worthy of Israel’s great shepherd/poet. The most
significant thing is the blessing they carry. The blessing is a useful
reminder, even today, of the gifts and blessings available to not only the
leaders of God’s people but to all the body of Christ. David’s words also imply
that God has expectations of individuals, and those expectations must be taken
to heart…
David
was not the front-runner to succeed Saul as king, as he was young with no
experience or hereditary rights. Most of the neighbours looked at him as that
kid who spent most of his time outdoors with the sheep…
But
Samuel, after looking over Jesse’s older sons, had David called in from the
fields, and this suntanned, rough-clad poet, who probably smelled like the
sheep he cared for, was judged by God to be beautiful…
David’s
life, then, teaches us not only what it is to be a shepherd of God’s people,
but also what it is to be human.
Jesus
did not call himself king. He called himself a servant and proceeded to wrap
himself in a towel and wash the feet of those who came to dinner with him. He
did tell his followers what kind of people made up his kingdom: not the proud
and greedy but the children, the poor, the abandoned, the lowly.
This is worth remembering as we attempt to serve a God in the
world. We are not promised recognition or status and certainly not wealth.
Sometimes we may not even receive thanks. Our reward is in being the hands and
mouth of our God.
Prayers
of the People
In these prayers we turned to God to lift
this world up above the mess that prevails. We asked for God’s help and comfort
for those suffering in war, drought, illness or because of any evil wrought by
selfish people. And we asked that God uplift all those working to alleviate the
suffering caused by that selfishness. We prayed for those close to us and then
joined in the Lord’s Prayer.
Benediction
The
mighty one of Jacob sends us forth.
We
go with God’s blessing.
The
rock of Israel sends us forth.
We
go with God’s blessing.
The
Alpha and Omega sends us forth.
We
go with God’s blessing.
And
may the blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life be with
you and remain with you always, Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment