Sunday, November 22, 2020
Christ the King Sunday
People of God, thanks for welcoming us into your homes!
You can watch the worship service on Facebook or here on YouTube:
Here is an option for Sunday School for all ages:
Gathering in God’s Name
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Greetings! People of God, welcome home! Adult Sunday school is meeting again Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. in Hancock Hall.
Now let us take a moment to still our hearts and minds to worship God Almighty.
Call to Worship*
A throne for Christ the King,
Or a pavement with the lonely and homeless.
A court for our God,
Or a food line with the down-and-outs.
A crown for our Savior,
Or a twist of thorns shaped in mockery.
A robe for our Lord,
Or a blanket wound round a quiet doorway sleeper.
A banquet for our Redeemer,
Or a broken loaf, shared at a broken table in a broken world.
A jeweled goblet for the use of Christ,
Or a bowl of water for Christ to wash the feet of others.
It is a dull glory, a tarnished grandeur, but it is the reign of grace.
This is our God.
Let us lift our hearts in prayer…
Opening Prayer* - Psalm 100
Let us today worship the Lord with gladness and come into his presence with singing. Let us know that the Lord is God. It is God who made us; and we belong to God; we are God’s people, and the sheep of God’s pasture. Let us enter God’s gates with thanksgiving, and God’s courts with praise, giving thanks to God, blessing God’s name. Let us give thanks to God for God’s goodness, for God’s steadfast love which endures forever, for God’s faithfulness to all generations. Let us give thanks for all the gifts we receive Amen
First Scripture Reading - Ezekiel 34:11-16 (HCSB)
“For this is what the Lord God says: See, I Myself will search for My flock and look for them. As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for My flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy and dark day. I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them into their own land. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will tend them with good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will tend My flock and let them lie down.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. “I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong.
I will shepherd them with justice.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!
Second Scripture Reading - Matthew 25:31-46 (HCSB)
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink;
I was a stranger and you took Me in;
I was naked and you clothed Me;
I was sick and you took care of Me;
I was in prison and you visited Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or without clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and visit You?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!
For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat;
I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink;
I was a stranger and you didn’t take Me in;
I was naked and you didn’t clothe Me,
sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of Me.’
“Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me either.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!
Sermon “Naked Jesus”
Invitation to Give – Matthew 25
God, whose giving knows no ending, we offer up the treasure that you have entrusted to us; we offer up the skills and time that you have graciously given to us; we offer up ourselves in service and praise. Receive these gifts by your grace. Multiply and use them through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish Christ’s work of love in the world. Amen.
Offertory
Prayers of the People*
Leader: We pray for the coming of God’s kingdom. You sent Your Son to bring good news to the poor, sight to the blind, freedom to captives and salvation to Your people: anoint us with Your Spirit; rouse us to work in His name. Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Send us to bring help to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Send us to speak out and proclaim Your justice in the world. Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Send us to tell the world the good news of Your healing love. Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Send us to those who mourn, to bring joy and gladness instead of grief. Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Send us to proclaim that the time is here for You to save Your people.
Loving God, by Your Spirit
All: bring in Your kingdom.
Leader: Lord of the Church, hear our prayer, and make us one in mind and heart to serve You in Christ our Lord!
And now let us pray as Jesus taught us saying: Our Father . . .
Invitation to Discipleship & Benediction*
May we go forth to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. May we be always willing to teach, baptize and nurture new believers. May we in our daily lives respond to human need by loving service. May we have the courage to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation. May we join together to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth. And the blessing of God, who creates, redeems and sustains us, be with us always as we share in God’s mission to the world. Amen.
Postlude
*from the Church of Scotland (https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk)