Last Sunday after Pentecost/Christ the King Sunday/Year B
Nov 21, 2021
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; John 18:33-37
Opening prayer: (from Faith at Home)
Everlasting God, you show us love through the life of Jesus, the King of Kings. Guide us to follow Jesus’ example and love others, as you have first loved us. Amen.
Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year. It’s a day to honor and celebrate Jesus, as the King of kings, as the One who we believe has come into this world, to testify to the Truth of God’s love, through his life, death and resurrection. We honor and celebrate Jesus, as King of kings, the Lord of lords, of a kingdom, not of this world. But of a kingdom of love, God’s beloved community, where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God. (https://www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community/)
In the words of the Lord’s Prayer, we recite each week, we pray with persistent hope, that this kingdom of love, God’s beloved community, will come when we boldly say…thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…
I don’t know about you…but I am so ready for this kingdom to come right here and now…I truly long for the day when violence and oppression no longer rules the hearts and minds of humankind…I truly long for the day when hatred and injustice no longer divides the people of this world. I truly long for the day when all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God.
I truly long for the day, when God’s kingdom will come, when God’s will, will be done, here on earth, as in heaven…
Here’s the thing…when we pray for God’s kingdom to come among us, when we pray for God’s will to be done here on earth, as in heaven….it takes us all…we need to atune our hearts and minds and hands and feet to the One who is already revealing God’s kingdom of love in this world - Jesus…the One who has already testified to the truth, time and time again, as is revealed in the scriptures, and as revealed in the lives of those who have listened closely to Jesus’ words, and have followed in Jesus’ footsteps before us… and even those among us now…who are part of the kingdom-building work of proclaiming and testifying to the truth of God’s love, as revealed to us in the loving, liberating, and life-giving way of Jesus.
We don’t usually talk much about Kings and kingdoms in our everyday lives now…but, in today’s language…we might think of Kings as our leaders…the ones we look up to, the ones we want to seek guidance and direction from, the ones who inspire us and encourage us to keep on keeping on…the ones who provoke us to boldly and persistently pray with hope in our hearts, and in the loving, liberating, life-giving actions of our lives, for God’s kingdom to come, for God’s will to be done, here on earth, as in heaven…
Today, as we celebrate Christ the King Sunday…We are all invited to turn our focus once again towards Jesus, the King of kings, a compassionate, loving, world-transformational leader who invites us to follow Him, in walking in a way of love, that seeks to build up God’s kingdom, God’s beloved community here on earth, as in heaven; a kingdom of love where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God.
(https://www.episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community/)
Prayer to the King of Glory - written by Rev Abi
Lord, we pray for your Kingdom to come here now,
bringing a kingdom of justice, righteousness, hope, love,
peace, mercy and grace for all.
Lord, we ask that you rule in our hearts,
lead in this world and govern over your kingdom.
Jesus, You are the King of Glory,
You are the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.
And we pray that your Kingdom will reign forever
in our hearts and in this world. Amen.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
Hymn after sermon: The Hymnal 1982 - #544 Jesus shall reign where’er the sun