Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The above prayer is the collect for this upcoming Sunday, when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, the final Sunday of the Church Year, the week before Advent begins. King Jesus dominates our scripture readings: exiled in Babylon, Daniel receives a vision in which “with the clouds of heaven” comes “one like a son of man” to whom the Ancient of Days gives “a kingdom that all peoples…should serve him” (Daniel 7:13-14); exiled on Patmos, John receives a vision naming that “son of man” as Jesus Christ, “the ruler of the kings of earth” (Revelation 1:4-7).
In between those two revelatory moments of prophesied future and fulfillment, our Gospel reading recounts the moment when Jesus stands before the Roman Governor Pilate, moments away from flogging and execution. Pilate asks, “So you are a king?” (John 18:37). Is this doomed human indeed the one before whom all nations, even Rome, will bow?
Yes. Behold our King.
This Sunday we will have three opportunities for beholding King Jesus. The first will be through our worship service itself, with the liturgy, music, Scriptures, and sermon all focused on the King and his Kingdom. The second will be the reminder that Jesus is the King of History – His Story – as we are invited to tell time according to the Church Calendar one the eve of our “new year.” Here’s a preview:
(Created by Mark Sprinkle and Andrew More from Third Church. Used with permission.)
Finally, we will witness the Baptism of one of our own, as Jay Hobbs declares allegiance to King Jesus and receives the Grace to live out that allegiance as a part of the Kingdom of God.
Join us this week as we sing, “Alleluia! sing to Jesus! His the scepter, His the throne.”
Your Pastor in Christ,
P.S. Please continue asking the Lord to guide your generous response to his generosity to us. Pledge cards will be received during the services on November 28 and December 5, or they may be mailed into the office. Here’s a colorful image from Sunday of our awareness of God’s Generosity:
