November 22 -- The Reign of Christ

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Opening Hymn: King of Glory, King of Peace

King of glory, King of peace, I will love thee;
And that love may never cease, I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request, thou hast heard me;
Thou didst note my working breast, thou has spared me.

Wherefore with my utmost art I will sing thee,
And the cream of all my heart I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried, thou didst clear me;
And alone, when they replied, thou didst hear me.

Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee;
In my heart, though not in heaven, I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort to enrol thee:
Even eternity’s too short to extol thee.   

Opening Responses:

Among the poor, among the proud, among the persecuted, among the privileged,
Christ is coming to make all things new.
In the private house, in the public place, in the wedding feast, in the judgement hall,
Christ is coming to make all things new.
With a gentle touch, with an angry word, with a clear conscience, with a burning love,
Christ is coming to make all things new.
That the kingdom might come, that the world might believe, that the powerful might stumble, that the hidden might be seen, 
Christ is coming to make all things new.

Collect (Said together)
Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, our Lord and King, grant that the peoples of the earth, now divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his gentle and loving rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

First Reading A reading from the Book of Ezekiel 34:11-16

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord
All ye, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord, the Lord with gladness
Come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord is God,
It is God that hath made us,
And not we, we ourselves,
We are the people and the sheep of God’s pastures.

Enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving
And into God’s courts with praise.
Be thankful unto God
And bless God’s holy name, and bless God’s holy name.

For the Lord, the Lord is good,
And God’s mercy is everlasting.
God’s truth, God’s truth endureth
Endureth to all generations.

Hallelujah, glory hallelujah
Hallelujah, glory hallelujah
Hallelujah, glory hallelujah
Hallelujah, glory hallelujah
Amen.

Second Reading A reading of the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, 1:15-23

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Gradual Hymn: Whatsoever You Do

Chorus
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people
That you do unto me.

When I was hungry, you sent me your grain;
Sick or in prison, you soften my pain.
Now enter into the home of Creator.                Chorus

When I was lonely and in a strange land,
Looking for kindness, you held out your hand.
Now enter into the home of Creator.                Chorus

When I was little, you played for a-while;
When old and shut-in; you listened and smiled.
Now enter into the home of Creator.                Chorus

When I was weary you helped me find rest;
Supported and cheered me, when I was depressed.
Now enter into the home of Creator.                Chorus

Bereaved in sorrow, you shared in my loss;
Mocked or insulted, you shouldered my cross.
Now enter into the home of Creator.                Chorus

Gospel: The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew: 25:31-46

Jesus said, "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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that 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 food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, 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 was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."


Homily: The Nations Gather before the Son of God

Offertory     Are You a Shepherd

Are you a shepherd, good shepherd who leads us
Safely through danger, while calming our fears?
Are you a father who shelters and feeds us,
Shares in our laughter and wipes away tears?

Chorus
Yes, you are shepherd, parent and teacher,
But you are greater than all that we know.
Holy and living, loving and giving,
God, you are with us wherever we go.

Are you a mother, good mother who bears us,
Comforts, protects us and helps us to rest?
Are you a teacher who daily prepares us,
Challenging students to offer their best?        Chorus

Great, gentle shepherd, forever beside us,
Lead all your children in paths that are right.
Great, loving parent, wise teacher, you guide us.
We want to love you and bring you delight.        Chorus

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

In trust let us pray to the one coming into our hearts to awaken holiness in our midst...

Let us offer thanksgiving for all the blessings of this life...      (Silence)

Let us pray for the world, especially where there is conflict, poverty, hunger.      (Silence)

Let us pray for those who suffer in mind or body, for prisoners, for those in despair, for those who mourn and for those who wait.      (Silence)

Let us pray for the transformation of systems and bureaucracies, of gender relations, of race relations, of class divisions, of age and ability stereotypes.      (Silence)

Let us pray for ourselves, opening ourselves to healing and risk, to the power to let go and the courage to take on. (Silence)

And let us pray together,

God our Mother, Living Water, River of Mercy, Source of Life.
In whom we live and move and have our being.
Who quenches our thirst, refreshes our weariness,
Bathes and washes and cleanses our wounds.
Be for always a fountain of life and for all the world, a river of hope
Springing up in the midst of the deserts of despair.
Honour and blessing, glory and praise to you forever.   Amen         (Miriam Therese Winter, 1987)

The Lord’s Prayer (Cameron)

Blessing and Dismissal

As we have been gathered, so must we be sown back into the world to witness to the power of God's transforming love, to support and challenge each other,  to bring healing and justice to the world around us.

And now may the God who shakes heaven and earth,
Whom death could not contain,
Who lives to disturb and heal us,
Bless us with the power to go forth and proclaim the gospel.   Amen.

Closing Hymn     When I Needed a Neighbour

When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?

I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?

When I needed a healer, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?

Wherever you travel I’ll be there, I’ll be there,
Wherever you travel I’ll be there.
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, I’ll be there.

Special thanks to all those who made today’s service possible, our readers, Rachel and Doug and Rick, And the wonderful technology of ZOOM and You Tube!