Christ the King Sunday - Morning - Christian Worship Tools

(This celebration is on the last Sunday of the Christian year, the Sunday prior to the beginning of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas.)

“HE IS COMING”

Matthew 25:31-46; John 18:33-37; Revelation 1:4b-8

GREETING

Today, God, we finish another year of living with Christ our King,

and we rejoice to be that much closer to his return at the end of time.

We hunger, God, for the kingdom that Jesus is about to establish,

already it breaks out around us and within us on this your holy day.

With joyful, overflowing hearts, we bow before Christ our King,

vowing to eternally love and serve him, and the kingdom he brings.

HYMN 168 “At the Name of Jesus”

PSALM 100

PRAYER

Is that you God? We think it is you. Is it you?

Is that a bit of your kingdom shining through?

Is that you coming among us again in Jesus?

Is that your Spirit working good in our world?

We think it is you, God, but you are so subtle,

almost mysterious, like you hide in plain sight.

You always leave room for us to doubt you,

always requiring faith to carry us to certainty.

We hear you speaking in someone’s writing;

we see you in some grace-filled deed of help;

we spot you in another person’s gentle love;

we witness you in godly behavior well-lived.

We catch passing glimpses of your kingdom;

like finding peace that passes understanding;

or being filled by joy when grief is expected;

or witness Christian love in a self-giving deed.

But there is always the possibility of doubt;

always wondering if it was just imagination.

It might be our desire to have faith validated.

Do we see you, because we want to see you?

There is no way to prove we have seen you,

not even to ourselves can we remove all doubt.

But it is you that we are seeing, we believe it.

There is a knowing, a certainty, deep inside us.

And, Jesus told us, there is a day still coming,

when all subtlety will be caught up in revealing.

All will be more than just plain and obvious,

it will be earth-shaking, astonishing, undeniable.

Everyone will see when you come in Christ

totally unveiling yourself and your kingdom.

Every eye and ear will focus entirely on you,

every person will be overwhelmed, bewildered.

All people will be terrified by what they see,

but some of us will be hopefully rejoicing in it.

Some of your people will have seen it before.

Some will recognize your presence as familiar.

Then someone will start, a single voice begins,

a quiet and hopeful song of thanksgiving to you.

Others will recognize this, the correct response.

Their voices joining, fearfully, hopefully at first.

Their song, a new song, an offering will build,

and other voices will join the lifting up of praise.

A flute, guitar, gourds, bells, and more voices

are joined by drums, harps, zithers, and violins.

Dancers prance to trumpets, and charangoes,

Banners parade to bagpipes, banjos, bandolins,

accordions, organs, sitars, and xylophones.

Lights and pyrotechnics flash colors of praise.

Flowers are arranged like stairsteps to heaven;

artists weave thanksgivings in flowing textiles.

Others dance with pigments, dyes and stains,

oils, pastels, water colors, crayons and markers.

People of every age will recognize your Son,

at the grand entrance of your eternal kingdom.

As suffering and fear becomes joy and peace,

as sin and death are trumped by grace and life,

as our hope succeeds in the victory of Christ,

and your glorious kingdom forms in plain view;

everyone, everywhere, will see the evidence

of you, the one God, who so loved the world

you sent your Son that we would not perish,

but enjoy eternal life in your stunning kingdom.

Then we will see undeniable, steadfast facts,

that it truly is you we see and hear, God of life.

Amen.

GATHER WITH A CONGREGATION OF CHRISTIANS

TO CONTINUE THE WORSHIP OF GOD

ON THIS DAY OF JOYFUL RESURRECTION.