Service for 22/11/2020

Posted by Barbara Nadin on 20 November 2020

Melbourne URC Morning Service 22nd November 2020 10.30am

Christ the King.

Welcome

Good morning and thank you for joining in our worship today.

Today is the Sunday before Advent – the last Sunday of the Churches year.

Traditionally this Sunday was know as “Stir up Sunday” for 2 reasons – first the Book of Common Prayer Collect for the day is “Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that they bringing forth the fruit of good works, may be richly rewarded, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.” And secondly – it was the day when everyone stirred up their Christmas Puddings ready for Christmas. I don’t know if you do that but I’m lazy and buy ours from M&S!.

But over the last 90 years or so this Sunday in the Churches Year has been rebranded to become the celebration of Christ the King and so that will be our focus for today.

The call to Worship.

We are here, God

We have felt your touch in the sunlight -

seen your power in the salt waves.

We have wondered at your majesty in the stars

and we marvel that the maker of the universe knows us by name.

You are a majestic God. And we are here, God.

We are here Jesus,

We know that you came to find your people in all their vulnerability and difficulties. Even though you sit at the right hand of God, we know you dwelt amongst us as one of us and share in our pain. We have felt the warmth of your love, your understanding and your healing touch.

We are here Jesus.

We are here Holy Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation.

We are grateful for your presence now and for the way you challenge us,.

We are here Holy Spirit.

We are here God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to praise and worship you! Amen.

So as we come into God’s presence this morning we say or read or maybe even sing our first hymn.

Praise my Soul the King of Heaven

To his feet thy tribute bring.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Who like me his praise should sing?

Praise him! Praise him!

Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favour

To our fathers in distress;

Praise him still the same for ever,

Slow to chide and swift to bless.

Praise him! Praise him!

Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like he tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame he knows;

In his hands he gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

Praise him! Praise him!

Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;

Ye behold him face to face;

Sun and moon, bow down before him;

Dwellers all in time and space.

Praise him! Praise him!

Praise with us the God of Grace

H F Lyte 1793-1847

Please light your own peace candle and read the following prayer.

We light this candle for peace in a world of broken promises. Let your light shine in places where we have heard again this week words of violence and the drums of war. Be a beacon of hope to those who despair and a warming fire to those who are weary.

God of peace and freedom, we welcome you in our midst.

We praise you for your love which surpasses all understanding

We praise you for who you are – now and forever.

You are an amazing God!

Confession :

As we pray so we confess our failings:

God has rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption in the forgiveness of sins.

So let us confess our sins trusting in God’s redeeming love.

For the times we sin against you without knowing what it is we are doing.

Lord have mercy

For the times we sin against you careless of our words and actions.

Christ have mercy.

For the times we sin against you by deliberately choosing our way and not yours.

Lord have mercy.

Listen to the words of Christ, words that we can trust “Don’t be afraid, your sins are forgiven, I love you, come take up your cross and follow me.” Thanks be to God amen.

We say together the prayer our Lord Jesus Christ taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Reading. Ephesians 1.15-23

Paul’s Prayer

“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards 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.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.”

Holy Bible NRSV

We read or sing our second hymn.

Majesty, worship his Majesty;

unto Jesus be glory, honour and praise.

Majesty, kingdom authority,

flows from his throne

unto his own, his anthem raise.

So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus,

magnify, come glorify,

Christ Jesus the King.

Majesty, worship his majesty,

Jesus who died, now glorified,

King of all Kings.

2nd Reading. Matthew 25.31-46

We read or sing our third hymn.

When I needed a neighbour, were you there,

were you there?

When I needed a neighbour, where 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….

I was cold, I was naked, were you there,

were you there?

I was cold, I was naked, were you there?

And the creed…

When I needed a shelter, were you there,

were you there?

When I needed a shelter, were you there?

And the creed…

When I needed a healer, were you there,

were you there?

When I needed a healer, were you there?

And the creed…

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.

Sydney Carter : Come and Praise.

Reflection : Christ the King.

May I speak in the name of the living God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, I wonder what your God is like?

From being little my God was a big God, a creator God, a supernatural God, a God who was great and magnificent and the Creator of all. A God who filled my imagination and my heart. A God to be loved, but also a God to be in awe of.

If we had had the psalm set for today we would have heard about a Big God…. Psalm 95 says – In his hand are the depths of the earth, the heights of the hills are his also, The sea is his for he made it and his hands have moulded the dry land.

How on earth do we approach such a God – the psalmist tells us how – for he goes on to say “Come and bow down and bend the knee before the Lord our Maker”

I have had no problem imagining this Big God. Here in this country, it’s so easy to see the magnificent results of his creation – it’s all around us in the beautiful scenery – all around us in the big skies over the moors and fens, the hills of the Peak District and mountains of Scotland and Wales, the cliffs, bays and crashing waves of the West Country and the gentle fields of our farms.

For those chosen people of the Old Testament – this was their God – a Big God – and in some ways a very masculine God – there was nothing delicate or fragile about the creator God. Is your God like this – what is your God like?

Our reading today from Ephesians takes up the theme of this Big powerful God and his Big Son Jesus Christ –the writer says – that he wants to open the listeners eyes that they may know the greatness of God’s Power – and that this power is at work in Jesus Christ. It was this power that raised Jesus from the dead – this power that seated Jesus at the right hand of father in heaven – this power that put Jesus far above all rule and authority and power and dominion – this power that has put all things under the feet of Jesus and made him the head of all things – this power that is radiated out from the church because the church is the body of Christ in each generation.

Paul, or whoever did write the letter to the Ephesians has a Big Powerful God – and a Son of God who shares this power with us as the body of Christ. Is your God like this? What is your God like?

Then we come to the Gospel reading from Matthew – perhaps this can throw some light on to it.

Matthew begins, true to form, with a Big God and a Big Son Jesus. – Matthew tells us that Jesus says – when the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory and the nations will be gathered before him. He will separate the people one from another – then shall the King say to those at his right hand – come you who are blessed by my father.

Matthew’s Jesus is the king and judge – Matthew’s Jesus sits on a throne. Matthew’s Jesus gathers all before him and divides and separates. He has power and authority over all the nations. This is big God stuff – powerful – masterful and quite masculine.

And then comes the complete paradox – When the Big God’s Son Jesus the King sits on his throne and speaks - he does not tell of his glory – he does not tell of his mastery in creation – he does not tell of his power – in fact he tells quite the opposite – he tells of his littleness – he tells of his vulnerability – he tells of his presence in the suffering world – he tells of his presence in the suffering of his people.

This King Jesus tells of times when he was hungry and you gave him food,

He was thirsty and you gave him a drink. He was a stranger and you welcomed him. He was naked and you clothed him.He was sick and in prison and you cared for him.

Suddenly there is a whole different sort of Son of God – A Son who is there in the suffering of his people – a Son who experiences hunger, thirst, loneliness, coldness, illness and imprisonment. A Son who is hungry, thirsty, lonely, cold, ill and in prison.

Those first listeners to this speech from Jesus must have been very taken aback – very confused – you can almost hear their minds whirling round and round – because in their old Testament culture this could never be – God, as they knew him, was over there, powerful, creator, and magnificent – The Son of God, if there was one, would, of course, have the same attributes - Matthew has already set a scene which coincides with the Old Testament - how could this powerful God and his powerful Son ever know what it was like to be hungry, thirsty, lonely, sick and imprison let alone actually experience it for himself.

This God of littleness and vulnerability is a more feminine God which is perhaps why historically women often find this passage from Matthew easier to explore and relate to than men – because throughout the ages women have been the ones excluded, side-lined, rejected and mis-used. They have been the little people in a world where men made the decisions, men had the education and men had the power. Of course in our generation this is changing and maybe that will change the way women see Jesus.

But there is still a shock in store from the passage – despite the littleness, despite the vulnerability – power is still there – it is there in and through the vulnerability. And those who do not look after the needs of the little ones, the thirsty one, the hungry one, the naked one in whom God dwells – will be faced with eternal punishment.

We have a very complex God – no longer can we hang on to the powerful, magnificent creator God as if that was the end of the story……We have to come to terms with a vulnerable and little God – and we have to face the paradox of the Christ, the Son of God who was crucified and hung on a tree in shame and pain – is also the Christ, the Son of God who wears the crown of the Kingdom of heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father - so that together they share not just the power and the majesty, but the littleness, the pain and the grief which comes through their relationship with humankind.

In some ways Matthew tale of a God’s Son who is both vulnerable and powerful can be seen played out in the way some communities have come together in the face of Covid. Even in the depths of their own vulnerability to this terrible virus people have felt powerful enough to ensure that the poor, the hungry, the frightened, and those imprisoned in jail or in the own homes have been cared for and they have risen to the challenge, often putting their own well being on the line. Our reading from Matthew challenges us all to see our Lord and King Jesus Christ embodied in those around us who are struggling with life in these difficult times.

So some questions for you

First - What is your God like, Second - how do you get your heads round the Paradox of Christ Son of God who is the suffering servant and crucified one but who is also the King of all and third – are you ministering to the crucified king or not. Amen.

We read or sing our 4th hymn.

From Heaven You came, helpless babe,

Entered our world, Your glory veiled;

Not to be served but to serve,

And give Your life that we might live.

This is our God, the Servant King,

He calls us now to follow Him,

To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to the Servant King.

There in the garden of tears,

My heavy load He chose to bear;

His heart with sorrow was torn,

‘Yet not My will but Yours,’ He said.

This is our God, the Servant King…

Come see His hands and His feet,

The scars that speak of sacrifice;

Hands that flung stars into space

To cruel nails surrendered.

This is our God, the Servant King…

So let us learn how to serve,

And in our lives enthrone Him;

Each other’s needs to prefer,

For it is Christ we’re serving.

This is our God, the Servant King…

Kingsway’s Thankyou Music.

Intercessions :

Let us pray.

As children of the kingdom let us make our prayers to the eternal God who loves us.

We pray for your kingdom to come in the worldwide communities of those who believe in Jesus Christ – may our lives enthrone him.