Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

1. To Jesus Christ, our Sov'reign King,
   Who is the world's salvation,
   All praise and homage do we bring,
   And thanks and adoration.

   Christ Jesus Victor, Christ Jesus Ruler!
   Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

2. Your reign extend, O King benign,
   To ev'ry land and nation,
   For in your kingdom, Lord divine,
   Alone we find salvation.
3. To you and to your Church, great King,
   We pledge our hearts' oblation,
   Until before your throne we sing,
   In endless jubilation.

Martin Hellriegel 1890-1981

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Silence. Then all say

Merciful God,
our maker and our judge,
we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
and in what we have failed to do:
we have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves;
we repent, and are sorry for all our sins.
Father, forgive us.
Strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The priest says:

Almighty God,
who has promised forgiveness
to all who turn to him in faith:
pardon you and set you free from all your sins,
strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God's people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Let us pray.

Almighty ever-living God,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of the universe,
grant, we pray,
that the whole creation, set free from slavery,
may render your majesty service
and ceaselessly proclaim your praise;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in unity with the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.

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.

For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.

O BE joyful in the LORD, all ye lands: * serve the LORD with gladness, and come before his presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the LORD he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; * we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; * be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.

For the LORD is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; * and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; world without end. Amen.

A reading from the first letter to the Ephesians.

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.

For the word of the Lord,
thanks be to God.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘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.’

For the Gospel of the Lord,
praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION – CHRIST THE KING

When Jesus told parables he was addressing the people of that time, to that society.  Every parable had its great surprise or shock.  People were meant to think hard about the parables and to feel challenged by them. Do we?

The Gospel for Christ the King contains a parable about a King who needs to separate the sheep from the goats in human terms. This is wh.at will happen when the “the Son of Man comes in his glory”. The question is, who qualifies as a sheep or a goat?  At first in this parable, everything seems to be straightforward. Some of the people in the parable are credited by Jesus for feeding him as stranger, visiting him when in prison.

But this is quite extraordinary. Who has ever seen Jesus in prison or hungry or felt driven to clothe him? These people, or sheep, in the parable who came to Jesus’ aid in these ways say that they have never seen Jesus in extreme need like this. Then comes the real shock. Whenever you do anything like this for another person of any description you do it to me! Another shock is that in Jesus’ society of the time charity really began at home. Ordinary people could manage only to help their families and possibly friends.

Consequently, the people who helped others who were obviously unrelated to them were ‘foolish’ to the listeners. So, once again, Jesus heaps praise on people who act with foolishly generous charity. Jesus gives to the foolish or unwise.

The parable concludes with reference to the goats. Of course these people have never seen Jesus in dire need of help but that is no excuse. Yet in the opinion of the original hearers of the parable, these would have been the sensible ones because they were obviously saving what wealth they had for their own families.

This parable can really confront us as we reflect on our own standards of generosity and general charity. Most people today are interested in helping their own and find it difficult to think they have enough to spare for others in need. It is very interesting that the term “social Justice” has changed over recent years. It is no longer much to do with the poor but rather with our own concerns, such as equality in society, fair pay at work, our human rights to be and do what we wish and with our families. These certainly can be important matters for which to battle, yet what of the poor? Who will care about them?

On this last Sunday before Advent today’s parable invites us to consider finding the will to commit to deeds of help which may seem “foolish” to other people and even to ourselves. The Gospel of the last three Sundays has pointed us in this difficult direction. The season of Advent may help us to find the strength we need from God to do this.

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation,
he came down from heaven;
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life for the world to come. Amen.

Loving God
Alpha and Omega
beginning and end of all things

Hear our prayers.

Into places of conflict, into places of torture, fear and dread
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of the peace maker and the war maker and the terrorist
May your kingdom come.

Into the halls of government, into the offices of corporations, around boardroom tables
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of the silenced and the propogandist, into the hearts of those who are victims and those who oppress
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of the hungry and the overfed, the homeless and the cosseted the unemployed and the overworked
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of those who despair and those who rejoice
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of those who are ill those who have been abused, those who are addicted the lonely, the fearful the depressed
May your kingdom come.

Into the hearts of those we wish to pray for and those who have asked for our prayers, Paull, Valerie, David, Sim, Chris, Clarice, Philip, Phyllis, Dulcie, and Jasmine
May your kingdom come.

From the heart of your world, to the heart of this community, to the deepest places in our lives
claim us for your purposes
that your kingdom may come
and your will be done.
Amen.

Eternal God,
by your grace you have raised us up
and enthroned us with Christ in the heavenly realms.
Receive all we offer you this day,
and lead us in those good works
for which you have created us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
we give you thanks and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You exalted him as Lord of all creation
that he might present to you
an eternal and universal kingdom:
a kingdom of truth and life,
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace.

Therefore at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow
as heaven and earth proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Holy God, source of life and goodness,
all creation rightly gives you praise.

In the fullness of time,
you sent your Son Jesus Christ,
to share our human nature,
to live and die as one of us,
to reconcile us to you,
the God and Father of all.

He healed the sick
and ate and drank with outcasts and sinners;
he opened the eyes of the blind
and proclaimed the good news of your kingdom
to the poor and to those in need.

In all things he fulfilled your gracious will.

On the night he freely gave himself to death,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread,
and when he had given thanks to you,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
and said, ‘Take, eat:
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine;
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them,
and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me.”

Gracious God,
his perfect sacrifice
destroys the power of sin and death;
by raising him to life
you give us life for evermore.

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Recalling his death,
proclaiming his resurrection,
and looking for his coming again in glory,
we offer you, Father, this bread and this cup.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts,
that all who eat and drink at this table
may be one body and one holy people,
a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory is yours, almighty Father,
now and for ever. Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father
in the words our Saviour gave us:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We who are many are one body,

for we all share in the one bread.

While the bread is broken Agnus Dei is said.

Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Redeemer of the world, grant us your peace.

Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.