Bulletin – Sunday, November 21, 2021
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Reign of Christ
Approach
Lighting the Candle
Creator God, by your word all things were created each in its allotted space and time. In the beginning, when all was darkness, you decreed that there was to be light. This candle reminds us of the light of creation, the light of all that was, all that is, and all that will be. This light reminds us that our world was created to magnify your goodness and love, not to magnify our wants and desires. Let this light remind us today that we are called to be those who work to bring your world to all that is. Amen.
Call to Worship
One: We come to this sacred place where neighbours and friends gather.
All: We come to worship God in community.
One: Come to this sacred place where strangers are embraced.
All: We come to worship God in community.
One: Come to this sacred place where those who are stigmatized, bullied, minimized, ignored, or simply forgotten are now called friends.
All: We come to worship God in community.
(written by Catherine Tovell, Gathering, Pentecost 2019, used with permission)
Hymn – “How Great Thou Art”
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
But when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, “My God, how great thou art!”
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Prayer of Approach and Confession
God of all creation, you are the source of all things. You are the beginning of the end. You are the great “I am.” And we are blest in knowing you. God of all things we ask for your help.
We have heard to much talk lately from political figures that is sometimes hard to hear, let alone trust, voices of faith that promise a king who listens to you. Free us from the noise that makes us oblivious to the cries of an aching planet. Free us from the exhaustion that drains our confidence and leaves us weary. Free us from the cynicism that blocks the possibilities of change and hope.
Tender and merciful God, lead us today into the confidence of new life in you. Amen.
(adapted from Richard Bott, Gathering, Pentecost 2 2021, page 47, used with permission)
Words of Assurance
Time for All Ages
Hymn – “Lord Prepare Me”
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
The Word
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-7
1Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:
2 The spirit of the LORD speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
5 Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
6 But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
7 to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
Scripture Reading: John 18:33-38
33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!
Meditation – “Thy Kingdom Come”
Anthem – “You are Holy”
The Response
Prayers of the People
One: The Kingdom of God is at hand—You proclaimed it, Jesus, But, it often feels like it’s a million miles away. You demonstrated its grace and showed its power, but the signs often appear faded or absent in our world. We need Your Kingdom to come, O God, in all its fullness, in all its glory, this waiting, this “now and not yet” experience of Your reign is hard and frustrating. And so we pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our lives, turning our sickness and sin, our brokenness and fear into friendship and compassion, wholeness and joy. As we lift up to you those whom we hope feel you in their lives today…We pray in the hope of the coming world.
All: May Your Kingdom come to us now.
One: We pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our neighbourhoods, turning our division and suspicion, our judgement and our competition into fellowship and care, compassion and service. We pray in the hope of the coming world.
All: May Your Kingdom come to us now.
One: We pray for Your Kingdom to be revealed in our world, turning our war and our disparities, our consumption and our self-interest into peace and collaboration, stewardship and reverence. We pray in the hope of the coming world.
All: May Your Kingdom come to us now.
One: Your Kingdom is here, and it is coming, O God. Make us faithful heralds of its message and tireless practitioners of its ways. For Jesus sake. Amen.
Song – “There is No One Like Jesus”
Benediction
From this place I invite you to go out remembering the holy vision. Go to the waiting world; go out to build God’s dream. Go to bring life, in all that you do, bring forth the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom in which, love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and true justice reign. Go out into the world with the Spirit of Christ within you and before you. Amen.
(adapted from Robin Wardlaw, Gathering, Pentecost 2 2021, page 48, used with permission)
Response
Lead me, Lord, I will follow.
Lead me, Lord, I will go.
You have called me, I will answer.
Lead me, Lord, I will go.
