The Liturgy of the Word: Christ The King

Last Sunday After Pentecost

Processional Hymn #435: At The Name Of Jesus Every Knee Shall Bow

The Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

The Confession of Sin

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept. All pray together, kneeling, as they are able,

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Deacon or Lay Celebrant says:

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

LEV #243: Glory To God

The Collect of the Day                                 

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. 

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.Amen.

A Reading from the Book of the 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.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 95:1-7a

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; * 

let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * 

and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, * 

and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * 

and the heights of the hills are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, * 

and his hands have molded the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * 

and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7 For he is our God, * 

and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

A Reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians

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.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Sequence Hymn: LEV #31 Lead Me To Calvary

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to St. Matthew 

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

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.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sequence Hymn: LEV #31 Lead Me To Calvary (Final Verse)

The Nicene Creed

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: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man. 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. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He 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 of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People, Form IV

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, especially _____ on their birthdays and _____ on their anniversaries; and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially the people on our Parish Prayer List: _____; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We commend to your mercy all who have died, [especially _____,]  that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

The Celebrant concludes with the following or some other suitable Collect:

Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace

The peace the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Parish Announcements

The Offertory

Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts.

Offertory Hymn: Choir

The Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

Praise him all creatures here below!

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Grace

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.

The Recessional Hymn #613: Thy Kingdom Come, O God!

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]

Thanks be to God! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]

The Parish Prayer List

PRAYER LIST: Jackie Beasley, Lazola Cope, Joenelle Gordon, David Jones, Milburn Lewis, Jessica Mathis, Marion Mathis, Rene James Nails, Jewel Wheeler 

BIRTHDAYS: Joenelle Gordon, Harriet McKinney

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Shirley & Joe Bonaparte

RECENT DEATHS:  May the souls of all the departed rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.

Readings for next week :

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9

Psalm 80:1-7,16-18

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Gospel: Mark 13:24-37