+ FEAST of CHRIST THE KING +
Last Sunday of The Church’s Year of Grace
21 November 2021
WELCOME
A warm welcome to all who have gathered for worship this morning, especially to our guests and visitors. Today we gather around Word and Sacrament through which God equips, directs, and supports his people in the mission and ministry of his Kingdom. All that God promised in his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, comes together by the power of the Spirit as we worship. Guests and visitors, please honor us by signing our Guest
Book in the entrance hall of the church as you leave. If you have no church home of your own in the area, we invite you to make Grace Lutheran Church the center of your worship, learning, fellowship, and service. Pastor Jim or this morning’s lay assistant will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our parish. The fellowship of this morning continues with coffee following worship. Do join us and let us become better acquainted with you as you get to know us better. Come to worship with us again and often!
AS WE GATHER Jesus Really is King
Who’s in charge? At times the world seems to be out of control. Even faithful Christians wonder about the strange and often evil things they encounter. In a world that seems to be dominated by the powers of sin and death, the good news is that Jesus is still King. Today we know his rule by faith, but when he returns in glory all the world will see him as King and Lord of all.
PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP
Lord God, it is through our lives that your love touches others. Stir us by your Spirit to serve all people with willing hearts and bring them the message of your love. We ask this in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
+ THE ORDER of CELEBRATING +
Jazz Mass Setting
PRE-SERVICE MUSIC
SERVICE CHIMES
WELCOME
PRELUDE When Morning Guilds the Skies—Joseph Barnby
Tatsiana Ascheichyk, Piano
HYMN Father Welcomes LSB 605
SACRAMENT of HOLY BAPTISM
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
PRAYER
CONFESSION of FAITH
Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty?
Yes, I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Yes, I believe Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
Yes, I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life + everlasting. Amen.
THE BAPTISM of Hayden Dacuycuy-Bingham
[Granddaughter of Sarah Davis]
BLESSINGS
PRAYERS
WELCOME
Through the waters of Baptism God has made this new sister a member
of the priesthood we all share in Christ Jesus, that we may proclaim the
praise of God and bear his creative and redeeming Word to all the world.
We welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you as fellow
members of the body of Christ, children of the same heavenly
Father, and workers with us in the kingdom of heaven.
PASSING of PEACE
APOSTOLIC GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.
GLORY TO GOD Refrain: Glory to God, glory to God,
Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to his people on earth
- Lord God, heavenly King, Almighty God, and Father, we worship
you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Refrain
- 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.Refrain
- 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.
Refrain: Glory to God, glory to God,
Glory to God in the Highest
And peace to his people on earth.
Amen, Amen, Amen.
PRAYER of THE DAY
Almighty and ever-living God, you anointed your beloved Son to be priest
and sovereign forever. Grant that all the people of the earth, now divided
by the power of sin, may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST LESSON Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
[To the community for whom this passage was written, it seemed as though the oppression God’s people were experiencing would never end. Daniel’s message is: Indeed, it shall end. The Ancient One who is judge will call all nations to account and will give dominion to God’s people who are represented by “one like a human being.”]
“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out before him. Thousands upon thousands attend him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
PSALM 93 (Read responsively)
Ever since the world began, your throne has been established.
The LORD is king; he has put on splendid apparel; the LORD
has put on his apparel and girded himself with strength.
He has made the whole world so sure that it cannot be moved;
ever since the world began, your throne has been established.
Ever since the world began, your throne had been
established; you are from everlasting.
The waters have lifted up, O LORD, the waters
have lifted up their voice; the waters have lifted
up their pounding waves.
Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than
the breakers of the sea, mightier is the LORD who
dwells on high.
Your testimonies are very sure, and holiness
adorns your house, O LORD, forever and forevermore. Ever since the
world began, your throne has been established.
SECOND LESSON Revelation 1:4b-8
[The book of Revelation begins with a series of messages addressed to seven churches. John’s greeting to these churches extols God as one who controls their past, present, and future]
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.
Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
SPECIAL MUSIC Abide with Me—Jina Park
GOSPEL John 18:33-37
The Holy Gospel according to John, the 18th chapter.
ALLELUIA [Sung before the reading of the Gospel]
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Give the glory and the honor to the Lord!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Give the glory and the honor to the Lord.
[In John’s gospel, the story of Jesus and Pilate represents two different ways of exercising power: through force or with love.]
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied, “It was your people and your chief priests that handed you over to me. What is that you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
HYMN of THE DAY There Is A Redeemer
HOMILY Lives Fit for A King Pr. Jim Text: The Second Lesson
Lives Fit for A King
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +
The blessed apostle St. John was an old man when he wrote the book of Revelation … living in exile on the barren island of Patmos off the southwest coast of modern-day Turkey. He was banished by Imperial Roman decree (probably the Edict of Trajan which outlawed Christianity in 111 A.D.). Exiled from family, friends, and fellow workers, St. John is writing to Early Christians who were scattered because of persecution and fear. By all appearances, the “kings and rulers of the earth” were beating up on Christians all over the empire because they refused to acknowledge the emperor as a divine being. No assertion that Christ alone is Lord and King would stop it. According to tradition, St. John died in exile on Patmos because he would not recant his faith that Christ is King and Lord of all. As Christians today know, “Christ is King” is a statement that arises from faith rather than from the way the world is governed and ruled at any given moment.
So, on this Last Sunday of The Church’s Year of Grace how can the truth that Christ is King mean something to us?
The answer lies in today’s Gospel Lesson as Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate … hands bound … head and back bloodied from the beating he had received. Pilate asks the most loaded question possible: “Are you a king?” “Yes,” Jesus responds and then continues to say that his kingdom is not of or from the world. His rule does not depend on armies … political clout … or even the most aristocratic traditions of royalty. His kingdom is not a place but an activity. His kingdom is from the Father, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners … to seek and to save those who had lost their way. This King stands where all his subjects stand … under the heel of injustice and the rough-and-tumble world that bears the mark of sin.
Jesus is King because he came to his Kingdom through the Tree of The Cross by which he redeemed the world. When his broken body lay in the tomb and everything seems to defy and mock every word he spoke and every work of love he did, God raised him from the dead. Seated at the right hand of God, God the Father gave him power and authority over all things. He is the King who captures and holds our hearts by the power of his love in Word and Sacrament. His dominion is everlasting. His grace endures forever. And … we know this to be true because we know him!
Yet to live under him in his Kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness and blessedness, as Luther writes in his explanation of the Second Article of The Apostolic Creed, is not an easy task. To live a life fit for a King and still live squarely within the realities of the present is no cheap calling [Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship].
The kingdom of God is so near we can’t even see it. But Jesus calls us into the Kingdom. When we hear the truth, we know our King and can see the kingdom. Jesus gives us the truth in the Sacraments and the Word. We utilize God’s forgiveness to continue to open our ears to God’s proclamation that we are children of the kingdom.
As children of the Kingdom, we can approach our Lord and ask him to continue to empower us by his Spirit to fulfill our calling with courage … just as St. John did.
Isn’t that a gift that you and I need as we stand of the shores of tomorrow and move forward under new pastoral leadership in Mission & Ministry here in this place and in the communities in which we live? As God’s people in this corner of The Kingdom, we adopted a Mission Action Plan to carry us forward into the future. It took courage to adopt such a plan and set mission and service goals. It takes courage to be Christ’s own where you are and where you serve. St. John knew it. And as we know it in our lives, we come to appreciate those who gone before us with faith and courage.
On this Christ the King Sunday, we can ask for serenity … just as St. John did.
St. John accepted the circumstances of his life in exile … without losing hold of Christ’s love and rule in all things. Serenity comes in “turning things over” to our Lord whose way are not our ways. Serenity is the mark of letting Christ’s mercy and grace lead … direct and guide .. even in the midst of things we don’t understand.
On this Christ the King Sunday, we can ask for wisdom … just as St. John did.
That’s a gift we need to constantly ask for as God’s people. There are so many times in our life when wisdom is needed to establish priorities rather than for zeal to carry them out. Too often our energy is misplaced and drained, and we end up giving God our second best. As God’s people, we need to continually ask God for the gift of wisdom and discernment … to know what his will is for us and the know-how of how to accomplish it.
Courage … serenity … wisdom – are all components of a famous prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr many years ago. Some of you may have those words on a plague hanging on your wall at home. Or … perhaps … some of you may know Niebuhr’s prayer by memory:
God give us the courage to change what should be changed;
Give us serenity to accept what cannot be changed;
Give us wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Let this be our prayer as we move forward in faith and service to Christ our King in a New Year of Grace lived in his Name.
+ In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. +
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Eternal God, you hold firm amid the changes of this world. Hear us now as we pray for The Church, the world, and everyone in need.
+ A Brief Silence +
Holy God, you sent your Son Jesus to testify to the truth. We pray for bishops, pastors, missionaries, and teachers who carry your forgiveness and love to the world. Fill their words and actions with compassion and kindness so that your truth will shine. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of creation, you sent your Son Jesus to set free all of creation. We pray that all living things may flourish, from ancient trees and wild grasses to endangered animals and rare insects. Write in our hearts a new sense of stewardship and compassion for creation so that generations yet to come may enjoy the wonder and blessings of your creation. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of peace, you sent your Son Jesus to lead us into the way of peace and understanding. Direct the leaders and members of international alliances in choosing nonviolent paths toward
the future. Give them the humility and wisdom to make just decisions to benefit all. Calm the border tensions between Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus, and create safe places for all who are fleeing violence, persecution, or death. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of comfort and healing, you sent your Son Jesus to make us into your own people, set to serve you. We pray for all who serve the well-being of others and bring wholeness to all who
need your touch this day. We pray especially for Cindy (Gary’s wife) who is recuperating; Lois
who is recuperating from hip replacement surgery; together with those who are suffering with cancer, dementia, COVID-19 and its variants who we name in our hearts.. Bless those who are home-bound and unable to worship with us especially Sharon, Bonnie, Vernia, Elma, and Marguerite, together with those we name before you in our hearts (A brief pause). Join their prayers with ours and unite them with us in the body of Christ. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of grace, you sent your Son Jesus to rule in all times and places. We give thanks for the many blessings we have received as a congregation. Continue to inspire generosity in all of us so that we may carry out the work of seeking the lost and making disciples of all nations. Bless this time of transition for Pr. Josh, Rebecca, and John as they prepare to leave Holy Trinity/Logan and join us in the new days of ministry that are ahead of us. Guide our brothers and sisters in Christ at Holy Trinity with your Spirit as they enter the call process. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of life, you sent your Son Jesus to be our beginning and our ending. We give you thanks and praise for all the saints whose lives have given us a glimpse of Jesus’ reign of justice and peace. Empower us to join their witness. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
God our hope and strength, we entrust to you all for whom we pray. Remain with us always, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
The Offerings Are Brought Forward
OFFERING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, through your goodness you have blessed us with these
gifts. Receive what we have to offer, that others might know that life through
the gifts you give to us to use and to share in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We will lift them up to him.
Let us give thanks always to the Lord our God.
It is right, it is just, it is well.
Father, it is our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ
Holy, holy, holy, Lord
For our sake He opened His arms on the cross,
He put an end to death and revealed the resurrection
Holy, holy, holy, Lord
In this He fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people. And so,
we join the angels and the saints in proclaiming your glory as we sing:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full of your glory
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest
WORDS of INSTITUTION
LORD’S PRAYER
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
forever and ever. Amen.
AGNUS DEI Join in singing
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, have mercy on us.
O Lamb of God
You take away the sins of the world,
Grant us peace.
DISTRIBUTION
Music during The Distribution You Satisfy the Hungry Heart LSB 641
DISMISSAL
PRAYER of THANKSGIVING
O God of love, you bind us to yourself in this sacrament, and strengthen
us through this meal for service to the world. Guide us by your Spirit that
we may forever give witness to the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of life. Amen.
BLESSING
SONG Beautiful Savior vs. 1 & 4 LSB 537
SILENT PRAYER
+ The Worship is over … Let the Service begin! +
GRACE NOTES
COFFEE CONNECTION … a time for fellowship and catching up with one another … follows this
morning’s worship.
We encourage everyone to participate in this very welcome hospitality ministry by signing up to either host, assist with serving or provide treats. For further details, please speak with either Pearl, Nan, or Mary.
STUDY OPPORTUNITIES this week: Women’s Study on Tuesday, beginning at 10:00 am in the Fireside Room. Join us as we continue our study of the Book of Acts. Ashland/Phoenix Small Group study meets monthly at 2:00 pm on the first and third Wednesdays. Next NewMen’s Coffee Study is scheduled for Saturday morning, December 11th, beginning at 8:30 am. Set these times aside now for a good discussion and fellowship.
THIS WEEK at GRACE
TODAY: Coffee Connection 11:00 am
TUESDAY: Women’s Study 10:00 am
WEDNESDAY: *Newsletter DEADLINE
NEXT SUNDAY: Worship – First Sunday in Advent 10:00 am
Coffee Connection & Tree Trimming 11:00 am
LOOKING Service of Installation for Dec. 12
AHEAD Pr. Josh Heimbuck 4:00 pm