For Sunday, November
24, 2019, Readings: Jeremiah 23;1-6, Psalm
46, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 23: 33-53
Woe
to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord...So I will attend to you for your
evil doings…Then I myself will gather the
remnant of my flock...and I will bring them back to their fold and they shall
be fruitful and multiply. [Jeremiah
23:1,
2c, 3]
God is our refuge and our strength, a very
present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should
change...though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose
streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is
in the midst of the city... [Psalm 46:1-2a,3b-5a]
He is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…He is himself
before all things and in him all things hold together. [Colossians
1:15a, 17]
Father
forgive them for they know not what they do…Then [one of the criminals] said,
“Jesus, remember me…” and [Jesus] replied, “Truly I tell you , today you will
be with me in Paradise.” [Luke 23:34, 42a, 43]
We have
arrived at the Last Sunday after Pentecost in the Lectionary season to celebrate
Christ the King. Coming next we begin the Season of Advent, preparing for the
birth of the Child in whom the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.
The often gloomy Jeremiah has a strong message from God of woe for
the destructive shepherds who scatter God’s people through their evil doings! The psalmist follows immediately with the
calming message for us, the sheep, that God is our refuge and our strength,
a very present help in time of trouble… Regardless of the struggles through
natural disasters or the nations who will make much ado, we are
remind to Be still, then…the Lord
of hosts is with us…and is our stronghold.
The
readings from Colossians had some mysterious descriptions of God in Christ that
are difficult to comprehend for most modern, western minds. While they also may
be somewhat familiar to anyone who regularly reads the Christian [aka New] Testament
and/or vaguely hears them read in a church setting, these words may seem
irrelevant in the scheme of daily living in today’s world. How does one
concretely grasp God, the Almighty who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and
the Omega, from everlasting. Or, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God,
the faithful witness, firstborn of all creation and also of the dead, ruler of
the kings of the earth? Yet we, who would be counted as faithful Christians,
should take heed and examine more closely. It is in this daily life in this
time that we may easily lose track of our allegiances and settle in more with
the temporary earthly powers than in the everlasting divine Kingship of Christ.
Although Jesus has said that his kingdom is not from here, it
is here and in this time and place where we encounter him, if
we seek him, and if we choose to follow.
It does seem strange, at first, that as we celebrate Christ as King we end our readings from
the Gospel of Luke at the Crucifixion. Yet, without the Crucifixion and
Resurrection of what purpose is Advent? For me, the crux of this Sunday’s
lessons is the moment in Luke’s Gospel where the contrast is made between the
hard-hearted criminal and that of the repentant one. In his response to the “Good
Thief,” as he has been called, Jesus gives us the path to freedom from the darkness
of sin and fear. For us who endeavor to follow, Christ is our unearthly King in
this world who shows us the way to the true and never-ending Kingdom, Paradise,
in the next. The question for each of us is: do we choose to be led astray
by the hard-hearted, by those who would scatter us through evil doings in our
brief sojourn in this time, or follow him who loves us and freed us from our
sins by his blood? The answer, of course is to seek the path where: In
him all things hold together. No easy task with strong faith let alone for
those of us who falter in our faith at times. The readings for this Sunday are as
timely today than when first written down. He has made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God, our God, our Lord
for ever and for evermore.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength,
rescue us from the power of darkness whenever we tremble at earthly tumult, in
nature and among the nations. Turn us again toward the Kingdom of our Christ, in
whom we have the joy of redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
O Christ, our King
RESPONSE: Our
Strength and our Redeemer
~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, for all who are governed
by power or throne, by force or dominion by grant, on our Planet, in our Country,
and in our Community, we implore You to infuse the wisdom, sanity, and humanity
of Jesus into all who lead Your people. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Christ, our King
Our
Strength and our Redeemer
~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, send healing grace to
all who suffer in spirit, in mind, or in body, and grace-filled endurance to
all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
O
Christ, our King
Our
Strength and our Redeemer
~ O God, our Refuge and our Strength, lighten our grieving
hearts with joy, as the souls of our cherished departed are with you today, in the
ceaseless joy of Your Eternal Paradise. We pray especially for…
O
Christ, our King
Our
Strength and our Redeemer
~ O God, our Refuge and our
Strength, we
pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
O
Christ, our King
Our
Strength and our Redeemer
~ O
God, our Refuge and our Strength, guide our earthly Shepherds chosen to gather and
lead us to Your Holy Habitation, giving thanks to the Lord of Hosts who is always with us. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
O
Christ, our King
Our
Strength and our Redeemer
The Celebrant adds: Jesus, our Christ, Firstborn of all Creation, arouse us from our
daily complacence and prepare us to endure everything with patience. Keep us
striving toward Your purpose and enable us to share in the full inheritance of
the saints in the light. We ask through the Holy Spirit, the very Breath of
Love; and the Almighty LORD of Righteousness, who together with You are One
God, now and forever. Amen.
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