November 26, 2006

34^th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Christ the King Sunday

Preparation for Worship

For this I was born,

and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth.

John 18:37

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

George Orwell

The fact that astronomies change while the stars abide is a true analogy of every realm of human life and thought, religion not least of all. No existent theology can be a final formulation of spiritual truth.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Today is Christ the King Sunday, in which we recognize and offer our praise for the sovereignty of Christ over all things in this world and beyond.  In the reformed worship tradition, Christ the King Sunday is observed on the last Sunday before the start of Advent.  Hence, Christ the King Sunday is the last Sunday in the liturgical year.  It also marks the 34th and final Sunday in “Ordinary Time.”  Given the variability in the number of Sundays between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and Westminster’s tradition of observing a Thanksgiving worship theme on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, this congregation does not observe Christ the King Sunday each year.  The liturgical color for Christ the King Sunday is white.

     The scriptures, hymns, and service music chosen for worship today are reflective of the both Christ’s sovereignty and of the kingdom of God.  This imagery is made particularly poignant by the observance of Christ the King Sunday so near to the Advent and Christmas seasons; the time during which we prepare ourselves to receive a king in a lowly manger, and not a king on a throne. 

     The opening hymn, “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” well describes the power and majesty of Christ, declaring him "Lord of all!"  The hymn, “He Is King of Kings” is an energetic African American spiritual setting which reflects images of Christ’s service on earth, proclaiming that “no one works like him.”  The sending hymn, “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations,” is a gospel hymn that sends us out with a spirit of evangelism to proclaim that “Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth” as a kingdom of love and light.