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Notable Feast Days this Week

November 18 - Romanus of Antioch, 304
November 19 - Elizabeth of Hungary, 1231 (Lutheran)
November 20 - Edmund the Martyr, East Anglia, 870
November 21 - Presentation of the Virgin Mary
November 22 - Cecilia the Martyr, 230
November 23 - Clement of Rome, 100 (Western Calendars)
November 24 - Clement of Rome, 100 (Eastern Calendars)
November 24 - Flora and Mary, 851
November 24 - Christ the King/Reign of Christ

Revised Common Lectionary

Jeremiah 23:1-6
Luke 1:68-79
Psalm 46
Colossians 1:11-20
Luke 23:33-43

Daily Readings (RCL)
Liturgical Color - White

Christ the King / Reign of Christ November 24, 2019 (Year C)

Our King, Our Refuge

God is the true shepherd who gathers his flock under the righteousness of Jesus (Jeremiah 23:1-6). He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46). Jesus provides light in the darkness and rescues his people from their enemies (Luke 1:68-79). The King of the Universe has reconciled all things to himself through the blood of his cross (Colossians 1:11-20). Like the criminal that was crucified beside him, he remembers those who humble themselves, acknowledges his holiness, and call upon him in faith (Luke 23:33-43). In him, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

"Christ the King Sunday focuses our worship on the cosmic character of Christ’s reign over the world. It is a proclamation to all that everything in creation and culture must submit to Christ and an invitation to actively and joyfully submit to his rule. The day is celebrated widely in some traditions and is normally scheduled on the last Sunday before Advent. It therefore serves as a transitional Sunday leading directly into Advent, the Christmas cycle, and the new Christian year. The day fits well with the eschatological emphasis and anticipation of Christ’s second coming highlighted during Advent. It also helps worshipers, who are already thinking about Christmas, to remember that Christmas is about much more than a baby in a manger—it is about a sovereign Christ who came to be the 'Prince of Peace.'"

- from The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd Ed.

"Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage."

—C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all people, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all people, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God."

—Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on the Feast of Christ the King (1925)

Psalm

Scripture Readings

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea ... There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God ... God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day ...

Commentary on Psalm 46
Augustine, John Paul II,
John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon

Audio
Jeremiah 23, Luke 1,
Colossians 1, Luke 23,
Psalm 46

Spotify Playlists
Psalm 46

Jeremiah 23:1-6
The shepherd and righteous branch

Luke 1:68-79
God has raised up a mighty savior

Colossians 1:11-20
A hymn to Christ, firstborn of all creation

Luke 23:33-43
Jesus is crucified between two thieves

Daily Readings
Revised Common Lectionary

Daily Readings
Book of Common Prayer

Bible in a Year

Chronological

Resources

Daily Prayer Form
Contemplative Prayer - Psalm 46
Morning Prayer for Kids and Families
Historical Commentary - Luke 23:33-43
Liturgical Resources - Rhythm of Worship blog
"The Feast of Christ the King" by Malcolm Guite
Christ the King Sunday Worship Planning
Sermon Starters from CEP
Online Daily Prayer Resources
Roman Liturgical Calendar

“He was a robber... Deserving the cross, he suddenly becomes a confessor of Christ.… Remember me, Lord, when you enter into your kingdom.” Then came the gift in which faith itself received a response. Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This promise surpasses the human condition because it did not come so much from the wood of a cross as from a throne of power. From that height, he gives a reward to faith. There he abolishes the debt of human transgression because the “form of God” did not separate itself from the “form of a servant.” Even in the middle of this punishment, both the inviolable divinity and the suffering human nature preserved its own character and its own oneness." - Leo the Great

Collect for Christ the King Sunday

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 forever. Amen. -The Book of Common Prayer

Singing Psalms and Hymns

Art

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