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ANGLICAN PARISH OF ATWELL/SUCCESS THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION Sunday Bulletin Christ the King – 23rd November 2008 |
Time for celebration
Today we celebrate Christ, Christ the King. As the church’s year comes to an end it is good to have celebration and to hail the Risen Christ, the one who reigns in heaven at the right hand of God the Father. The One who was there from the very beginning, yet humbled himself, taking the form of a servant so that in the end every knee should bow in response to this great act of sacrifice and love. The image we have in today’s gospel is of the ‘son of man’ coming in all his glory accompanied by the angels and the whole heavenly host, being the supreme rule of all the nations and the one who will separate those who believe form those who do not. The ‘kingly’ imagery is one of power and authority, judging from highest heaven. Yet, this was the person Jesus who lived a life as we live and experienced simple earthly emotions as a person living an ordinary life, yet through this made an incredible sacrifice that led to the saving of the world for all time.
But, there is a great contrast that soon emerges from reading Matthew’s text. He goes from the heavenly host and all the nations to the recognition of Jesus in the least and the smallest. ‘I was hungry and you gave me food’, ‘I was thirsty and you gave me a drink’; two simple examples of how humans can care for one another and in this simple action being in the presence of the Great King of the universe, the Risen Christ. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus is near, and that by responding to others knowing this, then all of us can enter into the joys and celebration of the heavenly host singing eternal praises to Christ the King.
Fr Clive
Sentence
O shout to the Lord in triumph all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his face with songs of joy. Psalm 100.1
Prayer of the Day
God of power and love, who raised your Son Jesus from death to life, resplendent in glory to rule over all creation: free the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, and to live in his love. Unite the human race in Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
For 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.
Psalm 100
1 O shout to the Lord in triumph, all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his face with songs of joy.
2 Know that the Lord he is God:
it is he who has made us and we are his; we are his people and the
sheep of his pasture.
3 Come into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
give thanks to him, and bless his holy name.
4 For the Lord is good, his loving mercy is for ever:
his faithfulness throughout all generations.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
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.
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
“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.”
Intercessions
This Parish: Fr Clive, Diane and new growth.
Diocese: Archbishop Roger Herft, Bp Kay Goldsworthy.
Parish of High Wycombe, Susan Thorpe-Gudgeon & people.
Province: Parishes of Brunswick and Mullewa.
Parish of Broome.an Anglicare Council and Parish of Wickham.
Australian Church: Primate, Phillip Aspinall, Diocese of Gippsland, Bp John McIntyre, clergy & people.
Anglican Communion: The Church in Spain.
Those in need: Murray Blore and his family, Riley, Debbie, Andy and Jade Calmeyer, Derek, Yvette & Ty, Sue, John and family.
NOTICES
Today: We welcome Fr Clive to preside and preach.
Please stay for a light meal after the service.
Church Council: Tuesday 2 December, 7.30pm.
Sunday 14th December: Christmas carol service with bible readings. Our gift to the community at the time of celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Priest’s day away from Parish Duties is Monday.
Readings Next Sunday, First Sunday of Advent (V), 30 November 2008
Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; Mark 13:24-37
Christmas Services
Sun 14th Dec 5.00pm – Service of Readings and Carol Singing
Harvest Lakes Community Centre
Wed 24th Dec 6.00pm – Holy Communion Family Service
St James’ Church South Lake
Wed 24th Dec 10.00pm – Holy Communion, ‘midnight’ service
Harvest Lakes Community Centre
Thur 25th Dec 9.00am – Holy Communion Family Service
St James’ Church South Lake
Anglican Parish of Atwell/Success,
Harvest Lakes Community Centre Aurora Drive, Atwell,
(next to Harmony Primary School).
Parish Web site: http://transfig.wordpress.com/
Services: Eucharist Each Sunday 5pm
(Frank Prendergast House, once each 4 weeks, 11am)
Priest in Charge: Fr. Clive McCallum Ph: 040 911 2079
Email: cdlc44@bigpond.com
Churchwardens: Gill King Ph: 0421 188 793
Neville Matheson Ph: 0419 046 811
Church Office: (answering machine) Ph: 9417 2480
Filed under: pew sheet
