God's fat and lean sheep
Worship
LECTIONARY WORSHIP AIDS
Series II
Exegetical note: Speaking as God's voice, Ezekiel lambasts the kings ("shepherds") of Israel whose poor leadership led to their defeat and exile (vv. 1.10). God then vows to take over as their "shepherd," to restore and protect them, and to set up David (or "a" David) in that position. But the sheep themselves will have to undergo judgment, to separate the "fat" (i.e., those Israelites who have prospered at the expense of their own people while in exile) from the "lean" (i.e., their victims).
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 23)
Leader:
With God as our shepherd, we shall not want!
People:
GOD PROVIDES RESTING PLACES FOR OUR BODIES!
Leader:
God gives us refreshment for our souls!
People:
GOD GIVES US RIGHTEOUS PATHS TO FOLLOW! THANKS BE TO GOD!
Collect
Eternal God, you have promised eventual judgment upon those inside and outside your fold. Make us and keep us righteous: that, whenever the time comes for your discernment, we shall be worthy to stand with your saints as faithful servants of you and Christ Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Everloving God, we confess that we who bear the name of the Christ often treat one another unfairly and deal with each another unjustly, rather than as members of your holy family and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Forgive us, we pray, and implant your Spirit of love and righteousness in us. Make us to function less like a business or a club and more like your Church, the Body of the Christ, whose members work for the good of one another and the life of the whole. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
Proper 29
Sunday between November 20 and November 26 inclusive
(Christ the King)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Theme:
God's ultimate intimacy
Exegetical note: The "kingship" that Paul projects here for the Christ (vv. 24ff.) is for a limited time (see "until" in v. 25), during which a war is to be waged with evil. Thereafter, the Christ ("Son" here) will be subjected to God, so that God may become "all in all." This final image, like all eschatological (and especially apocalyptic) thought, is open to a wide variety of interpretation, but at least signals a heretofore unknown intimacy between the Creator and Creation.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 23)
Leader:
God is our protector from the shadow of death!
People:
GOD IS OUR GUARDIAN FROM THE THROES OF EVIL!
Leader:
God gives us comfort and sustenance!
People: GOD GIVES US GOODNESS AND MERCY FOREVER!
Collect
God of Creation, you have promised a day when you would be all in all. Give us a taste of that divine intimacy now: that, feeling you within ourselves and all creatures, we may experience a new oneness with you and your universe. In the cosmic name of the Christ we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of compassion, we confess that we let the genuine Otherness of your transcendent nature become an excuse for treating you as remote and removed from our everyday world, and aloof and alien to our daily lives. We numb ourselves to your presence, mistake your silence for absence, and fail completely to sense our deep and abiding spiritual unity with you. Forgive us, we pray, and touch us again with your Holy Spirit. Make us feel truly one with you, with Christ Jesus, and with all who share your wondrous creation with us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen
Proper 29
Sunday between November 20 and November 26 inclusive
(Christ the King)
Gospel:
Matthew 25:31-46
Theme:
Royal approval for righteous action
Exegetical note: Whether "the least" of the "brethren" (vv. 40, 45) meant specifically the disciples who were to be received as envoys of Jesus or more generally the outcast and oppressed for whom Jesus consistently showed concern is a matter of dispute. In either case, however, it is clear that those who wind up on the eschatological "King's" right hand (or "good side," in today's parlance) and inherit the "Kingdom" are those who not only are righteous, but act righteously (i.e., compassionately) towards those in need.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Let the world rejoice and its people be glad!
People:
FOR THE REIGN OF GOD IS AT HAND!
Leader:
Let the heavens shout and the earth jump for joy!
People: FOR CHRIST JESUS REIGNS, NOW AND FOREVER!
Collect
Most holy God, you have taught us not only to be righteous but also to act righteously, especially toward those in need. Touch us with your grace: that, seeing the Christ even in the least of our own, we may extend our love and compassion. In Jesus' holy name we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God our Help in every age, we confess that we have failed miserably to seek out the image of the Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters, and have even figured out ways to feel righteous with respect to them, even while we were avoiding our responsibilities toward them. Forgive us, O God, and implant compassion in our hearts. Set before us again the ministry and message of Jesus, which sought out the outcast and oppressed, and treated them as important members of your holy family. In his name we pray. Amen
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 23)
Leader:
With God as our shepherd, we shall not want!
People:
GOD PROVIDES RESTING PLACES FOR OUR BODIES!
Leader:
God gives us refreshment for our souls!
People:
GOD GIVES US RIGHTEOUS PATHS TO FOLLOW! THANKS BE TO GOD!
Collect
Eternal God, you have promised eventual judgment upon those inside and outside your fold. Make us and keep us righteous: that, whenever the time comes for your discernment, we shall be worthy to stand with your saints as faithful servants of you and Christ Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Everloving God, we confess that we who bear the name of the Christ often treat one another unfairly and deal with each another unjustly, rather than as members of your holy family and brothers and sisters of Jesus. Forgive us, we pray, and implant your Spirit of love and righteousness in us. Make us to function less like a business or a club and more like your Church, the Body of the Christ, whose members work for the good of one another and the life of the whole. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
Proper 29
Sunday between November 20 and November 26 inclusive
(Christ the King)
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
Theme:
God's ultimate intimacy
Exegetical note: The "kingship" that Paul projects here for the Christ (vv. 24ff.) is for a limited time (see "until" in v. 25), during which a war is to be waged with evil. Thereafter, the Christ ("Son" here) will be subjected to God, so that God may become "all in all." This final image, like all eschatological (and especially apocalyptic) thought, is open to a wide variety of interpretation, but at least signals a heretofore unknown intimacy between the Creator and Creation.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 23)
Leader:
God is our protector from the shadow of death!
People:
GOD IS OUR GUARDIAN FROM THE THROES OF EVIL!
Leader:
God gives us comfort and sustenance!
People: GOD GIVES US GOODNESS AND MERCY FOREVER!
Collect
God of Creation, you have promised a day when you would be all in all. Give us a taste of that divine intimacy now: that, feeling you within ourselves and all creatures, we may experience a new oneness with you and your universe. In the cosmic name of the Christ we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God of compassion, we confess that we let the genuine Otherness of your transcendent nature become an excuse for treating you as remote and removed from our everyday world, and aloof and alien to our daily lives. We numb ourselves to your presence, mistake your silence for absence, and fail completely to sense our deep and abiding spiritual unity with you. Forgive us, we pray, and touch us again with your Holy Spirit. Make us feel truly one with you, with Christ Jesus, and with all who share your wondrous creation with us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen
Proper 29
Sunday between November 20 and November 26 inclusive
(Christ the King)
Gospel:
Matthew 25:31-46
Theme:
Royal approval for righteous action
Exegetical note: Whether "the least" of the "brethren" (vv. 40, 45) meant specifically the disciples who were to be received as envoys of Jesus or more generally the outcast and oppressed for whom Jesus consistently showed concern is a matter of dispute. In either case, however, it is clear that those who wind up on the eschatological "King's" right hand (or "good side," in today's parlance) and inherit the "Kingdom" are those who not only are righteous, but act righteously (i.e., compassionately) towards those in need.
Call to Worship
Leader:
Let the world rejoice and its people be glad!
People:
FOR THE REIGN OF GOD IS AT HAND!
Leader:
Let the heavens shout and the earth jump for joy!
People: FOR CHRIST JESUS REIGNS, NOW AND FOREVER!
Collect
Most holy God, you have taught us not only to be righteous but also to act righteously, especially toward those in need. Touch us with your grace: that, seeing the Christ even in the least of our own, we may extend our love and compassion. In Jesus' holy name we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
God our Help in every age, we confess that we have failed miserably to seek out the image of the Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters, and have even figured out ways to feel righteous with respect to them, even while we were avoiding our responsibilities toward them. Forgive us, O God, and implant compassion in our hearts. Set before us again the ministry and message of Jesus, which sought out the outcast and oppressed, and treated them as important members of your holy family. In his name we pray. Amen
