November 23, 2025
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME
Today centers on the crucified and risen Christ, whom God exalted to rule over the whole universe. The celebration of the lordship of Christ thus looks back to Ascension, Easter, and Transfiguration, and points ahead to the appearing in glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ reigns supreme. Christ’s truth judges falsehood. As the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Christ is the center of the universe, the ruler of all history, the judge of all people. In Christ all things began, and in Christ all things will be fulfilled. In the end, Christ will triumph over the forces of evil.
PRAYER
Image of the invisible God,
firstborn of all creation, Prince of peace,
Word through whom all things were made,
rule our minds and hearts with
justice born of righteousness
and mercy born of love.
Guide us to participate in your kingdom,
where all God’s people have a share
in the strength that comes
from God’s glorious power. Amen.
PRELUDE “O Worship the King” Elizabeth Krouse
CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather to worship God, who looks favorably on all the humans they created.
We sing blessings to God, who stands with us for justice and salvation.
We gather to worship God, who worked with many prophetic humans in every time and place.
We sing blessings to God, who makes faithful promises, to us and our ancestors.
We gather to worship God, whose tenderness we see shimmering in the breaking of dawn.
We sing blessings to God, who guides our feet on paths of peace.
*HYMN No. 41 “O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!”
1 O worship the King,
all glorious above!
O gratefully sing
God’s power and God’s love:
our shield and defender,
the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor
and girded with praise.
2 O tell of God’s might;
O sing of God’s grace,
whose robe is the light,
whose canopy space,
whose chariots of wrath
the deep thunderclouds form;
and bright is God’s path
on the wings of the storm.
3 The earth with its store
of wonders untold,
Almighty, your power
has founded of old;
established it fast
by a changeless decree,
and round it has cast,
like a mantle, the sea.
4 Your bountiful care
what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air;
it shines in the light;
it streams from the hills;
it descends to the plain,
and sweetly distills
in the dew and the rain.
5 Frail children of dust,
and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust,
nor find you to fail;
your mercies, how tender,
how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender,
Redeemer, and Friend.
*CALL TO CONFESSION
In humility we are called to confess our sin,
reaching out in penitence to our Lord and Savior.
Trusting in the merciful love of God,
let us pray together.
*PRAYER FOR CONFESSION
Gracious Lord,
we are quick to identify our enemies
and slow to name the ways we hurt others.
You lead us in the ways of righteousness,
and yet we prefer to walk our own path.
We are called to follow your lead
in creating a beloved community,
yet we idolize wealth and power.
Heal us and help us, O God.
Turn us from the ways of sin,
the means that create unjust ends.
Grant that we may seek to be for others
what you are for us:
a source of light on the way to peace.
*SILENT PRAYER FOR CONFESSION
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The Lord gives light to those who dwell in darkness
and guides our every step in the path of salvation.
In the name of Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
*RESPONSE No. 1, v.4 “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!”
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name,
in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST
God has received us, pardoned us and loved us;
let us forgive each other in love and share the peace of Christ.
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
ANTHEM “We Will Give Thanks” Mark Paterson
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Holy God, our hope and strength,
by the power of your Spirit
prepare the way in our hearts
for the coming of your Word,
so that we may see the glorious signs
of your promise fulfilled;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE 2 Samuel 23:1-7
23Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the favorite of the Strong One of Israel: 2The spirit of the Lord speaks through me, his word is upon my tongue. 3The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: One who rules over people justly, ruling in the fear of God, 4is like the light of morning, like the sun rising on a cloudless morning, gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.5Is not my house like this with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. Will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? 6But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be picked up with the hand; 7to touch them one uses an iron bar or the shaft of a spear. And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.
Luke 23:33-43
33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
SERMON “A unique king”
In 1925—seven years after the conclusion of what was then known as “the Great War,” and fourteen years prior to the outbreak of a war no one believed could happen following the devastation of the first one—in that year, 1925, Pope Pius XI issued a proclamation establishing what was officially called “the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.” Christ the King Sunday was born. The celebration caught on quickly in other churches around the world, including our own. Nationalism was on the rise, in particular, the brand that would ultimately be known as National Socialism. Hitler was gaining popularity by stoking the fires of populist resentment in Germany. This observance of Christ the King was born in the hopes that it might unite Christians around world to place their faith Christ rather than in the politics and politicians who were attracting people to ever more extreme positions.
Nearly 100 years later, we lift up Christ the King, and… it’s complicated. Certainly, Jesus Christ has been represented as king in artwork for more than a thousand years. But I think it’s safe to say that the idea of Jesus of Nazareth being hailed as King of the Universe was on no one’s radar when he had the dust of Galilee on his feet, and reached out his hands to bless and heal, to feed the hungry, and to wash the feet of his puzzled disciples.
In three of the four gospels Jesus talks continually of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. He offers a sharp contrast with earthly kings: he describes them as ruinous murderers. When asked point blank, “Are you king of the Jews? Jesus answers, “You say so.” The only places the gospels clearly identify him as king are when the Magi are following the star to find him as a small child, and when he is breathing his last on the cross.
What sort of king do we have in Jesus Christ?
Can we compare him to his ancestor David?
The passage we’ve just heard from 2 Samuel is a poignant one: the last words of David, in which he tries to sum up his life as God’s anointed. David begins with the titles he claims for himself: he is the man whom God exalted, he is the anointed of the God of Jacob, and in one of the most flexible Hebrew phrases I’ve ever come across, two translations are possible: he is either the favorite of the Strong One of Israel, or the Sweet Singer of the Psalms of Israel.
In this passage, which is, itself, a psalm, David reports what God has to say about kings:
One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.
A good king, according to God according to David, is a beautiful light.
Doesn’t that describe me? David asks.
Isn’t that the kind of king I’ve been?
Well… at times. Anyone who has spent any time with David knows that he is certainly hailed as a brilliant composer, singer, and player of worship music, and a genius on the battlefield, both personally and as a leader. But David has blood on his hands: he has ordered the murder of a faithful general to avoid awkwardness over having impregnated that general’s wife. And as a result, the sword never departs from his house, and his children suffer the consequences. Like most humans King David is a mixture of light and shadow.
David’s self-eulogizing skirts the issue of his sin and failure. But his deathbed psalm does help us to consider what kind of king Jesus might be. In the gospel of John, Jesus is called the light of the world. And the Book of Revelation goes even further: there he is called “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” King of kings, but without a throne or a palace or an army.
So, what kind of king was he, our poor, brown-skinned Palestinian Jew, who spent zero time calculating how to gain popularity or to lead armies into battle? What does it mean that he called us to turn our lives around and to believe that God has good news for us? What does it mean that he answered the question, “What is the greatest commandment?” like this?
“The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ~Mark 12:29-31
What kind of a king does that make Jesus?
In chapter 18 of the gospel according to John there is a conversation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate. Pilate has asked Jesus whether he is king, and Jesus has been characteristically evasive. But he does say this:
“You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” ~John 18:37
Jesus came to testify to the truth. The truth he shared is simple, but not easy. What God wants from us, what God wants for us, is love.
I know I preach about love all the time. It is at the heart of at least 4 out of every 5 sermons I preach. But this week, in particular, I am acutely aware of how this cultural moment in which we are all living seems to be all about hate. Some of the loudest voices in our nation and in our world encourage us to hate and fear one another. We are told to hate people who don’t look like us, who don’t vote like us, who don’t pray like us, who don’t love like us. We are told to divide ourselves based on race, on religion, on different beliefs within the same religions, on gender presentation, on sexuality, on citizenship or the lack thereof. But when we read the gospels, we don’t hear Jesus telling us to do those things at all.
Jesus challenges us to love.
He dares us to love.
In a world that asks us to fear and hate one another, our only option as followers of Jesus, is to resist. Our only option as subjects of Christ the King, is to love. This is the truth he proclaims, and, as David said, a good king is a light—a beacon for his people. He illuminates the path for us. And, in the case of Jesus, he commits to walking it with us, too. His truth, our light: dare to love. Thanks be to God. Amen.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH “The Apostles’ Creed”
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
HYMN No. 336 “We Gather Together”
1 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.
2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning;
thou, Lord, wast at our side; all glory be thine!
3 We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation;
thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
PASTORAL PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, as You hung on a cross,
Your first thought was for others.
You forgave the ones
who ridiculed and tortured You,
You accepted the criminal
who hung beside You.
And it was You who made a mockery
of the sign they placed
above Your head.
For little did they know
that they did indeed
gaze at a king.
We don’t need signs and labels
to recognize Your power
and Your authority, Lord.
It is because we have seen
the unlikely become reality;
because we have witnessed You
in the unexpected,
and because we believe
in truths honed by a carpenter’s son,
that we dare to hope, Lord,
that Your kingdom has come among us
and continues to come,
day after day,
among the poor and the lonely,
the sick and the weary,
the angry and the abused,
the warmongers and the peace seekers.
And so it is for those
and others whose lives are touched
by grief and greed,
injustice and injury,
emptiness and endlessness
that we pray now,
trusting in the goodness and the grace
that retrieved lost sheep and wayward sons;
that consoled grieving mothers
and weeping women at a tomb;
that fed aching stomachs
and eager minds;
that soothed the open wounds
of untouchables
and the throbbing scars of hatred;
that laid open itself
to pain, rejection and abandonment
so that we might know healing,
acceptance and belonging.
And if we catch only a glimpse
of Your mercy among the hardness of life,
if we can sense Your presence
only for a fleeting moment
in the busyness of life,
if we can witness that wholeness
happens among the brokenness of life,
then we will know
that Your kingdom has come
and we pray that Your will be done.
This day and always, for Jesus’ sake
and in his name, we pray.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PASSING OF FELLOWSHIP PADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
TITHES & OFFERINGS
“You received freely; freely, give”
In celebration of God’s freedom through Jesus Christ, we now give our tithes and offerings to God.
OFFERTORY ANTHEM
*RESPONSE N0. 717 “For the Life That You Have Given”
For the life that you have given,
for the love in Christ made known,
with these fruits of time and labor,
with these gifts that are your own:
here we offer, Lord, our praises;
heart and mind and strength we bring;
give us grace to love and serve you,
living what we pray and sing.
*PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Bless these gifts, God who fills our lives with joy and hope; use them to fulfill your promises and bring your justice to all creation. Amen.
*HYMN No. 643 “Now Thank We All Our God”
1 Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who, from our mothers’ arms,
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
2 O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us in God’s grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.
3 All praise and thanks to God,
who reigns in highest heaven,
to Father and to Son
and Spirit now be given:
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore,
the God who was, and is,
and shall be evermore.
*BENEDICTION
Friends, do justice, love radically, and humbly enact transformation, acting confidently in the promises and blessings of God, who creates, Christ, who saves, and the Holy Spirit, who empowers. Amen.
*POSTLUDE