Weekly Bible Study Notes and Worship Resources
Last Sunday before Advent, Stir Up Sunday - Christ the King
Year C, Colour = Red
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Related Material: Church Sermon Archive and Church Archive of Lectionary Material
Introduction
Today
is the last Sunday of the church year, next week the year begins with the
first Sunday in Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. Our collect today
reminds us that it is Stir Up Sunday? a Sunday synonymous with Christmas
puddings. The great cry 'stir up' was a reminder to congregations to get
the Christmas pudding made in plenty of time to mature before Christmas. An
important addition to the mixture is a coin, whoever gets it on their plate
on Christmas Day should get worldly riches heaped upon them.
However, the Stir Up prayer is actually asking God for something much more
important. We are praying that God will stir up our wills, so that we might
get on with doing the good works that he has planned for us to do. Then, as
a consequence, we pray that we might receive our abundant reward.
In an age when so much is about how we feel, it is interesting to get
another perspective. In the end, it is our will, rather than our feelings,
that is the most important governor of our actions. Real love is not about
feeling it is about choosing, by our wills, to do good to others even
though we may not feel good towards them. Our feelings should not dominate
our wills. And so we pray that God will "stir up" our wills, so that they
will be in charge of us, doing what we know is right. In this prayer we
recognise that we need God's help in order for our wills to function
properly.
"Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people;
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded."
Opening Verse of Scripture
Psalm 139
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Collect Prayer for the Day Before we read we pray
Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, that they, bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you be richly rewarded: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
First Bible Reading
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD .Therefore this is what the LORD , the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD . "The days are coming," declares the LORD , "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Second Reading
Colossians 1: 10-20
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and
may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the
knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious
might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving
thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of
the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1n whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the
head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from
among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God
was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross
Gospel Reading
Luke 23: 33-43
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him,
along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus
said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And
they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and
the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save
himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came
up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the
king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him,
which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung
there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since
you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting
what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said,
"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I
tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise
Post Communion Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ you ascended to the throne of heaven to rule over all
things as Lord and King: keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in
the bond of peace, that the whole created order may come to worship at your
feet.
Commentary
Do we think of Jesus as our King? Or do we think that his kingship is something for the future and so no of much concern to us now? Today we ask the question of ourselves to whom or what do we give our allegiance? Who holds dominion over us? What are we living for? What energizes and gives meaning to our lives each day?
We pray in the Lord’s Prayer ‘thy kingdom come.’ This prayer is not supposed to be a prayer asking God to bring the world to an end. Rather it is asking that God’s kingdom would be established in our lives. The kingship of Christ is something which Jesus expects us to be able to share now. This will happen if we let our lives be the place where God’s reign extends. Today, above all days perhaps, is the day when we are encouraged to own Christ in our hearts.
Many people do not think that Jesus should be king. Politicians think that Jesus does not belong in affairs of state and government. Many leading businessmen think that Jesus should not be king in matters of economy and business. Often we do not think that Jesus should be king in a whole range of ways that concern what we do out of church.
Today we stir one another up and we remind ourselves that Jesus should be king of every part of our lives, our manners, our behaviour towards other people, are decisions about important life choices.
The kingship of Jesus is not recognised by many of this world, Jesus is King, yet he is not a king who demands obedience. Jesus is a different kind of king. He is a king who leads by example to show us the way that we should behave. This is a new kind of kingship, and one not of the worlds standards. The kingship of Jesus is a radically different kind of kingship. While human kings gain power in order reign over us, Jesus in his kingship demonstrates his authority by showing his love for his people, so much so that he gave his life for us.
Jesus warned the disciples that they would face death and horror, but he said that he did not expect them to do anything which he was not prepared to do himself first. When Revelation was written the Christians faced horrors, the real horror of martyrdom. Revelation is not a prediction of some horror some time in the future, for which we are still waiting. Revelation described for the Christians the very real and present danger which they faced in their daily lives. This is significant because throughout history many faithful Christians have considered that their own times were the most dreadful things which had ever happened and that an end to the world must be nigh. This happened to Martin Luther who believed that the Pope was the antichrist and he saw the end time near. ... . It has happened with the American revolution and the Crusaders. Revelation is a type of writing (apocalyptic writing), a genre that was around when it was written, just like soap operas are a type of writing today. That type of writing does not describe actual future events any more than we are supposed to believe that the actors of Eastenders or Friends are real.
The purpose of the apocalyptic writing of Revelation is to tell us that real evil exists, that it wins battles, but that ultimately good will conquer evil and that whilst that fight is going on we have Christ at our side.
Jesus is Alpha and Omega, one who will be with us from the start and never leave us alone. Jesus is the beginning of all that we do and the end of all that we do.
Meditation
God does not rejoice at the death of sinners. On seeing the destruction of the Egyptians the angels wanted to break forth in song. But God silenced them saying: 'The work of my hands is drowning in the sea, and you desire to sing songs!' Talmud
Though we descend from those redeemed from brutal Egypt, and we have
ourselves rejoiced to see oppressors overcome, yet our triumph is diminiched
by the slaughter of the foe, as the wine within the cup is lessened when we
pout ten drops for the plagues upon Egypt. Passover Haggadah.
Hymns
1. Rejoice the Lord is King (Tune Gopsal)
2. Make way
3. Thou didst leave thy throne (Tune Margaret)
4. O Lord my God
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.
If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Gracious God,
look upon a sinner
who is yet created in your image.
Look upon a disciple
into whose heart you gaze.
Look upon a child
who longs to love you with a heart
yet more perfect,
and looking, forgive,
and gazing, pardon and bless;
for your truth and your mercy's sake.
Amen
Francois Fenelon, 1651-1715
Loving Heavenly Father I thank you for this new day, for
its promise, its challenge and its opportunity. I have little to give you
this day, but within my trembling hand I give you this will of mine and
things that seem small, for you alone, O Lord, understand that when I
yield Thee this I yield Thee all. So may my life this day, in all I think,
speak or do, shew forth the mind of Christ. Amen.
God our Friend and protector, as we go through life help us to offer a
hand of love and friendship to all in need. As our lives develop, like the
seasons , spring when we blossom in our own ways, summer when we are full
of the joys of young life, autumn when we hope to pass on the wisdom we
have learnt, winter when we need the comfort of your presence at the
closing of our days. Mmay we remember to thank you in our prayers for all your many blessings
and help throughout our lives.
Heavenly Father we thank you for the gift of life and for loving each one
of us, just as we are.
Now that we are elderly and less mobile, we have more time to sit and
think. We give thanks for the gift of memory, whether of happy or sad
occasions,?memories precious to us all. And, even if we cannot remember
what happened yesterday, we can ponder over our youthful days and be
thankful. Amen.
Creator God, we thank you that through the centuries you have given to men
and women the gift of creativity. We think of all musicians and the music
that inspires and brings us close to you.
We thank you for artists, as we gaze on their work we marvel at the
details and the beauty of the colours. We think of the poet and his words,
which can help and heal, and of the craftsmen, who have given such
beautiful carving and buildings. Thank you too for those who use their
creative gifts in leadership, creating order out of chaos and in building
up broken relationships. O God you are the master craftsman and we would
pray that we may use our own creative gifts for your honour and glory. In
Jesus Name, Amen.
Additional Resources
Stir up Sunday - Christ the King
The feast of Christ the King was invented for us by Pius XI in 1925. Only in 1970 was it moved from October to the last Sunday before Advent.
This is a great day when we celebrate the Kingship of Christ, but his is a kingship unlike any other we know. As Jesus himself said 'My Kingdom is not of this world.' Jesus was right, his kingdom is out of this world. He is totally and radically different from any other king that we might care to think about. The rule of Jesus is not one of coercion, it is not imposed. The kingdom of Jesus is about love, justice and mercy. This kingdom will come in all of its fullness at a day in the future and it will never end. But, it has already arrived in the hearts of those who show allegiance to Jesus the King. Those who serve him pray 'Thy Kingdom come...' and they know that in Jesus they have found the one who is Alpha and Omega. He has been from the beginning of time itself and he will be with them forever.
This Sunday is also named after the magnificent collect prayer, which encourage us to seek God's help in energising our wills that we might better serve him.
In our bible reading from Luke today we read the words fixed over Jesus on the cross THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Today is the feast of Christ the king. It is the last Sunday of the church year, we celebrate this today before Advent starts a new church year next week.
When
we think of kingship we clearly imagine something very different than
crucifixion and suffering. So the words inscribed over Jesus are mocking and
part of a tragic irony, to call a man on a cross a king is a cruel joke. Yet
as Christians we see in this episode not a tragedy but a triumph. Jesus on
the cross redefines what it means to be a king. Power is seen in the very
powerlessness which allowed Christ the King to be killed. Jesus on the cross
challenges our ideas about God and in a sense he redefines the human idea of
what God is. The Old Testament idea of a powerful God who helped people win
battles and who ordered the genocide of the conquered people is gone. In its
place we have a God in Jesus who to some might be regarded as a cissy. Jesus
spends his time caring for the weak and frail, cries at funerals and ends up
being tortured and stuck up on the cross. This is not the ideal of great
leadership which has inspired other human kings. The crucifixion confronts
our normal expectations with a new way. Make no mistake, Jesus was a
radical, he was a revolutionary of that there can be no doubt. But he was
not the kind of revolutionary that Pilate was used to dealing with, in
characters like Barabbas.
So what was the kingship of Jesus like? Jesus was no cissy, this Jesus the Messiah, or Christ, was not harmless and neither was he only concerned with the inner or spiritual world, he was truly subversive. In this Gospel of Luke, Jesus begins by addressing Israel's hopes of liberation. The songs of the birth narratives are full of it. Jesus marches into the synagogue to link his mission to Isaiah 61 in 4:16-20. He announces good news to the poor, to the hungry and to those who weep. He asserts and expresses the value of those considered valueless. He gathers people and announces change. Jesus is not announcing a message of personal enlightenment, to make us personally enriched; neither is he promising a utopia at another time and another place. Rather he is announcing change and embodying it already in himself and in his community. This is dangerous for those with a vested interest in the status quo. No wonder that so many people were threatened by him and wanted him dead.
To affirm that Jesus is king is to affirm a different kind of kingship. But it is not a weak kingship or one which abdicates into an inner or spiritual world. Jesus was enormously powerful and assertive. He did not come to create a set of doormats, but to spread a revolution of love and grace, which entailed identifying and embodying a new kind of power and priority. The feast of Christ the King is a challenge to us all because the kingdom which he brings places some considerable challenges to us all. The saviour of all humankind is a man hanging on a cross, yet still the king, opening the gates of his kingdom to the bewildered, misled, rabble around him. As he asks for forgiveness for the crowd, and as he leads the thief into the Kingdom, he is, in his agony, still the one whom all thrones, dominions, rulers and powers?(Colossians 1.16) must acknowledge as Lord. Charles Royden
Meditation
Born in 1874 Winston Churchill led Britain as Prime Minister through the Second World War. Winston Churchill spoke the following words about relating with people:
You haven't learned life's lesson very well if you haven't noticed that you can decide the reaction you want of people in advance. It's unbelievably simple. If you want them to smile, smile first. If you want them to take an interest in you, take an interest in them first. If you want to make them nervous, become nervous yourself. If you want them to shout and raise their voices, raise yours and shout. If you want them to strike you, strike first. It's as simple as that. People will treat you like you treat them. It's no secret. Look about you. You can prove it with the next person you meet.
Prayer : Inspire me, Lord, to be of good influence on people I will meet today. Amen.
Hymns
-
I know not why God' wondrous grace 279 (Tune I know whom)
-
O Lord my God 506 (Tune How great thou art)
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Draw near to your flock, O Shepherd of Israel, that we may rejoice at the
sound of your voice; walk through the darkest shadows at your bidding and
climb the rugged steeps under your protection. May we come at the last to
the sight of your unclouded beauty where, in the glory of eternal light, you
are worshipped for evermore.
Bede Jarrett, 1881-1934
God of new beginnings, your love to us knows neither measure nor end. Reveal yourself to us in the ordinary things of life, so that each day's tasks may be done for love of you and each day's living may bring us nearer you; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Saviour. Michael Townsend, Chair, Leeds District
Eternal God, in whose perfect realm no sword is drawn but the sword of justice, and no strength known but the strength of love: guide and inspire all who seek your kingdom, that peoples and nations may find their security in the love which casts out fear; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Gracious God we pray for ourselves, that we might remember who is in control in creation, who it is who holds together all things. So may we give complete control to you of our lives. Help us to entrust to you our fears and worries and to rest ourselves in Christ Jesus. Help us to grow in faith, to rejoice always in what you have done, to submit our will and our plans to your will and your plan for our lives. Amen