Opening

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
—Psalm 116:15

On Saturday November 21, long-time and beloved member of our church family Linda Jipping died after a brief struggle with pancreatic cancer. Please begin your worship with a moment of silence, using the prayer and song below to commit Linda to the Lord’s care.

Loving God, your beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them.
Give us grace, we pray, that we may entrust Linda to your never-failing care and love,
and bring us all to your heavenly kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Welcome

Today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Christ the King Sunday focuses our worship on the cosmic character of Christ’s reign over the world—a reign that extends even over death. It is a proclamation to all that everything in creation and culture must submit to Christ. And it is an invitation to actively and joyfully submit to his rule. In the uncertainty of our times, we live in the certainty that Jesus Christ is on the throne; he is the true and righteous ruler of the world. He is at work through us, his kingdom of priests, and we look forward to the time when his kingdom will be realized in all its fullness. We worship him today.

May the Lord, Christ the King, be with you.
And also with you!

Song

Gathering & Call to Worship

Isaiah 40:10-11
Revelation 1:4-5

See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young. 

Grace to you and peace from him who is
and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
Amen.

Prayer of Invocation

Mighty and tender God,
voice of the voiceless, power of the powerless:
we praise you for your vision of a community of wholeness,
a realm of peace,
in which all who hunger and thirst are nourished,
in which the stranger is welcomed,
the hurting are healed,
and the captive is set free. 

Guide us by your truth and love until we and all your people
make manifest your reign of justice and compassion.
We pray in the name of your anointed one, our servant-king,
to whom with you and the Spirit, one Holy God,
be honor, glory, and blessing,
this day and forever. Amen.

Confession & Assurance

Call to Confession

Our God calls us to be his faithful partners in casting his vision of a community of wholeness and a realm of peace, and to do the work of making manifest his reign of justice and compassion. How often have we missed or mishandled the opportunities to do that? Let us humbly come before our gracious God to confess those times we’ve failed to him.

Prayer of Confession

Righteous God,
you have crowned Jesus Christ as Lord of all.
We confess that we have not bowed before him
and are slow to acknowledge his rule.
We give allegiance to the powers of this world
and fail to be governed by justice and love.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Raise us to acclaim him as ruler of all,
that we may be loyal ambassadors,
obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Assurance of Pardon

Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
—1 Peter 2:24-25

In Jesus Christ we are sought, we are found, we are forgiven, we are renewed.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Song

Beautiful Savior! King of creation!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love thee, truly I’d serve thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown. 

Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,
robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer;
he makes our sorrowing spirit sing. 

Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
than all the angels in the sky. 

Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine! 

Text: Gesangbuch, Münster, 1677; tr. Joseph A. Seiss, 1873, P.D
Music (ST. ELIZABETH): Schleissche Volkslieder, 1842, P.D. 

Prayer of Illumination

Lord God,
your power was revealed
when you raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at your right hand.
Grant that we may always give you thanks
for your immeasurable love
and show that gratitude in loving service
to all our brothers and sisters
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Reading

John 15:9-17

15  9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

This morning we have the joy and privilege of hearing from our own Dr. David Ryden, Professor of Political Science at Hope College. Dr. Ryden delivered this chapel address at Hope on October 30, and its themes will be a gift for us to hear today. While not a “Christ the King” sermon, it brings Christ’s Kingship down to that most personal of human spheres, friendship. In a day and age divided by any number of competing loyalties, may David’s sermon be a reminder to us that we are friends of the King, and so, as gift, we are drawn into friendship with one another.

The sermon begins at the 16:30 mark of the video below, and ends at 30:37, although you are strongly encouraged to watch until 34:15, for reasons that will soon become clear!

Prayers of the People

Ministry Partner Update: Michmerhuizens - Romania

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Back to God Ministries, and Bethany Christian Services) through the Give button below.

Song

God’s Parting Words

1 Timothy 1:17

You, brothers and sisters in Christ,
are children of God,
siblings of Christ,
welcomed into the family of God
by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
He is on the throne,
and you are his friend.

Go in the power, joy, and comfort of that knowledge,
and befriend one another.

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God,
be honor and glory for ever and ever.
Amen.