Christ the King Sunday
Text: John 18:33-37
We give you thanks and praise, O God, for you are the Ruler of the Universe—and you reign with justice and righteousness. You created all things in heaven and on earth, and through your holy prophets in ages past you promised to save us. Out of your deepest mercy, you have come to us in fullness in Jesus the Christ, your anointed One, whom you sent to be our Shepherd and our King.
Help us to always keep your power and your authority and your love and your majesty in our minds and to never forsake the doing of your will. Make us ever more obedient to the Word you place in our hearts and in our minds.
By the power of your Spirit, help us to live out our discipleship with increasing faithfulness; to show our commitment to Christ through our actions every day—through how we spend our time and our money; through how we employ our hands and direct our feet; through how we speak and how we think; through how we work and how we play.
In his time with us, Christ commanded us to love you, and love one another—and even to love our enemies. Therefore, we persevere in prayer for all our sisters and brothers across the whole earth. We pray for those in this world who are set in authority over us, that they might act justly and compassionately in all things.
We pray also for those who have no power; who find themselves at the mercy of forces over which they have no control—economic, political, military, and social forces which bring conflict, poverty, and myriad forms of hardship; climatic and environmental forces which bring drought, famine, and natural disaster; forces which work to destroy the weakest and most helpless amongst us—forces which we are called to oppose, as people to whom you have given dominion over the earth.
We pray for the suffering and the sorrowful; the despairing and the dying; the grieving and the guilty; the lonely and the lost. We pray for those in hospital rooms, and in prison cells—and for those who will sleep rough tonight, braving the elements as winter approaches. We pray for those near to us, and for those dear to us. We pray for those whose names we know, and for those whose names—and needs—are known only to you.
All your children, O God, need a Saviour as well as a Sovereign. Through the actions of your faithful people, give voice to the voiceless, grant liberation to the oppressed, feed the hungry, and give drink to the thirsty. Let us never forget that we are the hands and feet—and eyes and ears—of Christ Jesus our King, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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For other meditations upon the Reign of Christ (Year B) see these previous posts:
http://www.garygrottenberg.com/blog/not-usually-think-kings/