Of Kings And Kingdoms
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
This week we observe Christ the King Sunday (or as some term it, the "Reign of Christ") -- and for those of us who live in contemporary society, the notion of being loyal subjects in a kingdom seems at best anachronistic, and at worst downright intolerable. As citizens of a democratic republic, we are make judgments about our leaders based more often than not on what they can do for us -- a dynamic that's made obvious in the campaign ads we're besieged by during election season. (There's no better example than the classic "Are you better off than you were four years ago?") But in this installment of The Immediate Word, team member Dean Feldmeyer notes that as loyal subjects of Christ the King, we're called to a very different sort of citizenship than the one Americans are accustomed to -- one in which our notions of personal rights and how our lives can be made better are reversed. Instead, Jesus invites us to follow his commands and live in his kingdom... and what that means confounds our basic expectations about how things are supposed to work. As Dean points out, in a kingdom our obsession with our rights takes a backseat to our duties and responsibilities toward our sovereign ruler.
Many of us are looking forward to Thanksgiving Day next Thursday, and team member George Reed provides some additional thoughts on preparing a sermon based on the Thanksgiving lections, whether for a Thanksgiving Day service or as part of this Sunday's service. Also, George offers a set of Thanksgiving worship resources in addition to the usual worship resources based on this week's theme. Several of this week's illustrations are keyed to Thanksgiving.
Of Kings and Kingdoms
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 23:33-43
Would it be safe to say that we Americans find talk of kings and kingdoms to be awkward, foreign, and maybe even a little offensive?
We don't do royalty here; we are a republic. We believe in democracy and egalitarianism. The very notion of a king ruling by divine right and telling us what we have to do is noxious to us. We live not by commands but by rights. We are a nation not of persons but of laws. Even the lowest, meanest criminal can say with confidence, "I know my rights."
So it's probably no wonder that we Christians tend to go there first when we find ourselves put off, put out, inconvenienced, irritated, annoyed, or ignored. Hey! We've got rights!
THE WORLD
American Christians like to talk about their rights. We are all very clear about the first amendment to the constitution. It comes, we recall, in two clauses. First is the establishment clause: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Then comes the exercise clause: "or the free exercise thereof." This amendment, we learn early on in our civics classes, gives us certain rights.
As Americans we are free to hold whatever religious beliefs we choose. We are even free to hold no religious beliefs. We are also free to exercise those beliefs -- that is, we are free to worship in whatever way we choose. No one can tell us what we have to believe, and no one can force us to act as though we believe something we don't. We go to church -- if and when we go to church -- because we choose to, not because we have to.
These freedoms given to us by God and protected by the Constitution have limits, however. If your worship rites include taking illegal drugs or torturing animals or making human sacrifices... well, we kind of draw the line there. No right, no matter how sacred, is absolute. Other people have rights too.
The arguments come when the rights of one group seem to conflict with the rights of another. When one group wants to put a copy of the Ten Commandments on the courthouse steps, they believe they should be able to -- and they cite the "free expression" clause. Another group says that the courthouse steps belong to everyone and should not be used to favor one religious expression over another -- and they cite the "establishment" clause.
Some say that this battle of the clauses should favor the majority -- we are a democracy, after all. The other group says that one of the major purposes of the Constitution is to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority.
The debate over healthcare (which apparently is never going to end) is often another battle over rights. One group insists that essential health care is a basic human right of every individual. Others say that it isn't a right at all, it is a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
One group says that being required to carry health care insurance is in infringement of their rights, that they should be able to be uninsured and rely on the kindness of charities and strangers if they choose. Others insist that those who rely on charity are bankrupting our healthcare system and our hospitals, and depriving the rest of us from our right to quality care.
This past week a bipartisan committee has brought forth proposals on how to move toward balancing the national budget, and the immediate response from both sides of the political aisle was a very loud and vociferous discussion of rights -- whose were being infringed upon and whose were being upheld.
Whenever and wherever the democratic ideal is upheld, rhetoric and debate are usually couched in terms of rights. The battles are always fought over entitlements. But in the Roman empire of 30 CE, there was no democratic ideal. It had disappeared with the passing of Greece's golden era. The last vestiges of the Republic had disappeared in 15 CE when Tiberius Caesar transferred the elections from the popular assemblies to the Senate. The Emperor was immortal and divine. His word was law, his whim was edict.
Rights? No one spoke of rights. No one dared. The Empire was a law unto itself. The Empire was all.
THE WORD
On this last Sunday of the Christian year, Christ the King Sunday, we remember the scandalously subversive nature of Jesus' proclamation of an alternative empire to that of Caesar. And we remember the terrible risk and tremendous courage that were involved in that proclamation as well as the price he paid for making it.
In his brilliant book God and Empire, John Dominic Crossan lays out a striking comparison between the Empire (Kingdom) offered by Caesar and the Kingdom (Empire) offered by Jesus. Caesar's empire was based on power that was exercised through violence. The Pax Romana was a false peace teetering on a pinnacle built of repression, suppression, oppression, and cruelty. The Roman religion worshiped gods that were merely personifications of the empire itself. And they worshiped emperors whose power came through their ability to crush any alternative from of rule. Peace was an illusion, merely a time of quiet created by the power of the legions to punish and quiet all dissenting voices.
The kingdom offered by Jesus was a true alternative to that of Rome. This was a kingdom built on love and kindness, whose goal was justice and whose end was shalom -- true peace. In this kingdom, the first are last and the last are first, the privileged and powerful are brought low, and the weak and powerless are raised up. The poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and those who make peace are blessed -- while the fat and well-fed, the comfortable and the violent, are doomed to lives of woeful existence. Those who are blind are made to see, and those who can see, don't. The foul are made clean, the outcasts are included, the guilty are forgiven, and the lonely are embraced. This is the alternative kingdom that Jesus offers for those who would accept and follow him -- not as elected leader, as president, but as Lord.
The battle over "rights" is a contemporary aberration. It never appears in the New Testament. It is an "extra-biblical" concern and one of secondary importance for Christians. Our concern is over kingdoms. Our choice is not about whose rights win out, but over which kingdom we will serve. Kings and kingdoms, you see, do not bestow rights -- they demand allegiance. They do not protect entitlements -- they require fealty. They do not speak of prerogatives but of duties and responsibilities.
The passage under consideration this week (Luke 23:33-43) reminds us of how seriously Jesus took his duties and responsibilities. The question for us is how seriously, as we enter this new Christian year, we will take ours.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The text for Christ the King Sunday is a serious one that makes serious demands upon the preacher as well as the congregation. The key to an effective sermon is to make sure the indicative speaks as loudly as the imperative.
The indicative is found in the comparison of the two kingdoms: Caesar vs. Jesus. A skillfully crafted sermon will draw careful and precise parallels to show how Caesar's empire is still very much alive and viable in our world today. The promise of peace through violence and oppression is as much a false promise in the western world as it is in the east. And we must also show, in concrete terms, how the kingdom of Jesus is still a viable alternative to that violent and oppressive one.
The kingdom of God still calls out to us, offering us a radical alternative based on love, kindness, gentleness, and compassion. And because of this, it is still as subversive, scandalous, and dangerous as it ever was.
The imperative of the text is the invitation to join, as we enter a new Christian year, not a church but a radical, subversive movement that challenges the assumptions of Caesar's empire wherever it raises its head... and bids welcome to all who would live for grace and love.
Scary? Dangerous? You bet. But that's why we have Easter.
ANOTHER VIEW
Thanksgiving: The Antidote
by George Reed
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4-9; John 6:25-35
We live in a time when many people look to the church and Christians and are not favorably impressed by what they see. The common perception is of a group that is hateful and bigoted with a very inflated sense of its own importance. We find many examples where Christians are claiming the right to make laws that require everyone to abide by their idea of what a Christian lifestyle looks like, even though there is debate within the Christian community over whether this is a Christian stance or not. When this assumption of the right to enact laws based on Christian standards is confronted, the response is often the assertion that "this is a Christian nation" and those who don't like it should leave.
The Deuteronomy passage assigned by the lectionary for Thanksgiving Day reminds the people of God that when they find themselves in the promised land they are to offer thanks to God and to recite their history -- which includes the fact that their lineage goes back to wanderers and nomads who owned very little.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
One can approach the sermon for this Sunday in several different ways. It can be part of a full-blown Thanksgiving service, a semi-Thanksgiving service that includes the Reign of Christ celebration, or a strictly Reign of Christ (Christ the King) service. The different lessons even work whichever way one chooses.
If you choose the full Thanksgiving route, then the Deuteronomy passage would be the key: the antidote to our pomposity is to give thanks to God, acknowledging that we have not gained what we have by our own hand alone but as a gracious gift from God. Then we turn to ourselves and realize that few of us have such a high-born or native-born history that we have any real claims to what we enjoy in this country.
A colleague of mine acknowledged that his own American roots are from people who either came to this country to avoid a military draft or came during the War of Independence to fight against the Americans, but who when captured were offered the choice of fighting for America or spending the war in a prison camp. They opted to switch sides. So his glorious heritage is made up of draft dodgers and traitors. Most of us, at some point in our past, have to recount that our parents were wanderers who came to this country looking for a better way of life. Yet we soon forget that our families came here as strangers. As one wag said, "My grandfather didn't come to this country to see it over run by immigrants."
If one desires to keep the Reign of Christ more centered, then one can still use the Thanksgiving Day lections and lean more heavily on the reading from John with Jesus' proclamation, "I am the Bread of Life." This will lead us back to the thanksgiving theme, as we acknowledge that true life comes as a gift from God through Jesus the Christ.
Even if one uses the Reign of Christ lections, one can still bring thanksgiving in either through the gospel, as the repentant thief was aware of his own sinfulness and the need to receive grace with thanksgiving from God through Jesus, and/or bringing in a reference to the Deuteronomy passage without its being read in its fullness.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Our observance this Sunday is in honor of the King of kings. But we might want to stop and ask ourselves if we know what we are doing. No one is inclined to impose on the Holy Gospel our political assumptions about monarchies. However, we should be prepared to answer what we mean when we say that Christ is King, when we pray for his kingdom to come, or when we try to explain what Jesus meant when he said that the "kingdom of God has come near." It was John Bright who wrote an excellent treatise called The Kingdom of God. Bright noted that the term "Kingdom of God" is used sparingly in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Testament. Yet the concept runs through both and is a unifying theme throughout both. Others have suggested that the Greek term for "kingdom," baseleia, is best translated "rule" -- i.e., the "rule of God." That underscores Bright's thesis. However, all that is intended in the concept of the rule of God is summarized, illustrated, personalized, and made reality in the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
* * *
There's an ancient story out of Taiwan, about a wise, young king who made it his mission to end the practice of human sacrifice. From time immemorial, it had been his people's practice once a year to execute an innocent victim. This, they believed, would placate the gods and insure a good harvest.
The new king outlawed human sacrifice -- and for a few years, the weather cooperated with his decree. But then a terrible drought hovered over the land and the crops began to fail. With each week that went by without rain, more and more of the people demanded a return to the old ways. Finally, the young king saw he had no way out. He had but two choices: rescind his decree banning human sacrifice or face revolution.
The king informed the dissenters of his decision: He would reinstate the sacrifice. He told them to go at dawn the next morning to a certain large tree in the forest. There they would find their victim, prepared for the executioner's sword. The executioner was to strike fast and true; this way, the harvest would be assured.
The next morning, the delegation followed the king's instructions to the letter. They found their victim tied to the tree, hooded and dressed in a red robe. With relief, they killed him immediately, chopping off his head. As the hood rolled away from the severed head, their joy turned to horror as they saw the sacrifice was none other than the young king himself.
They say human sacrifice stopped that day on Taiwan. It never came back. Even to this day, it is said that there are still followers of that young king. They dress in red robes on festival occasions to honor his memory. They call themselves "People of the Robe." In much the same way, Jesus -- Christ the King -- has sacrificed himself for us, once and for all.
* * *
George Whitefield was an Englishman who, along with Jonathan Edwards, was a part of the First Great Awakening in America. He is also noted for his humanitarian service of the establishment of orphanages. But he was not always a man of the cloth. That transformation only occurred after, as a young man, he read the Christian classic The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal. There are several sentences from this book that display what it means to be a participant in the shepherding ministry of Jesus, drawing a distinction between saying and doing: "When we have said all that we can, the secret mysteries of a new nature and divine life can never be sufficiently expressed; language and words can never reach them; nor can they be truly understood but by those souls that are enkindled within, and awakened unto the sense and relish spiritual things: 'There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth this understanding.' The power and life of religion may better be expressed in actions than words, because actions are more lively things, and do better represent the inward principle whence they proceed."
The concept of shepherding is prominent throughout the scriptures, always depicted with the concept of service. In the Old Testament God is portrayed as the shepherd of Israel. Moses, as a shepherd boy, employed the same talents in leading the sheep of his fold through the Exodus journey. This image is duplicated for so many of the great leaders of the Jewish people. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. David acquired his skill as a shepherd to defeat Goliath. In our lectionary reading for today, Jeremiah reminds us that God as assumed the imagery of a shepherd when he writes, "Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock."
The concept of sheepherding for the Old Testament patriarchs, and for ourselves this day, always begins with the image of God as the Good Shepherd.
* * *
Who but God could deal with all the sin of the ages...
all the suffering of the flesh...
all the sorrow of the heart?
None but God!
But not a God seated on a gilded throne high up in the heavens,
not some ethereal nebulous God floating about in space like a benevolent cloud...
not some four- or five-dimensional deity created by some Greek philosopher...
But a God walking through your front door and mine...
A God who lives and feels and understands...
A God who can sympathize... who has explored the vast treasuries of pain...
A God who knows what it feels like to weep...
A God who can remember the feeling of a tear trickling down the cheek...
Someone utterly pure -- in whom there is no spot nor blemish nor taint...
Someone willing to give himself at whatever cost of pain and suffering and death within this time process, and in the form of the life that you and I know... taking shape -- the body of a man... the form of a servant...
with a voice to speak to us...
a heart to feel for us...
eyes to weep with us...
hands to bless and to be nailed to a cross...
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows...."
-- Peter Marshall, The First Easter (McGraw-Hill, 1959)
* * *
"In [Christ]," writes Paul to the Colossians, "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." The Greek word used for "fullness" here, pleroma, is a rich one. It's often used to refer to merchant ships heavily laden with cargo. It's also the same word Mark uses as Jesus feeds the 5,000. When the miracle was all over, Mark tells us they had twelve baskets of leftover fragments of bread and fish. Those baskets were full -- pleroma.
The proper response to all this fullness -- and to the powerful experience of being rescued from darkness, and allowed to emigrate to the kingdom of the beloved Son -- is thanksgiving. That's the way the Pilgrims felt about it anyway, as they set foot in that new land their Native American neighbors called "Massachusetts." They had little in the way of material goods to be thankful for; but they considered themselves richly blessed with spiritual treasures. Most of all, they were thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ, who had given his life so they might live eternally.
* * *
The renowned artist Norman Rockwell longed to use his abilities to support the war effort. It was his desire to display the "big idea," summarizing the ideal for which Americans were fighting during World War II. Months passed without an inspiring thought. Suddenly at 3:00 AM on Thursday, July 16, 1942, Rockwell sat bolt upright in bed with the answer. President Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, pronounced "four essential human freedoms" that justified the nation's engagement in armed conflict. Rockwell would place these four freedoms on canvas, translating the spoken ideology of the president into commonplace scenes everyone could understand.
"Freedom of Speech" portrayed a man standing, speaking openly at a New England town meeting. "Freedom of Worship" depicted a group of people in prayer, each of a different faith. "Freedom from Fear" pictured two children being tucked into bed, safe and secure as their father held the evening paper with headlines reporting the bombing of Europe. "Freedom from Want" placed a multiple-generational family around the Thanksgiving dinner table, prominently displaying a turkey upon which all would feast.
During the season of Thanksgiving we recognize and celebrate our cherished freedoms. The public rejoices for the peace and prosperity that spans the country. Grateful for the civil liberties guaranteed every citizen, we respect our religious traditions and are mindful of the sacrifices made on our behalf.
* * *
Buoyed by the Union victory at Gettysburg, the 16th president of the United States acknowledged that one's attention in a time of national turmoil must be directed heavenward, with a thankful and contrite spirit. Thus, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a "Proclamation of Thanksgiving" in which he summoned the nation to prayer with these words:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union."
Societies, the same as individuals, require a "moral compass" by which to govern public affairs and individual behavior. As accommodating as we desire to be of all religious orientations, a nation absent of true north will wander in the desert of despondency. The Israelites, unable to raise their praises to their Deliverer and focus on the promised land, rambled aimlessly for 40 years. Afraid and seemingly abandoned, the people doubted. It is questioned why, for God provided guidance: "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night" (Exodus 13:21). If we keep forefront that the Christian God must always be our national foundation, we will journey through the sands of time not with despair, but as a living testimony to the "four freedoms" that enriches the lives of all and that justice will persevere over tyranny.
* * *
Patrick Henry stood at the third pew in St. John's Church. He looked older than his 39 years, dressed in a black suit, adorned in a white scarf, wearing a wig common to his day. He spoke to the Richmond Convention without notes, but it was obvious to all the speech had been prepared beforehand. The Continental Congress convened in March 1775, debating if a militia should be organized to defend the colonies against the tyranny of King George III. It was the third day of the convention and the representatives were still undecided. Many wanted to succumb to the rule of the monarch, even offering to write a letter of apology; others demanded to be self-governing. The burgess from Hanover spoke clearly, calling for the formation of a militia, challenging the delegates' patriotism with these thunderous last words: "Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" The speech was greeted with a somber silence. Awed, no one applauded. The resolution passed and a militia was enlisted.
Individuals standing forthright have guided America through the decades. Each patriot's act of bravery has protected this nation's sacred honor. The freedoms of the land prevail this day because of personal acts of heroism and sacrifice that were borne by previous generations of soldiers and civilians alike. It is a mantle that has been entrusted to us, and one that must be faithfully borne until passed onto the next generation. It is for these acts of patriotism, both past and present, that we give thanks on this national day of Thanksgiving.
* * *
The POWs huddled together in the C-141, unable to comprehend their journey to freedom. Years of captivity and abuse had now come to an end. The flight from Hanoi to Clark Field in the Philippines would bring the men home. Commander Jeremiah Denton, the senior officer aboard the transport, was invited to make a statement on behalf of the retuning airmen. The commander borrowed paper and pen from a nurse, composed a short speech, and committed it to memory. Soon the spokesman was standing before the reception. Surprised by the large crowd, overcome with emotion, the few prepared words seemed inadequate. The written word could not express what Denton really felt in his heart. Emotional, unrehearsed words slipped from his lips: "God bless America! Land that I love." This holiday season of Thanksgiving, all of us should show the appreciation that Jeremiah Denton did. We ought to offer the same simple acknowledgment, but yet the most far-reaching, in expressing our gratitude for the blessings of living in the United States. "God bless America!†Land that I love."
* * *
We do not debate the religious birthright of our nation, for that discussion was concluded long ago during a period of national crisis and despair. The religious sentiment aroused by the War Between the States resulted in this instruction, penned in a letter dated November 20, 1861, from Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase to James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a God-fearing motto: "No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition." The words "In God We Trust" were thus inscribed. This revelation that our currency ought to reflect the God-orientation of our nation was dated during the season of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, as our lonely national religious holiday, truly proclaims "In God We Trust."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God has raised up a mighty Savior for us.
People: We have seen the promised mercy of our God.
Leader: We have been rescued from our enemies.
People: Let us therefore serve God with gladness.
Leader: God's light is upon those who sit in darkness.
People: It will guide our feet into the way of peace.
OR
Leader: Come and worship our God and Sovereign.
People: We come to worship and adore our God.
Leader: Let us submit ourselves to the Reign of God in Christ.
People: We are God's obedient servants.
Leader: Let us live as the people of God.
People: We live to serve God and God's Reign.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Crown Him with Many Crowns"
found in:
UMH: 327
H82: 494
PH: 151
AAHH: 288
NNBH: 125
NCH: 301
CH: 234
LBW: 170
Renew: 56
"Hail, Thou Once-Despised Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 325
H82: 495
"Rejoice, the Lord Is King"
found in:
UMH: 715, 716
H82: 481
PH: 155
NCH: 303
CH: 699
LBW: 171
"Hail to the Lord's Anointed"
found in:
UMH: 203
H82: 616
AAHH: 187
NCH: 104
CH: 140
LBW: 87
Renew: 101
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
found in:
UMH: 154, 155
H82: 450, 451
PH: 142, 143
AAHH: 292, 293, 294
NNBH: 315
NCH: 304
CH: 91, 92
LBW: 328, 329
Renew: 45
"Jesus Shall Reign"
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
Renew: 296
"Alleluia, Alleluia"
found in:
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
Renew: 271
"Lift High the Cross"
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
Renew: 297
"All Hail King Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
"Lord, I Lift Your Name on High"
found in:
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is Sovereign over all creation: Grant to us, your servants, the grace to serve you and your reign with faithfulness and joy in this life and in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to bow before you, O Sovereign of all creation, for we are your people and the subjects of your reign. Receive our praise and empower us to live as your faithful people. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we are so quick to assert our rights and so slow to accept our responsibilities.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have claimed the name of Christ and thought that gave us special status. We have failed to take on the responsibilities of serving with Christ. We long to see him high and exalted, and we easily forget that he came in the form of a slave to serve you and others. We have not been true citizens of your reign but have tried to shape it to give us advantages. Forgive us and empower us with your Spirit, so that we might take our place as faithful members of your Christ. Amen.
Leader: God's reign is open to all, and God welcomes the stranger and the straggler into the fold.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, Sovereign of All, for it is by your love and grace that we exist. You are the Creator and are the Ruler over all that is.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have claimed the name of Christ and thought that gave us special status. We have failed to take on the responsibilities of serving with Christ. We long to see him high and exalted, and we easily forget that he came in the form of a slave to serve you and others. We have not been true citizens of your reign but have tried to shape it to give us advantages. Forgive us and empower us with your Spirit, so that we might take our place as faithful members of your Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which we see your gracious rule at work in our world and in our lives.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are still seeking a place to belong and a cause to which they can give their lives. We pray for those who have not yet discovered the joy of being your subjects or the lightness of your yoke.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
The trappings of kings and kingdoms: crowns, scepters, thrones, etc.; pictures of subjects bowing before a sovereign; a picture of the Christ reigning with the wounds of his crucifixion still evident.
Children's Sermon Starter
Play a game of "Pastor, May I" using the rules from "Mother, May I." After you have played for a while, talk about what it means to be the one who gets to give the commands and be in control. Talk about how we all like to be the one in charge but in life there is really only one who is smart enough and good enough to be in charge -- that is God through Christ Jesus.
Thanksgiving Day Worship Resources
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4-9; John 6:25-35
Call to Worship
Leader: Let the whole world shout for joy to God.
People: We come into God's presence with singing.
Leader: It is God who has made us.
People: We are God's people, God's sheep.
Leader: Give thanks to God and bless God's Name.
People: Our God is good, steadfast in love, and faithful forever.
OR
Leader: Come and give thanks to God.
People: We give thanks to our God from whom every good gift comes.
Leader: Come and acknowledge we are people of need.
People: We come as mere mortals with no claims on God's love.
Leader: Let us rejoice in God's goodness and love for all creation.
People: With joy we share God's love to all.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"
found in:
UMH: 694
H82: 290
PH: 551
AAHH: 194
NNBH: 327
NCH: 422
CH: 718
LBW: 407
"Now Thank We All Our God"
found in:
UMH: 102
H82: 396, 397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533, 534
"We Gather Together"
found in:
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
"All Creatures of Our God and King"
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
Renew: 47
"For the Beauty of the Earth"
found in:
UMH: 92
H82: 416
PH: 473
NNBH: 8
NCH: 28
CH: 56
LBW: 561
"Many and Great, O God"
found in:
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
"God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale"
found in:
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
"For the Fruits of this Creation"
found in:
UMH: 97
H82: 424
PH: 553
NCH: 425
CH: 714
LBW: 563
"Give Thanks"
found in:
CCB: 92
Renew: 266
"For the Gift of Creation"
found in:
CCB: 67
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who without consideration of persons gives to all: Grant us the grace to acknowledge you as the giver of all good gifts and ourselves as having no claim on your love; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship and adore you, O God, for you are the giver of all good gifts and the lover of the unlovely. You do not wait for us to earn your love but offer it without price to all. Fill us with your Spirit this day that we may go out and imitate your loving actions. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we view ourselves as better and more deserving of your love than others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have received so much from your hand, and yet we act as if we have produced it by our own works. We look at others and judge them as less worthy than ourselves. We have forgotten our heritage, which, however glorious in human terms, is but the heritage of creatures and not of Creator. Forgive us our blindness and open our eyes by the power of your Spirit that we might truly be thankful for you goodness and open to sharing it with others. Amen.
Leader: God's good gifts include the gift of forgiveness and the opportunity to amend life. With thanksgiving, live as God's children.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and give praise to the God of Creation, who opens the hand and feeds the creature. Your kindness offers to us all that we need for a life that is full of joy and abundant.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have received so much from your hand, and yet we act as if we have produced it by our own works. We look at others and judge them as less worthy than ourselves. We have forgotten our heritage, which, however glorious in human terms, is but the heritage of creatures and not of Creator. Forgive us our blindness and open our eyes by the power of your Spirit that we might truly be thankful for you goodness and open to sharing it with others.
We thank you for all the good gifts we have received from your hand. You have given us a wonderful world filled with all we need to survive and to live abundantly with joy. Most of all we thank you for Jesus, who has shown us how to live with joy and thanksgiving always.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to your care and help those who find it hard to be thankful at this time of year. There are those who are sick and dying; those who are grieving; those who do not have the things they need to sustain their lives or the lives of their loved ones. There are those who are oppressed by governments, addictions, and family members. As you seek them out and offer them your love and life, help us to be messengers of your love to all we come in contact with this week.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Besides the traditional cornucopia and other Thanksgiving Day items, pictures of folks entering Ellis Island as immigrants, modern folks living in refugee camps, etc.
Children's Sermon Starter
(I use this for Stewardship Sunday, but it can easily be adapted for Thanksgiving.)
Give the children ten coins. I use pennies, but use higher-value coins if you can afford it. I explain to the children that these are my coins. Even though I have given them the coins to hold, they are still my coins. I make a really big deal out of this and ask them several times, "Whose coins are these?" Then I tell them I want one of the coins back. The rest they can keep and use however they want to use them, but they should always remember that these are not their coins, they are mine, so they shouldn't use the coins on things I wouldn't approve of, like green beans for instance (which everyone in my congregation knows I despise).
Tell the children you didn't tell them everything they need to know. Actually, the coins belong to someone else. They belong to God -- just as everything on earth belongs to God. So place the coins they gave you back in the offering plate, and tell them you're doing that because that is what God asks for from us. The rest of the coins they can still use -- but when they spend them they should be thankful to God, because God is the one who has loaned them the coins to use.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Christ the King
Luke 23:33-43
Object: a crown or a picture of a crown
Good morning, boys and girls! Can anybody tell me what we call this Sunday in the church? (let them answer) This is Christ the King Sunday, the day we remember that Jesus is our king. Now what does a king wear on his head? (let them answer) Yes, that's right. A king wears a crown on his head to show that he is a king. Here is a crown that I brought with me today. Let me put it on _________'s head (or show the picture and rephrase the following question). Now, does having a crown on his/her head make __________ a king? (let them answer) No, of course it doesn't, and the opposite is also true. The absence of a crown doesn't mean that the person is not a king. The crown is just a symbol that a king may or may not wear at any given time.
Did Jesus ever wear a crown? (let them answer) Well, he never wore a crown like this, but they did put a crown of thorns on him when he was crucified. They also put a sign on his cross that said that he was the "King of the Jews." Do you think they did this to honor him because they really thought he was a king? (let them answer) No, they did it only to make fun of him. The people who killed him didn't really think that he was a king.
But you and I know that Jesus was a king then, and that he is a king now. And since he is the king, what do you and I have to do to show that we believe he is the king of the whole world? (let them answer) The most important thing we do is to obey him, to do what he wants us to do. In any kingdom, what the king says goes! He's the boss! So we need to honor our king by trying to do what he tells us to do.
Let's say a prayer to ask for our king's help in doing what he wants us to do.
Prayer: Dear King Jesus, we want to honor you as our king. Please give us the strength and the courage to always do what you want us to do. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 21, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Many of us are looking forward to Thanksgiving Day next Thursday, and team member George Reed provides some additional thoughts on preparing a sermon based on the Thanksgiving lections, whether for a Thanksgiving Day service or as part of this Sunday's service. Also, George offers a set of Thanksgiving worship resources in addition to the usual worship resources based on this week's theme. Several of this week's illustrations are keyed to Thanksgiving.
Of Kings and Kingdoms
by Dean Feldmeyer
Luke 23:33-43
Would it be safe to say that we Americans find talk of kings and kingdoms to be awkward, foreign, and maybe even a little offensive?
We don't do royalty here; we are a republic. We believe in democracy and egalitarianism. The very notion of a king ruling by divine right and telling us what we have to do is noxious to us. We live not by commands but by rights. We are a nation not of persons but of laws. Even the lowest, meanest criminal can say with confidence, "I know my rights."
So it's probably no wonder that we Christians tend to go there first when we find ourselves put off, put out, inconvenienced, irritated, annoyed, or ignored. Hey! We've got rights!
THE WORLD
American Christians like to talk about their rights. We are all very clear about the first amendment to the constitution. It comes, we recall, in two clauses. First is the establishment clause: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Then comes the exercise clause: "or the free exercise thereof." This amendment, we learn early on in our civics classes, gives us certain rights.
As Americans we are free to hold whatever religious beliefs we choose. We are even free to hold no religious beliefs. We are also free to exercise those beliefs -- that is, we are free to worship in whatever way we choose. No one can tell us what we have to believe, and no one can force us to act as though we believe something we don't. We go to church -- if and when we go to church -- because we choose to, not because we have to.
These freedoms given to us by God and protected by the Constitution have limits, however. If your worship rites include taking illegal drugs or torturing animals or making human sacrifices... well, we kind of draw the line there. No right, no matter how sacred, is absolute. Other people have rights too.
The arguments come when the rights of one group seem to conflict with the rights of another. When one group wants to put a copy of the Ten Commandments on the courthouse steps, they believe they should be able to -- and they cite the "free expression" clause. Another group says that the courthouse steps belong to everyone and should not be used to favor one religious expression over another -- and they cite the "establishment" clause.
Some say that this battle of the clauses should favor the majority -- we are a democracy, after all. The other group says that one of the major purposes of the Constitution is to protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority.
The debate over healthcare (which apparently is never going to end) is often another battle over rights. One group insists that essential health care is a basic human right of every individual. Others say that it isn't a right at all, it is a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
One group says that being required to carry health care insurance is in infringement of their rights, that they should be able to be uninsured and rely on the kindness of charities and strangers if they choose. Others insist that those who rely on charity are bankrupting our healthcare system and our hospitals, and depriving the rest of us from our right to quality care.
This past week a bipartisan committee has brought forth proposals on how to move toward balancing the national budget, and the immediate response from both sides of the political aisle was a very loud and vociferous discussion of rights -- whose were being infringed upon and whose were being upheld.
Whenever and wherever the democratic ideal is upheld, rhetoric and debate are usually couched in terms of rights. The battles are always fought over entitlements. But in the Roman empire of 30 CE, there was no democratic ideal. It had disappeared with the passing of Greece's golden era. The last vestiges of the Republic had disappeared in 15 CE when Tiberius Caesar transferred the elections from the popular assemblies to the Senate. The Emperor was immortal and divine. His word was law, his whim was edict.
Rights? No one spoke of rights. No one dared. The Empire was a law unto itself. The Empire was all.
THE WORD
On this last Sunday of the Christian year, Christ the King Sunday, we remember the scandalously subversive nature of Jesus' proclamation of an alternative empire to that of Caesar. And we remember the terrible risk and tremendous courage that were involved in that proclamation as well as the price he paid for making it.
In his brilliant book God and Empire, John Dominic Crossan lays out a striking comparison between the Empire (Kingdom) offered by Caesar and the Kingdom (Empire) offered by Jesus. Caesar's empire was based on power that was exercised through violence. The Pax Romana was a false peace teetering on a pinnacle built of repression, suppression, oppression, and cruelty. The Roman religion worshiped gods that were merely personifications of the empire itself. And they worshiped emperors whose power came through their ability to crush any alternative from of rule. Peace was an illusion, merely a time of quiet created by the power of the legions to punish and quiet all dissenting voices.
The kingdom offered by Jesus was a true alternative to that of Rome. This was a kingdom built on love and kindness, whose goal was justice and whose end was shalom -- true peace. In this kingdom, the first are last and the last are first, the privileged and powerful are brought low, and the weak and powerless are raised up. The poor, the hungry, those who mourn, and those who make peace are blessed -- while the fat and well-fed, the comfortable and the violent, are doomed to lives of woeful existence. Those who are blind are made to see, and those who can see, don't. The foul are made clean, the outcasts are included, the guilty are forgiven, and the lonely are embraced. This is the alternative kingdom that Jesus offers for those who would accept and follow him -- not as elected leader, as president, but as Lord.
The battle over "rights" is a contemporary aberration. It never appears in the New Testament. It is an "extra-biblical" concern and one of secondary importance for Christians. Our concern is over kingdoms. Our choice is not about whose rights win out, but over which kingdom we will serve. Kings and kingdoms, you see, do not bestow rights -- they demand allegiance. They do not protect entitlements -- they require fealty. They do not speak of prerogatives but of duties and responsibilities.
The passage under consideration this week (Luke 23:33-43) reminds us of how seriously Jesus took his duties and responsibilities. The question for us is how seriously, as we enter this new Christian year, we will take ours.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The text for Christ the King Sunday is a serious one that makes serious demands upon the preacher as well as the congregation. The key to an effective sermon is to make sure the indicative speaks as loudly as the imperative.
The indicative is found in the comparison of the two kingdoms: Caesar vs. Jesus. A skillfully crafted sermon will draw careful and precise parallels to show how Caesar's empire is still very much alive and viable in our world today. The promise of peace through violence and oppression is as much a false promise in the western world as it is in the east. And we must also show, in concrete terms, how the kingdom of Jesus is still a viable alternative to that violent and oppressive one.
The kingdom of God still calls out to us, offering us a radical alternative based on love, kindness, gentleness, and compassion. And because of this, it is still as subversive, scandalous, and dangerous as it ever was.
The imperative of the text is the invitation to join, as we enter a new Christian year, not a church but a radical, subversive movement that challenges the assumptions of Caesar's empire wherever it raises its head... and bids welcome to all who would live for grace and love.
Scary? Dangerous? You bet. But that's why we have Easter.
ANOTHER VIEW
Thanksgiving: The Antidote
by George Reed
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4-9; John 6:25-35
We live in a time when many people look to the church and Christians and are not favorably impressed by what they see. The common perception is of a group that is hateful and bigoted with a very inflated sense of its own importance. We find many examples where Christians are claiming the right to make laws that require everyone to abide by their idea of what a Christian lifestyle looks like, even though there is debate within the Christian community over whether this is a Christian stance or not. When this assumption of the right to enact laws based on Christian standards is confronted, the response is often the assertion that "this is a Christian nation" and those who don't like it should leave.
The Deuteronomy passage assigned by the lectionary for Thanksgiving Day reminds the people of God that when they find themselves in the promised land they are to offer thanks to God and to recite their history -- which includes the fact that their lineage goes back to wanderers and nomads who owned very little.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
One can approach the sermon for this Sunday in several different ways. It can be part of a full-blown Thanksgiving service, a semi-Thanksgiving service that includes the Reign of Christ celebration, or a strictly Reign of Christ (Christ the King) service. The different lessons even work whichever way one chooses.
If you choose the full Thanksgiving route, then the Deuteronomy passage would be the key: the antidote to our pomposity is to give thanks to God, acknowledging that we have not gained what we have by our own hand alone but as a gracious gift from God. Then we turn to ourselves and realize that few of us have such a high-born or native-born history that we have any real claims to what we enjoy in this country.
A colleague of mine acknowledged that his own American roots are from people who either came to this country to avoid a military draft or came during the War of Independence to fight against the Americans, but who when captured were offered the choice of fighting for America or spending the war in a prison camp. They opted to switch sides. So his glorious heritage is made up of draft dodgers and traitors. Most of us, at some point in our past, have to recount that our parents were wanderers who came to this country looking for a better way of life. Yet we soon forget that our families came here as strangers. As one wag said, "My grandfather didn't come to this country to see it over run by immigrants."
If one desires to keep the Reign of Christ more centered, then one can still use the Thanksgiving Day lections and lean more heavily on the reading from John with Jesus' proclamation, "I am the Bread of Life." This will lead us back to the thanksgiving theme, as we acknowledge that true life comes as a gift from God through Jesus the Christ.
Even if one uses the Reign of Christ lections, one can still bring thanksgiving in either through the gospel, as the repentant thief was aware of his own sinfulness and the need to receive grace with thanksgiving from God through Jesus, and/or bringing in a reference to the Deuteronomy passage without its being read in its fullness.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Our observance this Sunday is in honor of the King of kings. But we might want to stop and ask ourselves if we know what we are doing. No one is inclined to impose on the Holy Gospel our political assumptions about monarchies. However, we should be prepared to answer what we mean when we say that Christ is King, when we pray for his kingdom to come, or when we try to explain what Jesus meant when he said that the "kingdom of God has come near." It was John Bright who wrote an excellent treatise called The Kingdom of God. Bright noted that the term "Kingdom of God" is used sparingly in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Testament. Yet the concept runs through both and is a unifying theme throughout both. Others have suggested that the Greek term for "kingdom," baseleia, is best translated "rule" -- i.e., the "rule of God." That underscores Bright's thesis. However, all that is intended in the concept of the rule of God is summarized, illustrated, personalized, and made reality in the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
* * *
There's an ancient story out of Taiwan, about a wise, young king who made it his mission to end the practice of human sacrifice. From time immemorial, it had been his people's practice once a year to execute an innocent victim. This, they believed, would placate the gods and insure a good harvest.
The new king outlawed human sacrifice -- and for a few years, the weather cooperated with his decree. But then a terrible drought hovered over the land and the crops began to fail. With each week that went by without rain, more and more of the people demanded a return to the old ways. Finally, the young king saw he had no way out. He had but two choices: rescind his decree banning human sacrifice or face revolution.
The king informed the dissenters of his decision: He would reinstate the sacrifice. He told them to go at dawn the next morning to a certain large tree in the forest. There they would find their victim, prepared for the executioner's sword. The executioner was to strike fast and true; this way, the harvest would be assured.
The next morning, the delegation followed the king's instructions to the letter. They found their victim tied to the tree, hooded and dressed in a red robe. With relief, they killed him immediately, chopping off his head. As the hood rolled away from the severed head, their joy turned to horror as they saw the sacrifice was none other than the young king himself.
They say human sacrifice stopped that day on Taiwan. It never came back. Even to this day, it is said that there are still followers of that young king. They dress in red robes on festival occasions to honor his memory. They call themselves "People of the Robe." In much the same way, Jesus -- Christ the King -- has sacrificed himself for us, once and for all.
* * *
George Whitefield was an Englishman who, along with Jonathan Edwards, was a part of the First Great Awakening in America. He is also noted for his humanitarian service of the establishment of orphanages. But he was not always a man of the cloth. That transformation only occurred after, as a young man, he read the Christian classic The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal. There are several sentences from this book that display what it means to be a participant in the shepherding ministry of Jesus, drawing a distinction between saying and doing: "When we have said all that we can, the secret mysteries of a new nature and divine life can never be sufficiently expressed; language and words can never reach them; nor can they be truly understood but by those souls that are enkindled within, and awakened unto the sense and relish spiritual things: 'There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth this understanding.' The power and life of religion may better be expressed in actions than words, because actions are more lively things, and do better represent the inward principle whence they proceed."
The concept of shepherding is prominent throughout the scriptures, always depicted with the concept of service. In the Old Testament God is portrayed as the shepherd of Israel. Moses, as a shepherd boy, employed the same talents in leading the sheep of his fold through the Exodus journey. This image is duplicated for so many of the great leaders of the Jewish people. The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. David acquired his skill as a shepherd to defeat Goliath. In our lectionary reading for today, Jeremiah reminds us that God as assumed the imagery of a shepherd when he writes, "Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock."
The concept of sheepherding for the Old Testament patriarchs, and for ourselves this day, always begins with the image of God as the Good Shepherd.
* * *
Who but God could deal with all the sin of the ages...
all the suffering of the flesh...
all the sorrow of the heart?
None but God!
But not a God seated on a gilded throne high up in the heavens,
not some ethereal nebulous God floating about in space like a benevolent cloud...
not some four- or five-dimensional deity created by some Greek philosopher...
But a God walking through your front door and mine...
A God who lives and feels and understands...
A God who can sympathize... who has explored the vast treasuries of pain...
A God who knows what it feels like to weep...
A God who can remember the feeling of a tear trickling down the cheek...
Someone utterly pure -- in whom there is no spot nor blemish nor taint...
Someone willing to give himself at whatever cost of pain and suffering and death within this time process, and in the form of the life that you and I know... taking shape -- the body of a man... the form of a servant...
with a voice to speak to us...
a heart to feel for us...
eyes to weep with us...
hands to bless and to be nailed to a cross...
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows...."
-- Peter Marshall, The First Easter (McGraw-Hill, 1959)
* * *
"In [Christ]," writes Paul to the Colossians, "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." The Greek word used for "fullness" here, pleroma, is a rich one. It's often used to refer to merchant ships heavily laden with cargo. It's also the same word Mark uses as Jesus feeds the 5,000. When the miracle was all over, Mark tells us they had twelve baskets of leftover fragments of bread and fish. Those baskets were full -- pleroma.
The proper response to all this fullness -- and to the powerful experience of being rescued from darkness, and allowed to emigrate to the kingdom of the beloved Son -- is thanksgiving. That's the way the Pilgrims felt about it anyway, as they set foot in that new land their Native American neighbors called "Massachusetts." They had little in the way of material goods to be thankful for; but they considered themselves richly blessed with spiritual treasures. Most of all, they were thankful for the gift of Jesus Christ, who had given his life so they might live eternally.
* * *
The renowned artist Norman Rockwell longed to use his abilities to support the war effort. It was his desire to display the "big idea," summarizing the ideal for which Americans were fighting during World War II. Months passed without an inspiring thought. Suddenly at 3:00 AM on Thursday, July 16, 1942, Rockwell sat bolt upright in bed with the answer. President Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, pronounced "four essential human freedoms" that justified the nation's engagement in armed conflict. Rockwell would place these four freedoms on canvas, translating the spoken ideology of the president into commonplace scenes everyone could understand.
"Freedom of Speech" portrayed a man standing, speaking openly at a New England town meeting. "Freedom of Worship" depicted a group of people in prayer, each of a different faith. "Freedom from Fear" pictured two children being tucked into bed, safe and secure as their father held the evening paper with headlines reporting the bombing of Europe. "Freedom from Want" placed a multiple-generational family around the Thanksgiving dinner table, prominently displaying a turkey upon which all would feast.
During the season of Thanksgiving we recognize and celebrate our cherished freedoms. The public rejoices for the peace and prosperity that spans the country. Grateful for the civil liberties guaranteed every citizen, we respect our religious traditions and are mindful of the sacrifices made on our behalf.
* * *
Buoyed by the Union victory at Gettysburg, the 16th president of the United States acknowledged that one's attention in a time of national turmoil must be directed heavenward, with a thankful and contrite spirit. Thus, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a "Proclamation of Thanksgiving" in which he summoned the nation to prayer with these words:
"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union."
Societies, the same as individuals, require a "moral compass" by which to govern public affairs and individual behavior. As accommodating as we desire to be of all religious orientations, a nation absent of true north will wander in the desert of despondency. The Israelites, unable to raise their praises to their Deliverer and focus on the promised land, rambled aimlessly for 40 years. Afraid and seemingly abandoned, the people doubted. It is questioned why, for God provided guidance: "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night" (Exodus 13:21). If we keep forefront that the Christian God must always be our national foundation, we will journey through the sands of time not with despair, but as a living testimony to the "four freedoms" that enriches the lives of all and that justice will persevere over tyranny.
* * *
Patrick Henry stood at the third pew in St. John's Church. He looked older than his 39 years, dressed in a black suit, adorned in a white scarf, wearing a wig common to his day. He spoke to the Richmond Convention without notes, but it was obvious to all the speech had been prepared beforehand. The Continental Congress convened in March 1775, debating if a militia should be organized to defend the colonies against the tyranny of King George III. It was the third day of the convention and the representatives were still undecided. Many wanted to succumb to the rule of the monarch, even offering to write a letter of apology; others demanded to be self-governing. The burgess from Hanover spoke clearly, calling for the formation of a militia, challenging the delegates' patriotism with these thunderous last words: "Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" The speech was greeted with a somber silence. Awed, no one applauded. The resolution passed and a militia was enlisted.
Individuals standing forthright have guided America through the decades. Each patriot's act of bravery has protected this nation's sacred honor. The freedoms of the land prevail this day because of personal acts of heroism and sacrifice that were borne by previous generations of soldiers and civilians alike. It is a mantle that has been entrusted to us, and one that must be faithfully borne until passed onto the next generation. It is for these acts of patriotism, both past and present, that we give thanks on this national day of Thanksgiving.
* * *
The POWs huddled together in the C-141, unable to comprehend their journey to freedom. Years of captivity and abuse had now come to an end. The flight from Hanoi to Clark Field in the Philippines would bring the men home. Commander Jeremiah Denton, the senior officer aboard the transport, was invited to make a statement on behalf of the retuning airmen. The commander borrowed paper and pen from a nurse, composed a short speech, and committed it to memory. Soon the spokesman was standing before the reception. Surprised by the large crowd, overcome with emotion, the few prepared words seemed inadequate. The written word could not express what Denton really felt in his heart. Emotional, unrehearsed words slipped from his lips: "God bless America! Land that I love." This holiday season of Thanksgiving, all of us should show the appreciation that Jeremiah Denton did. We ought to offer the same simple acknowledgment, but yet the most far-reaching, in expressing our gratitude for the blessings of living in the United States. "God bless America!†Land that I love."
* * *
We do not debate the religious birthright of our nation, for that discussion was concluded long ago during a period of national crisis and despair. The religious sentiment aroused by the War Between the States resulted in this instruction, penned in a letter dated November 20, 1861, from Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase to James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a God-fearing motto: "No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible this national recognition." The words "In God We Trust" were thus inscribed. This revelation that our currency ought to reflect the God-orientation of our nation was dated during the season of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, as our lonely national religious holiday, truly proclaims "In God We Trust."
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God has raised up a mighty Savior for us.
People: We have seen the promised mercy of our God.
Leader: We have been rescued from our enemies.
People: Let us therefore serve God with gladness.
Leader: God's light is upon those who sit in darkness.
People: It will guide our feet into the way of peace.
OR
Leader: Come and worship our God and Sovereign.
People: We come to worship and adore our God.
Leader: Let us submit ourselves to the Reign of God in Christ.
People: We are God's obedient servants.
Leader: Let us live as the people of God.
People: We live to serve God and God's Reign.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Crown Him with Many Crowns"
found in:
UMH: 327
H82: 494
PH: 151
AAHH: 288
NNBH: 125
NCH: 301
CH: 234
LBW: 170
Renew: 56
"Hail, Thou Once-Despised Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 325
H82: 495
"Rejoice, the Lord Is King"
found in:
UMH: 715, 716
H82: 481
PH: 155
NCH: 303
CH: 699
LBW: 171
"Hail to the Lord's Anointed"
found in:
UMH: 203
H82: 616
AAHH: 187
NCH: 104
CH: 140
LBW: 87
Renew: 101
"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name"
found in:
UMH: 154, 155
H82: 450, 451
PH: 142, 143
AAHH: 292, 293, 294
NNBH: 315
NCH: 304
CH: 91, 92
LBW: 328, 329
Renew: 45
"Jesus Shall Reign"
found in:
UMH: 157
H82: 544
PH: 423
NNBH: 10
NCH: 300
CH: 95
LBW: 530
Renew: 296
"Alleluia, Alleluia"
found in:
UMH: 162
H82: 178
PH: 106
CH: 40
Renew: 271
"Lift High the Cross"
found in:
UMH: 159
H82: 473
PH: 371
AAHH: 242
NCH: 198
CH: 108
LBW: 377
Renew: 297
"All Hail King Jesus"
found in:
CCB: 29
Renew: 35
"Lord, I Lift Your Name on High"
found in:
CCB: 36
Renew: 4
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is Sovereign over all creation: Grant to us, your servants, the grace to serve you and your reign with faithfulness and joy in this life and in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to bow before you, O Sovereign of all creation, for we are your people and the subjects of your reign. Receive our praise and empower us to live as your faithful people. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we are so quick to assert our rights and so slow to accept our responsibilities.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have claimed the name of Christ and thought that gave us special status. We have failed to take on the responsibilities of serving with Christ. We long to see him high and exalted, and we easily forget that he came in the form of a slave to serve you and others. We have not been true citizens of your reign but have tried to shape it to give us advantages. Forgive us and empower us with your Spirit, so that we might take our place as faithful members of your Christ. Amen.
Leader: God's reign is open to all, and God welcomes the stranger and the straggler into the fold.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, Sovereign of All, for it is by your love and grace that we exist. You are the Creator and are the Ruler over all that is.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have claimed the name of Christ and thought that gave us special status. We have failed to take on the responsibilities of serving with Christ. We long to see him high and exalted, and we easily forget that he came in the form of a slave to serve you and others. We have not been true citizens of your reign but have tried to shape it to give us advantages. Forgive us and empower us with your Spirit, so that we might take our place as faithful members of your Christ.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which we see your gracious rule at work in our world and in our lives.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are still seeking a place to belong and a cause to which they can give their lives. We pray for those who have not yet discovered the joy of being your subjects or the lightness of your yoke.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
The trappings of kings and kingdoms: crowns, scepters, thrones, etc.; pictures of subjects bowing before a sovereign; a picture of the Christ reigning with the wounds of his crucifixion still evident.
Children's Sermon Starter
Play a game of "Pastor, May I" using the rules from "Mother, May I." After you have played for a while, talk about what it means to be the one who gets to give the commands and be in control. Talk about how we all like to be the one in charge but in life there is really only one who is smart enough and good enough to be in charge -- that is God through Christ Jesus.
Thanksgiving Day Worship Resources
Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4-9; John 6:25-35
Call to Worship
Leader: Let the whole world shout for joy to God.
People: We come into God's presence with singing.
Leader: It is God who has made us.
People: We are God's people, God's sheep.
Leader: Give thanks to God and bless God's Name.
People: Our God is good, steadfast in love, and faithful forever.
OR
Leader: Come and give thanks to God.
People: We give thanks to our God from whom every good gift comes.
Leader: Come and acknowledge we are people of need.
People: We come as mere mortals with no claims on God's love.
Leader: Let us rejoice in God's goodness and love for all creation.
People: With joy we share God's love to all.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"
found in:
UMH: 694
H82: 290
PH: 551
AAHH: 194
NNBH: 327
NCH: 422
CH: 718
LBW: 407
"Now Thank We All Our God"
found in:
UMH: 102
H82: 396, 397
PH: 555
NNBH: 330
NCH: 419
CH: 715
LBW: 533, 534
"We Gather Together"
found in:
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
"All Creatures of Our God and King"
found in:
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
Renew: 47
"For the Beauty of the Earth"
found in:
UMH: 92
H82: 416
PH: 473
NNBH: 8
NCH: 28
CH: 56
LBW: 561
"Many and Great, O God"
found in:
UMH: 148
H82: 385
PH: 271
NCH: 3
CH: 58
"God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale"
found in:
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
"For the Fruits of this Creation"
found in:
UMH: 97
H82: 424
PH: 553
NCH: 425
CH: 714
LBW: 563
"Give Thanks"
found in:
CCB: 92
Renew: 266
"For the Gift of Creation"
found in:
CCB: 67
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who without consideration of persons gives to all: Grant us the grace to acknowledge you as the giver of all good gifts and ourselves as having no claim on your love; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come to worship and adore you, O God, for you are the giver of all good gifts and the lover of the unlovely. You do not wait for us to earn your love but offer it without price to all. Fill us with your Spirit this day that we may go out and imitate your loving actions. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we view ourselves as better and more deserving of your love than others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have received so much from your hand, and yet we act as if we have produced it by our own works. We look at others and judge them as less worthy than ourselves. We have forgotten our heritage, which, however glorious in human terms, is but the heritage of creatures and not of Creator. Forgive us our blindness and open our eyes by the power of your Spirit that we might truly be thankful for you goodness and open to sharing it with others. Amen.
Leader: God's good gifts include the gift of forgiveness and the opportunity to amend life. With thanksgiving, live as God's children.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and give praise to the God of Creation, who opens the hand and feeds the creature. Your kindness offers to us all that we need for a life that is full of joy and abundant.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have received so much from your hand, and yet we act as if we have produced it by our own works. We look at others and judge them as less worthy than ourselves. We have forgotten our heritage, which, however glorious in human terms, is but the heritage of creatures and not of Creator. Forgive us our blindness and open our eyes by the power of your Spirit that we might truly be thankful for you goodness and open to sharing it with others.
We thank you for all the good gifts we have received from your hand. You have given us a wonderful world filled with all we need to survive and to live abundantly with joy. Most of all we thank you for Jesus, who has shown us how to live with joy and thanksgiving always.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We offer to your care and help those who find it hard to be thankful at this time of year. There are those who are sick and dying; those who are grieving; those who do not have the things they need to sustain their lives or the lives of their loved ones. There are those who are oppressed by governments, addictions, and family members. As you seek them out and offer them your love and life, help us to be messengers of your love to all we come in contact with this week.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Besides the traditional cornucopia and other Thanksgiving Day items, pictures of folks entering Ellis Island as immigrants, modern folks living in refugee camps, etc.
Children's Sermon Starter
(I use this for Stewardship Sunday, but it can easily be adapted for Thanksgiving.)
Give the children ten coins. I use pennies, but use higher-value coins if you can afford it. I explain to the children that these are my coins. Even though I have given them the coins to hold, they are still my coins. I make a really big deal out of this and ask them several times, "Whose coins are these?" Then I tell them I want one of the coins back. The rest they can keep and use however they want to use them, but they should always remember that these are not their coins, they are mine, so they shouldn't use the coins on things I wouldn't approve of, like green beans for instance (which everyone in my congregation knows I despise).
Tell the children you didn't tell them everything they need to know. Actually, the coins belong to someone else. They belong to God -- just as everything on earth belongs to God. So place the coins they gave you back in the offering plate, and tell them you're doing that because that is what God asks for from us. The rest of the coins they can still use -- but when they spend them they should be thankful to God, because God is the one who has loaned them the coins to use.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Christ the King
Luke 23:33-43
Object: a crown or a picture of a crown
Good morning, boys and girls! Can anybody tell me what we call this Sunday in the church? (let them answer) This is Christ the King Sunday, the day we remember that Jesus is our king. Now what does a king wear on his head? (let them answer) Yes, that's right. A king wears a crown on his head to show that he is a king. Here is a crown that I brought with me today. Let me put it on _________'s head (or show the picture and rephrase the following question). Now, does having a crown on his/her head make __________ a king? (let them answer) No, of course it doesn't, and the opposite is also true. The absence of a crown doesn't mean that the person is not a king. The crown is just a symbol that a king may or may not wear at any given time.
Did Jesus ever wear a crown? (let them answer) Well, he never wore a crown like this, but they did put a crown of thorns on him when he was crucified. They also put a sign on his cross that said that he was the "King of the Jews." Do you think they did this to honor him because they really thought he was a king? (let them answer) No, they did it only to make fun of him. The people who killed him didn't really think that he was a king.
But you and I know that Jesus was a king then, and that he is a king now. And since he is the king, what do you and I have to do to show that we believe he is the king of the whole world? (let them answer) The most important thing we do is to obey him, to do what he wants us to do. In any kingdom, what the king says goes! He's the boss! So we need to honor our king by trying to do what he tells us to do.
Let's say a prayer to ask for our king's help in doing what he wants us to do.
Prayer: Dear King Jesus, we want to honor you as our king. Please give us the strength and the courage to always do what you want us to do. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, November 21, 2010, issue.
Copyright 2010 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
