Christ the King
Christ the King or the Reign of Christ, is the last Sunday of the Liturgical year. The great cycle of feasts and seasons, which began 52 weeks ago on the first Sunday of Advent, will end with this grand finale called the Feast of Christ the King.
Simply put, this is the time to put all other illusions of governance behind and claim that the true leader of our hearts and minds is Christ.
With Christ as our primary leader, we put all other loyalties aside and work and live and worship and play in a way that brings the reign of Christ to reality in the right here, right now.
As people of faith, we profess hope in divine purpose; divine purpose being a world where human diversity is valued and white supremacy in all of its forms are once and for all defeated; a world where all the hungry are fed, a world where people in poverty are not shamed, but clothed and cared for. Jesus tells us again and again that this is how we make God’s purposes for the world a reality, but there we stand stupefied wondering what God desires of us.
Faithful people think very hard on these things, but somehow, we wait on something outside of our own lives to happen. We think we are helpless victims when all the while we wait we participate in social and political actions that hurt all those whom Jesus tells us to love and serve.
Do we live in the world or are we living to make the reign of God a reality in the here and now? It is an important question that we must ask ourselves every day because every day we have many opportunities to decide… Are we living God’s dream, or giving in to the nightmare of a world that divides and spreads pain instead of healing it? Are we serving God’s hope in the everyday artifacts of our lives?
Whether we are conscious of it or not, there are voices, both internal and external, which direct and rule our hearts in every moment.
A hundred years ago, the Scottish theologian P. T. Forsyth said it perfectly: “The first duty of every soul is not to find its freedom, but its Master.”
And then he added: “If within us we find nothing over us, we succumb to what is around us.”[1]
In other words, we’re all ruled and guided by something, and if we aren’t very clear about what that is, then there is no shortage of impulses, passions, ambitions, ideologies, agendas, and distractions to swallow us up and sweep us away—far away from the kingdom of God.
I don’t think there is another time in history for those of us alive and listening to this right now that this has mattered more. Led by our desire to make the kingdom come we can be healers in a world that is weary and sick in more ways than one.
My prayer is that we will listen to that persistent voice that not even death could silence, the voice that speaks our name and says, “Follow me.”
Drop everything, and follow me. Few of us are ready for such total surrender to the call. We give a bit of ourselves, part of the time.
The great hope of following Jesus is that we learn little by little to not only live in the Kingdom of God here and now, but help create the kingdom of God now and here.
But all of us have a sticking point, something that gives us pause in the gospel. Some place or point on which we get stuck-that feels just too far…
Jesus gets that about us. And still, he never gives up on us. He knows we can do it.
But it’s not just about feeling spiritual or centered within ourselves. The heart, as crucial as it is, is too small a kingdom for Jesus. And when we live in our lives what we pray with our lips, it is then that Christ becomes King over our whole lives.
So a question we might ask ourselves daily is this: How and where in our lives are we making the rule of Christ visible - in the choices we make, our arrangement of priorities, in how we spend the cares and occupations of this life?
How does our habitual way of being, our very character, make it clear that we have been shaped and formed by the story and person of Jesus, that we have been marked as Christ’s own forever?
Join us this Sunday as we ponder these things and celebrate the wonderful life that God spreads before us every day. We will also celebrate the in-gathering of pledges as we rejoice in how very far we have come by faith. The kingdom of God is surrounding us on every side just waiting for us to step within its borders and make Christ the King of all that we do and the very source of all that we are.
Grace and Peace,
Mother Stephanie
[1] (Leander E. Keck, Who is Jesus? History in the Perfect Tense, 164, 167)
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New Poll! We want to know... |
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At what time would you attend a Christmas Eve Festival Eucharist?
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We would like to say “Thank you!” for your faithful giving and dedication to St. Paul’s. Without your support, and the support of the parish, St. Paul’s would not be able to have the impact on our community that we do. You should have received your stewardship letters in the mail. We ask that you please review these letters and consider them thoughtfully. Please return all pledge cards by Sunday, November 21st.
Over the past couple of years, everything has been different, to say the least. And with that, we have had to change the way that we do things in order to navigate this ever-changing world. This year St. Paul’s launched with our Online Giving Platform.
For those of you who pledge, the Online Giving Platform can be especially helpful for you. The platform allows for you to set up a reoccurring gift, to be taken directly from your credit card or banking account, at the time of your choosing. A reoccurring gift is not required to be set up for pledges but can make the process easier.
We believe that financial transparency builds trust and is a mark of stewardship, so we want to take a moment to remind you that there is a small cost for this convenience. You’ll have the opportunity to help cover the cost of processing when you give. Please know that this is 100% optional and will be credited towards your , but we appreciate your partnership in making your gift go as far as possible to impact our mission.
If you have any questions about stewardship or online giving, please reach out to Morgen in the office.
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SOCK DRIVE
Thank you to everyone who has donated towards our clothing and coat drives. Our clothing ministry is now in need of socks for all genders and sizes.
Please consider donating only gently used or new items to this important cause
All donations can be dropped off by the church office.
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Dear Friends,
In addition to our children’s lunch bags, we will be making Christmas parcels for the children that come to Crisis Assistance. With your help we can put a smile on their sweet faces. We hope to have them ready to hand out mid December. I already have gloves, socks, blankets, toothbrush, toothpaste, coloring books, crayons, notebooks, balls, jump ropes, and there is a sponsor for matchbox cars and necklaces. I am asking for donations of individual packets of instant oatmeal, granola bars, Christmas candy, hot chocolate packets, or monetary donations and we will be happy to shop for you. Please bring donations to the church office or call me if you have any questions, 336.984.9690. Thank you.
Peace,
Ruth Harris
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Do you like to sing?
The St. Paul's choir is looking for new members!
Rehearsal is on Wednesday at 5:15 and on Sunday morning at 9:45, followed by the 10:30 worship service. We sing all kinds of music, ranging from Renaissance motets to spirituals, and we have fun doing so!
If interested, contact our Director of Music, Russ Stinson, at [email protected]. He'd love to hear from you!
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PARISH OFFICE PROJECT
IS STILL IN MOTION!
Plans are moving forward to upgrade the parish office space. We are in discussion with an architect who is planning a revision that is focused the ground floor of the sanctuary that currently houses the library and choir room. These plans will insure accessibility, staff safety, and confidentiality of visitors among other needful improvements.
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MASKS REQUIRED IN WORSHIP
Masks will be worn for inside worship and other inside activities for the foreseeable future.
In small group gatherings of vaccinated individuals it is appropriate to have a discussion as to whether you want to wear masks or not. But please wear masks if even one member of the group prefers this important safety measure.
Please help us put an end to this Pandemic by getting vaccinated.
Love yourself, love your neighbor, get vaccinated!
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LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
AND
YOURSELF!
GET VACCINATED!!
PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY!
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Assistance Ministries on Thursdays!
Our Assistance team is back in business! A special thank you to all of those who come out and volunteer their time.
Crisis Assistance and Step Ahead will be holding lunches from 11:30am-1:00pm on Thursdays. For now, the lunches provided will be bagged.
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SIGN UP TODAY!
Sponsor our Sunday Flowers to Honor Your Special Memories and Occasions!
Signup sheet and envelopes are in the commons.
Cost: $40 for one vase and $80 for two.
Sign up for one or both vases.
Standing order with City Florist, who will bill the church monthly. If you want something special for your two vases, call City Florist with your request. In that case, if you pay them directly, let them know your flowers replace our order.
If you want to “do your own thing” sign up for both vases then let Kathie Smith know at least a week before your chosen Sunday, so that the standing order can be canceled.
You can now access the flowers sign up form online! Click the button below to sign up today.
The form can also be accessed via the app.
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Join us for Worship on YouTube or click on the link on our website! |
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Ongoing Ministry Opportunities Below!
Listed below are on-going opportunities to give, participate, and serve at St. Paul's. We don't want these ministry activities to become "wallpaper" as they do change slightly from time to time so check in each week and see what invitation to serve might be calling your name!
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CARE & FEEDING FUND
Offering Hospitality in Time of Need
Thank you for your generosity! $2230.00 so far...
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Hospitality is a primary call of faith community. We all have times in our lives when circumstances overwhelm our basic needs and that is when the the care and feeding of our members becomes a paramount need.
There are many in our church family that could use and appreciate a meal. Since COVID, our Feed My Sheep Teams have been inactive.
Until such a time when we can get those teams up and running we are starting a Care & Feeding Fund.
We have received $2230 worth of donations towards our Care and Feeding Fund. A special thank you to those who contributed.
If you would like to donate to this fund by writing Care and Feeding Fund in the memo line of your check, we will purchase food and deliver to our parishioners in need.
Donations can be mailed or dropped off by the church office. And again, please make all checks out to St. Paul’s with the memo of Care & Feeding Fund.
Thank you!
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SHAWL MINISTRY
“You created every part of me, knitting me in my mother’s womb.
For such handiwork, I praise you. Awesome this great wonder!”
Psalm 139:13-14
Prayer shawls are made to provide warmth, comfort, healing, and peace to those who may need it.
If anyone is inclined to knit or crochet a shawl and would like to donate it to the churches shawl collection, donations can be dropped off at the church office.
A special thank you to those who have made and donated shawls in support of our ministry.
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The Oct/Nov/Dec issues of Forward Day by Day are in the mailbox by the front door of the office.
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UPDATE
New Vestry Minutes have been added. August minutes are now available!
Click button to go directly there
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Altar Guild
Nov 21 - Pam & Drew Mayberry
Nov 28 - Mary & Mike Southwell
Readers
Nov 21 - Robin Shumate (8:30)
Nov 21 - Nancy Scroggs (10:30)
Nov 28 - Edward Southwell (8:30)
Nov 28 - Jenny Nelson (10:30)
Acolytes
Nov 21 - Jenny Nelson & Drew Mayberry
Nov 28 - Amelia & Julie Koch
Ushers
Nov 21 - Bill Harris (8:30)
Nov 21 - Sandra Elledge (10:30)
Nov 28 - Mike Adams (8:30)
Nov 28 - Tim Murphy (10:30)
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Birthdays:
Nov 19 - Riley Canter
Nov 20 - Kathi Johnson
Nov 20 - Maria Curtis
Nov 23 - James Smoak
Nov 24 - Bill Hurd
Nov 24 - Stephen Nardini
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Anniversaries:
No anniversaries this week!
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Prayer Requests
Prayer requests can be made by using the app under "contact us" and then the "prayer request" tab, or by emailing the office at [email protected], or calling the office during regular office hours.
Bulletins are printed on Thursday mornings and requests submitted after that time will not be in the printed bulletin for that week, but may still be spoken. Prayer requests received by noon on Wednesday will be included in the weekly e-newsletter.
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Please remember in your prayers: All who are ill or unemployed and those who are on our prayer list.
Short-term
Rick Brockner, Jeff Smith
Long-term
David Temple, Donna Webber
Armed Forces
Let us pray for the safety of all our troops, especially Micha Duerk, Cole Griffith, Zach Necessary, Walker Pardue, Philip Southwell, Mark Stone, Jason Westmeyer, and all others who serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
Please send to the church office the addresses of troops with connections to
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The Lessons for November 21, 2021 |
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Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.
Psalm 93
Dominus regnavit
1 The Lord is King;
he has put on splendid apparel; *
the Lord has put on his apparel
and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure *
that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; *
you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O Lord,
the waters have lifted up their voice; *
the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea, *
mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, *
and holiness adorns your house, O Lord,
for ever and for evermore.
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Revelation 1:4b-8
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.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
John 18:33-37
Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
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St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 336-667-4231 | [email protected] | https://stpaulwilkesboro.org |
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