Readings: Ezekiel 34v11-16&20-24; Psalm 95v1-7; Ephesians 1v15-end; Matthew 25v31-end.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

A Word: Today is the last Sunday of this Church Year and is the Feast of Christ the King. This is the day when we call to mind that we have a heavenly King who rolls up his sleeves and serves his creation. For as we hear in Ezekiel, the Lord of heaven and earth promises to come, search for and rescue his people; just like a shepherd goes out to search for and gather the sheep who wandered away. For the Lord of heaven and earth is promising to send a shepherd to gather up the lost, to help the injured, to fortify the exhausted and to put right injustice.

Today we hear that all of this was fulfilled through Jesus, because in Ephesians we hear that God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at the right hand in heaven to rule over all things with authority, power and dominium in this age and the age yet to come. For the risen and ascended Lord Jesus now rules as Christ the King and as the head of the Church, his body here on earth. This is why Psalm 90 calls us to sing praise and thanksgiving to God because: God is great and the Lord of everything, the creator of all that exists and the King over the whole of creation.

However, as we call to mind all that God is doing, we also need to bear in mind the words of Matthew for when the Son of Man returns, he will come in glory, accompanied by the angels, and sit on a throne to judge all people. It is then that we shall be sorted out and placed into two groups. The one group will include everyone who has shown love, care and service to others; these are the ones who will be invited into the Kingdom of eternal life. The other group will include everyone who has been uncaring, without compassion and unwilling to serve others; these will be dismissed and sent to the eternal punishment prepared for the devil and his angels.

Today we are warned! For Jesus will one day return as the King of all to pronounce judgement on how we have lived our lives; and Jesus says that how we serve others in this world will be counted as service to him.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we give you thanks that your son Jesus ascended into heaven to rule as Lord and King. Stir us up Lord so we desire to do your will, that we desire to do good works, that we become a faithful people, your body the Church here on earth, a people working together in peace with one another and in harmony with your spirit, so that the whole created order will be brought to worship our Lord and King. Amen

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