Last Sunday after Trinity: Reign of Christ

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LAST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY: Reign of Christ
Sunday, November 24, 2019

Readings:
Lesson: Malachi 3:1–4:5
Psalm: 145
Epistle: Colossians 1:11-23
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

ADORATION
I exalt You, O God my King, and bless Your Name forever and ever. You are greatly to be praised, for You perform wondrous acts of goodness for all Your people. I ponder Your works and am filled with joy. You are gracious and full of compassion, loving to everyone. Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom in which You open Your hand and satisfy the needs of every living creature. You lift me up whenever I fall, and You hold me by Your right hand. You are always near when I call upon You, even if I do not see or feel it. You fulfill my every desire by teaching me to ask only for those things which accord with Your will. My mouth shall speak Your praise, and my flesh will bless Your holy Name.

CONFESSION
God the Holy Spirit, You send messengers to prepare the way before the One who is coming. I confess that I cannot endure His day nor can I stand when He appears, for I have sinned, done wrong, and dealt wickedly. I have sworn falsely, and I have robbed You by contributing to the injustice against the vulnerable of society. I have turned aside from Your ways and been unfaithful in returning to You with my whole heart. I need Your Sun of righteousness to rise with healing in His wings, to purify me as refiners’ fire and fullers’ soap, to burn up all my arrogance and evil-doing, so that I may receive Your overflowing blessings, and be written in the Book of Life as Your special possession.

THANKSGIVING
On this last Sunday of the Christian Year, I thank You, Father, for enabling me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. I thank You for rescuing me from the power of darkness, and for transferring me into Kingdom of Your Son who redeems me and forgives me all my sins. I thank You for sending Your Son as the visible image of Your invisible glory, the One in whom the fullness of Your Divinity was pleased to dwell. And I thank You for making Him the head of all things—for if He is King, then no human being rules over another, but we are all one. Even though I often separate myself from You, You make me holy and blameless in Your sight, and You reconcile me to Yourself.

SUPPLICATION
Lord Jesus Christ, when You return with Your Angels at the end of time, You will separate the sheep from the goats and reward all of us according to our deeds. I pray that I may have the courage of heart and the presence of mind to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner. Whenever that goal seems overwhelming, remind me that I just need to start with those nearest to me. The world seems determined to eliminate the needy and vulnerable, and yet You reveal time and again that they are the ones You especially favor. May I do to them as I would do to You, and thereby enjoy the eternal life of a job well done.

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