What does it mean to say Jesus is Lord?  Where do our allegiances lie if Christ truly is king

 

READING

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

PRAYERS

 Jesus the Christ, you reign in glory as our King, and to you we lift our voices praying

+ That we may serve God with gladness and generosity, discovering his likeness in those who hunger and thirst, in those who are threadbare and in prison, and in those who are sick, lonely, depressed, sorrowful, and rejected.

+ For the forgiveness of our sins, the times when we were blind to the needs of others, and deaf to their shout for assistance, that we may move beyond our selfish greed and love with the measure that Jesus loves humanity.

+ That the leaders of our Church may receive the immeasurable greatness of God, seeking the holy way with every step they take, guiding the faithful and those who have strayed into the glorious dwelling place of divine love.

+ For the sea and the dry land, molded by the Creator’s imagination, that we may cherish the gifts they bring forth, and be good stewards of their fragile ecosystems.

+ That the sin of division may be lifted from family life, and from wherever it fractures the bonds of affection or movements toward peace, that forgiving what is past and trusting in God’s future, we may work to reveal the kingdom in our time.

+ That the righteous dead may live into eternal life, and that those who have gone astray may receive the mercy of you, Our eternal Christ and King.

 

Source: intercessions Year A: Keyed to the Themes of the Revised Common Lectionary © 2011 by Geralyn Wolf. Subscription purchased.

 

MUSIC

From Giovanni Animuccia: Missa Victimae Paschali Laudes

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Alleluia-Pascha Nostrum

Benedictus

 The Tudor Consort

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Tudor_Consort/Giovanni_Animuccia_Missa_Victimae_Paschali_Laudes/

  

Jesus is the Lord of All

Olly Knight & Tom James

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K7H5xGSjow