CCLI license #1913561
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Christ the King / Thanksgiving Sunday
Questions for Reflection:
What is at the heart of your faith? What do you consider the most significant expression of your faith?
Prelude “Spirit, Open My Heart” Ruth Duck,1994, sung by Keisha Prime
Spirit, open my heart to the joy and pain of living. As you love may I love, in receiving and in giving. Spirit, open my heart. Write your love upon my heart as my law, my goal, my story. In each thought, word, and deed, may my living bring you glory.
Call to Worship
O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
For the Lord is a great God; the ruler of heaven and earth!
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, you raised Christ from the dead and established him as Lord over every rebellious power. Give us grace to serve him wisely and faithfully that the world may see his glorious inheritance among the saints and recognize the freedom of joyful obedience in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
“How Can It Be” William Marion Runyan, 1923 words by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette , sung by Keisha Prime
This hymn literally has hope hidden within its verses; look at the beginning letters of the various lines.
How can it be, that the wicked ones prosper?
How can it be, that the greedy ones thrive?
How can it be, that oppression and anger
Hold such control, while the poor just survive?
Refrain:
Though hope is hidden now, God changes nations.
God brings the powerful down to their knees.
God sets a table of great celebration.
God sent us Jesus who welcomes and frees.
Old ways of selfishness, old ways of sinning,
Old ways of apathy seem to go on.
Old angry patterns still seem to be winning,
Old fears and prejudice shadow the dawn.
Refrain
Prophets proclaim it in times of despairing,
Pushing toward justice while others destroy.
Precious the gift! And it's ours for the sharing!
Precious is Christ, who brings hope, giving joy.
Refrain
Evil may prosper, but God's love is stronger.
Everyone, some day, will know this is true:
Envy and strife will not win any longer.
Eternal God, all our hope is in you!
Refrain
Though hope is hidden now, God changes nations.
God brings the powerful down to their knees.
God sets a table of great celebration.
God sent us Jesus who welcomes and frees.
Refrain
Prayer for Illumination
Lord, open the eyes of our hearts by the power of your Spirit, that we may know the hope to which we have been called in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures: Psalm 100
A Psalm of thanksgiving.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his;1 we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Reading from the Gospel of Matthew 25: 31—46 NRSV
"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 hirsty 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."
Sermon “Caring for One Another” The Rev. Russell Lehman
Music “Were it Not for Grace” Larnelle Harris 2008 sung by Keisha Prime
Time measured out my days
Life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God
But knew I'd never be so strong
I looked hard at this world
To learn how heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began
Where human effort is all in vain
[Chorus]
Were it not for grace
I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace
So here is all my praise
Expressed with all my heart
Offered to the Friend who took my place
And ran a course I could not start
And when He saw in full
Just how much His would cost
He still went the final mile between me and heaven
So I would not be lost
[Chorus]
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of Intercession [A time of silence will follow each petition.]
Through Jesus Christ, God has shown us the sovereignty of divine love in compassion for the least, the lost, and the lonely. Therefore, we pray, saying, Compassionate Lord, receive our prayer.
God, we live in a world of plenty in which the poor struggle for daily bread. We pray for those who lack the basic necessities of life and those who willingly share the resources you have given. Correct those who hoard resources out of anxiety, ignorance, or selfishness. Open their eyes to your presence among the poor of the world and free them for joyful giving. For the poor, the benevolent, and the hard-of-heart,
Compassionate Lord, receive our prayer.
God, you admonish us to offer hospitality to the stranger and to welcome the weary. We pray for travelers, for those who emigrate to new lands, for refugees of political and religious wars, and for those who have no place to call home. Bless those who offer refuge to the wayfaring stranger. Convict the conscience and open the heart of any who would raise walls of self-preservation and isolation. For the stranger, for those who minister to them, and for those who would refuse them,
Compassionate Lord, receive our prayer.
God, you hear the cry of all who are in distress. Heal those who are sick in body, mind, or spirit [especially __.]. Comfort them in their need and help those who care for them. Teach us to serve our sisters and brothers and to share the burden of disease of body, mind, and heart. For the sick and those in distress, for those who care for them and those who are afraid to offer fellowship to them
Compassionate Lord, receive our prayer.
God, Jesus our Lord was a prisoner of Rome before his execution, and he instructed his disciples to visit those in prison. We pray for those who are incarcerated: for those who are guilty of crime and for those who may be unjustly imprisoned. Save the lost, reprove the haughty, liberate the captive, and let your disciples be a sign of your forgiving, liberating love. We also pray for those who work in prisons, that they may respect the humanity of the women and men they guard and not be overwhelmed by the moral dangers of their employment. For prisoners, for those who minister to them, and for those who guard them,
Compassionate Lord, receive our prayer.
Almighty God, confirm our prayer with the dedication of our lives to ministry; in the name of Jesus Christ, by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord’s Prayer (Ecumenical Version)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen
A Statement about Offering our Gifts
Friends, trusting in God’s providence, we share not only the gospel of Christ
but our lives as well. In this time of pandemic and separation, let us remember that we are still the church, Christ’s body at work in the world.
Donations can be mailed to Lakeview Presbyterian Church at 1310 22nd Av S, St Petersburg, FL, 33705 or given online through our website @lakeviewpresbyterianchurch.org
Prayer of Dedication
Holy God, use us, and these gifts, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and honor your presence in all people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Charge
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord, serving one another faithfully until the reign of Christ is seen in the fullness of its glory.
BLESSING
May the grace of Christ surround you,
the love of God astound you,
and the Holy Spirit keep you,
this day and forevermore.
Postlude "O What Shall I Render?" Latin American hymn and melody sung by Keisha Prime
O what shall I render
For love so unbounded
That led Thee, dear Savior,
For sinners to die?
Receive, I beseech Thee,
My heart’s humble offering:
Thanksgiving and praises,
My glad heart upraises
To Thee, Lord, on high.
Thanksgiving and praises,
My glad heart upraises
To Thee, Lord, on high.
?Conque pagaremos
Amor tan inmenso?
Que diste tu vida
Por el peccador;
En cambio recibes
La ofrenda humilde,
La ofrenda humilde,
Senor Jesucristo,
De me Corazon,
La ofrenda humilde,
Senor Jesucristo,
De mi Corazon.
And when the night draweth
Its curtains of darkness,
My eyes view Thy glories
The heavens declare;
And back of the starlight
I know God my Father,
Or waking or sleeping,
Is lovingly keeping
Me in his deep care.
Is lovingly keeping
Me in his deep care.