Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost- Week of Nov 21, 2021 - Proper 29
Praying
Begin your devotion time by praying this prayer: Everlasting God, you show us love through the life of Jesus, the King of Kings. Guide us to follow Jesus’ example and love others, as you have first loved us. Amen.
Reflect on the Way of Love together: This week’s practice on the Way of Love is WORSHIP. This week we celebrate Christ the King, the final Sunday of the church year. Next week, we begin a new church year with Advent! Talk about all of the ways you’ve participated in worship this year. How have you given thanks and praise to Christ the King?
Reflect on the Way of Love together: This week’s practice on the Way of Love is WORSHIP. This week we celebrate Christ the King, the final Sunday of the church year. Next week, we begin a new church year with Advent! Talk about all of the ways you’ve participated in worship this year. How have you given thanks and praise to Christ the King?
preparing
Prepare to read John 18:33-37 aloud.
Readings
John 18:33-37
Jesus Before Pilate
Then 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."
Jesus Before Pilate
Then 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."
Reflecting and Responding
Adults and small children
Read John 18:33-37
Reflect: Do the adults or teachers in your life ever have to remind you to listen? Sometimes we’re so busy playing, or talking, or doing other things that we don’t even hear other people talking to us. But when we are quiet, we can hear more. We can hear birds. We can hear ourselves breathing. Sometimes it feels like we can almost hear our own thoughts. Jesus says that everyone who follows God listens to his voice. That means that they follow His teachings as best they can. Jesus doesn’t care about being rich or becoming a powerful king. He cares about loving other people and loving God. He says that the truth is more important than being strong and powerful. If we want to follow him, we just have to listen carefully. That’s not always easy. We may need to stop what we’re doing and be quiet for a moment, so we can hear God in our hearts reminding us to love others, just as Jesus told us to.
Respond: Sit quietly. What do you hear? Maybe you hear birds or cars passing by or people talking nearby. Now try listening to your heart. God lives in your heart, reminding us to love. See how long you can sit quietly listening carefully.
Reflect: Do the adults or teachers in your life ever have to remind you to listen? Sometimes we’re so busy playing, or talking, or doing other things that we don’t even hear other people talking to us. But when we are quiet, we can hear more. We can hear birds. We can hear ourselves breathing. Sometimes it feels like we can almost hear our own thoughts. Jesus says that everyone who follows God listens to his voice. That means that they follow His teachings as best they can. Jesus doesn’t care about being rich or becoming a powerful king. He cares about loving other people and loving God. He says that the truth is more important than being strong and powerful. If we want to follow him, we just have to listen carefully. That’s not always easy. We may need to stop what we’re doing and be quiet for a moment, so we can hear God in our hearts reminding us to love others, just as Jesus told us to.
Respond: Sit quietly. What do you hear? Maybe you hear birds or cars passing by or people talking nearby. Now try listening to your heart. God lives in your heart, reminding us to love. See how long you can sit quietly listening carefully.
adults and older children
Read John John 18:33-37
Reflect: What does it mean to be a King? It’s one of the ways we describe Jesus, and yet He doesn’t look like a king that we recognize. Usually, kings are happy to have their power – ruling over the people and land in their kingdoms. In this passage, when Pilate crowns Jesus as a king, it is the beginning of his crucifixion. Jesus’ kingship puts Him at great risk, because He threatens Pilate’s power.
Jesus has power given to Him by God, but He doesn’t use it to rule over people – instead, Jesus’ way is always of invitation, and acceptance, and love. He came into the world to tell us the truth about God’s love for us – to remind us that God will never stop loving us, no matter what.
Do you think about Jesus as a king? What is He king over? In the Bible, there are many different ways to describe Jesus when we worship. What are some of your favorites?
Respond: If you were king or queen for the day, what would you do? What are some of the laws you would make in the land you ruled over? Make a list or color a picture of these things. Then, look at your list. Think about all the power Jesus had, and the ways He used it. Are you surprised by what He did, or didn’t, do?
Reflect: What does it mean to be a King? It’s one of the ways we describe Jesus, and yet He doesn’t look like a king that we recognize. Usually, kings are happy to have their power – ruling over the people and land in their kingdoms. In this passage, when Pilate crowns Jesus as a king, it is the beginning of his crucifixion. Jesus’ kingship puts Him at great risk, because He threatens Pilate’s power.
Jesus has power given to Him by God, but He doesn’t use it to rule over people – instead, Jesus’ way is always of invitation, and acceptance, and love. He came into the world to tell us the truth about God’s love for us – to remind us that God will never stop loving us, no matter what.
Do you think about Jesus as a king? What is He king over? In the Bible, there are many different ways to describe Jesus when we worship. What are some of your favorites?
Respond: If you were king or queen for the day, what would you do? What are some of the laws you would make in the land you ruled over? Make a list or color a picture of these things. Then, look at your list. Think about all the power Jesus had, and the ways He used it. Are you surprised by what He did, or didn’t, do?
Connecting
God sighting and prayer offerings
Invite each person to share where they saw or experienced God this week. Invite each person to share something – a person, community, experience, event, etc. – for which they want to offer prayer.
Good and gracious God, we thank you for all the ways you were and are present in our lives and in the world … [Invite each person to say aloud the sighting they named earlier.] We bring our prayers to you, prayers for … [Invite each person to say aloud the prayer need they named earlier.]. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Invite each person to share where they saw or experienced God this week. Invite each person to share something – a person, community, experience, event, etc. – for which they want to offer prayer.
Good and gracious God, we thank you for all the ways you were and are present in our lives and in the world … [Invite each person to say aloud the sighting they named earlier.] We bring our prayers to you, prayers for … [Invite each person to say aloud the prayer need they named earlier.]. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Connecting with Scripture
Read the scripture aloud the first time using the New Revised Standard Version or the Common English Bible.
For the second reading of today’s text, assign parts and dramatize the story.
For the second reading of today’s text, assign parts and dramatize the story.
Connecting through story
*This video is 2:25 minutes long.
- What is Simba’s idea of what is means to be a king?
- Why does he want to be king?
Connecting with our lives Engage in dialogue
Teaching Points that can be incorporated into your discussion
Using paper and art supplies (colored pencils, crayons, markers, pen and ink, etc.) or, if you are so inclined and feel comfortable web-based platform, build the world as you believe God would want it.
- What do you think are the characteristics of a king/queen?
- Who are the kings you think of when the word is said and how do they act?
- What are the priorities of worldly kings/queens?
- Why do you think we have or need kings/queens?
- What do you think God wants from a king/queen?
- What do you think God wants that king/queen’s priorities to be?
- Therefore, how should the king/queen act if they are to be faithful to God’s idea of king/queen?
- What do you think it means that Christ is Lord of all creation?
- What was Jesus’ idea of what it meant to be a king?
- How did he act as king?
- How does he continue to act as king?
- What example did he give us for what it means to be in and have great power?
- What’s the difference between Jesus and Lord and King and all the world’s kings/queens?
- What kind of world was Jesus trying to create?
- In what ways can we join Christ in building the kind of kin-dom (or world) that reflects God’s priorities and best intention for all of creation including humanity?
Teaching Points that can be incorporated into your discussion
- Today is the last Sunday in the liturgical Church Year. Next week will begin Advent, but today we celebrate Christ the King Sunday.
- Christ the King Sunday calls us to remember and honor Jesus as King and the lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus has many titles – Son of God, Emmanuel, Son of Man, Messiah, Rabbi, Christ, Savior – and was many things to many people throughout the ages. He was and is grace incarnate, teacher, preacher healer, advocate and champion of the least of these and those you are pushed to the margins. Today, however, we focus on his role as King — the one who reigns over all creation.
- The ancient Israelites were waiting on the arrival of the new and promised King. God’s covenant with David, that one of his descendants would always rule over Israel, was an unconditional and eternal promise. In their mind, the promised King would be a mighty ruler and return Israel to its political power. God had a different kind of king in mind.
- God knew the kind of King God’s people needed — a king who would rule over a kin-dom that reflected God’s priorities and restored the relationship God’s people broke through their unfaithfulness. This King would work to shape a realm that reflected God’s best intention for it. We have only to look at Jesus’ own mission statement in Luke 4:16-20 or read the Sermon on the Mount. In God’s kin-dom there are to be no “haves” and “have-nots,” no “powerful or powerless.” God’s idea of a king is one who breaks down the walls that divide humanity one from another and from God.
- Jesus as King is self-giving, grace-gifting and justice-seeking even as he is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is invested with all power beyond any earthly conception and reigns eternal over all creation.
- This is the realm over which Christ is Lord and Savior and this is the kin-dom making to which he beckons us to join him.
Using paper and art supplies (colored pencils, crayons, markers, pen and ink, etc.) or, if you are so inclined and feel comfortable web-based platform, build the world as you believe God would want it.
Praying
Close your time together by praying for one another, your neighbor, community and the world.
Source:
Mark Passage
Rebecca Davis is the associate professor of Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. A teaching elder and certified educator, she served congregations for over 20 years before moving into academic teaching. In addition to teaching and mentoring students, her passion is child advocacy and ministry.
-Presbyterian Outlook
Mark Passage
Rebecca Davis is the associate professor of Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. A teaching elder and certified educator, she served congregations for over 20 years before moving into academic teaching. In addition to teaching and mentoring students, her passion is child advocacy and ministry.
-Presbyterian Outlook
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