Scripture
– NKJV
Ezekiel
34:11-16, 20-24 –
‘For
thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them
out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered
sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where
they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from
the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their
own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in
all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and
their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down
in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed
My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD. “I will seek what
was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen
what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in
judgment.”
‘Therefore
thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat
and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all
the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save
My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep
and sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them— My
servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will
be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have
spoken.
Ephesians
1:15-23 –
Therefore
I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the
saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my
prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of
your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His
calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and
what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according
to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And
He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Matthew
25:31-46 –
“When
the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy 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 them one from another, as a shepherd divides his
sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the
goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come,
you blessed of 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 drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you
clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then
the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and
feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and
take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in
prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly,
I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren,
you did it to Me.’
“Then
He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into
the everlasting 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 no drink; I was a
stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and
in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then
they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then
He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch 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 everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Bob’s
thoughts:
We
got to the church just as the music was starting, so I don’t know if we would
have been greeted.
I was
pleased to see a wooden cross that, from where we sat, looked like it was suspended,
and a large round stained glass window depicting Christ with outstretched arms.
I was also glad to see Pastor Susie again, and what a treat to hear the organist/pianist
sing…there was a special tone to her worship.
The
sermon was on God’s judgment and supported by Scripture from Christ to His
disciples in Matthew 25:31-46. Many believe in error that their salvation is in
jeopardy due to a lack of works. I think the real error is that we judge
ourselves as being somehow good enough.
Again
it was a joy to hear the sweet voice of praise in the offertory anthem.
Following
worship, we were glad to have a few minutes with Pastor Susie and to pray with
her.
Jan’s
thoughts:
In
seeking an early worship opportunity, we opted for the 8:00 service. We arrived
with barely enough time to find a seat but were surprised as we entered the
sanctuary and recognized the pastor. We met Pastor Susie five weeks ago, and
she was filling in today. It was a joy to see her again!
The
atmosphere in this large sanctuary was traditional, with a great deal of wood
and intricate stained glass.
Sometimes
Lutheran liturgy can be confusing for those who don’t follow it regularly, so I
was grateful everything was printed in the order of worship except for the
hymns.
We
were welcomed during the greeting time as well as after worship.
There
were a couple of solos performed by the keyboardist, who had an exceptional
voice.
I
was pleased to be able to partake of Communion, which was administered with a spoken
reminder that this was Christ’s Body given for me.
The
untitled sermon for this Christ the King Sunday focused on Christ’s promised
return as the Judge of the world and a reminder to be kind to others because
that is how Jesus treated us.
Our
prayer for this church:
Lord,
we pray Your children are always willing to feed, clothe, and care for You, however
You appear. Amen.
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