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We are glad that you are here this morning. We hope this time of worship nurtures
your faith enlivens your spirit and engages your mind as we celebrate God’s
love and healing for the world with the resurrection of Christ, our Risen Lord.

Before you begin, remember to download and print the 11.20.22 – Bulletin – Christ the King
Then grab your Bible, a cup of tea or coffee, and prepare your heart for worship.

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READ THE SERMON

November 20, 2022 –  Christ the King Sunday
Rev. Denise Clark-Jones

“KING OF KINGS”

Today we celebrate the eternal Kingship of Christ and the end of the church’s liturgical year. This day completes the Christian journey through the life of Jesus Christ on earth and in heaven, which began with the preparation for the birth of Jesus in Advent. All the readings for this coming week center around gathering the family of God. The readings from Jeremiah and Luke 1 hint at the new king who is to come. In hopes of a reconciliation of the Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel, Jeremiah delivers God’s promise that the two nations will be brought together by the “raising up for David a righteous Branch and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” In place of a psalm, today we have the “Song of Zachariah” from Luke’s gospel. John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, foretells that God will fulfill God’s promise by raising up a mighty Savior. For Christians, a new reign of justice was understood as a reference to the coming of Jesus. Zachariah’s joy and amazement breaks through the bounds of prose and bursts into song. Our readings from Colossians and Luke 23 declare Christ Jesus’ reign means that no earthly power, no heart-rending suffering, no evil force will have the final word; the final word is Jesus. It also means we may look to Jesus’ life for a model of true kingship — a kingship redefined by sacrificial love and servanthood. Our loyalty to this Christ goes before our loyalty is above any other claim on our lives.

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“As a newcomer to Westminster,  I’ve found it to be a most welcoming fellowship.  I look forward to going to services and events and find the warmth of the congregation to be most helpful to a newcomer to the entire area.  I find sermons challenging … music beautiful and well prepared … and a dignity in the worship that is all too lacking in most Protestant congregations.  Mix this with an open atmosphere where it is OK to question and still be seen as a good Christian, and I know I’ve found one important ‘home’ in Central Illinois.”