Sunday, NOVEMBER 24, 2024 CHRIST THE KING SUNDAY
CHRIST THE KING LUTHERAN CHURCH
PASTOR: Rev. Harry M. Krolus
CHURCH: 410-356-3400 CELL: 410-707-7663
Church email: ctklclcms@yahoo.com
Church Web Site: ctklchurch.org
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WELCOME to everyone who is worshiping with us today. We are glad that you are here! We pray that your worship experience here at Christ The King is spiritually uplifting and rewarding. If you are visiting, please sign our guest book and introduce yourself to Pastor Harry.
(Please turn off all electronic devices before worship begins; or, if you are using a Bible app to enhance your worship experience or to use PayPal, please enable the do not disturb function on your phone.)
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
P. Just a taste of something wonderful,
C. Only a glimpse of something magnificent,
P. Just a glimmer of something holy in something so ordinary.
C. Yet, enough to know we are in the presence of God,
P. Enough to cause us to stop and stare in awe,
C. Enough to stir our hearts in wonder,
P. Enough to set our feet to dancing
C. And to prompt our voices to protest and praise.
THE HANDSHAKE OF CHRISTIAN PEACE
OPENING HYMN: 507 “Holy, Holy, Holy”
AN ACT OF ADORATION
P. Let us adore our heavenly Father, who created us, who sustains us, who loves us with an everlasting love and gives us the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
C. We praise you, O God; we acknowledge you to be the Lord.
P. Let us glory in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor; who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sinning; who went about doing good and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; who became obedient unto death, even death on a cross; who died and is alive forevermore; who has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers; who is seated at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father; who will come again, as Judge and King.
C. You are the King of glory, O Christ.
P. Let us rejoice in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, by whom we are born into the family of God, and made members of the body of Christ; whose witness confirms us, whose wisdom teaches us, whose power enables us to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.
C. All praise to you, O Holy Spirit.
AN ACT OF CONFESSION
P. O God our Father, since you have set forth the way of life for us in your beloved Son, we confess with shame our slowness to learn of him, our failure to follow him, our reluctance to bear the cross.
C. Have mercy on us and forgive us, O Lord.
P. Forgive us the poverty of our worship, our neglect of fellowship and of the means of grace, our hesitating witness for Christ, our evasion of responsibility in your service, our imperfect stewardship of your gifts.
C. Have mercy on us and forgive us, O God.
P. Forgive us that so little of your love has reached others through us, that we have been thoughtless in our judgments, hasty in condemnation, grudging in forgiveness, slow to seek reconciliation, unwilling to help our neighbors as we ought.
C. Have mercy on us and forgive us, O Lord.
ALL: Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. Create in us clean hearts, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us.
THE PSALM FOR THE DAY: Psalm 93
P. The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
C. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
P. The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
C. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea — the LORD on high is mighty.
Your statutes stand firm;
C. holiness adorns your house for endless days, O LORD.
THE LESSONS
The First Lesson: Isaiah 51:4-6
“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
The Second Lesson: Jude 20-25
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear — hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
The Children’s Message
The Gospel Lesson: Mark 13:24-37
“But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
THE APOSTOLIC CREED
I believe in God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He died and was buried. He descended into hell, and the third day he rose again. He entered into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Almighty Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life eternal. Amen.
HYMN: 649 “Blest Be The Tie That Binds”
THE SERMON: “Bulking Up”
text: Jude 20-21
THE OFFERING
AN OFFERING SONG (783)
Take my life, that I may be consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use every pow’r as thou shalt choose.
THE PRAYERS
P. O God, we thank you for your gift of light,
C. but above all, for the light of your glory that shines in the face of your Son.
P. You said, long ago, "Let there be light!" and there was light.
C. You saw the light, and it was good.
P. You chose for yourself a people and gave them, through Moses, the Law
C. that their path might be lighted by its wisdom and truth.
P. And when they preferred to walk in darkness, in the deceptive comfort of darkness,
C. you sent them prophets like Elijah to rebuke them, recall them, save them.
P. Gracious God, we thank you for moments of special illumination granted to whomever you single out for revelation.
C. We thank you for allowing Moses a vision of yourself that made his face shine like the sun.
P. We thank you for letting faithful Elisha witness "the homebound Elijah" in that chariot of fire,
C. confirming him as Elijah's successor, fit to wear the great prophet's mantle.
P. Sovereign God, Creator, Author of Light, we marvel at your graciousness.
C. You allowed your servant John to baptize your Son and to participate in the pleasure you took in him.
P. You permitted Peter, James and John to accompany our Lord to that mountaintop,
C. and to witness his transfiguration -- awed, dazed, but unharmed.
P. Like Moses or Elijah or Peter, powerful witnesses, but mortal humans,
C. we long to bask in his light, to be transformed in his likeness.
P. Help us to recall that, in your divine wisdom, you grant such moments of ecstasy only rarely,
C. and that even Peter, James and John may not remain on the mountaintop with the Lord.
P. Make us thankful for Moses on Sinai, for Elijah's faithfulness, for the witness to your Son's glory shared with us by Peter, James and John,
C. but let us not forget that our mission is not to sun ourselves in your light high above this earth.
P. Confirm us rather in our mission on this planet so much in need of your redemption:
C. our mission to preach the Good News of your reconciling love, to do justice, to show mercy and to walk humbly with you by the light of your glory shining in the face of your Son.
P. And now, O Lord, we bring before your throne of grace those prayers of concern, thanksgiving, and praise that are on our hearts.
(There are now a few moments of personal prayer.)
P. As we have brought these prayers before you, we do so with confidence, knowing that they will be answered according to your good and gracious will. In Jesus’ name we pray.
C. Amen.
CELEBRATING THE LORD’S SUPPER
We invite to the Lord’s Table all who have been baptized, accept the Bible as God’s authoritative Word, and believe that the body and blood of the risen Christ are really present in the bread and wine; given for the forgiveness of our sins. If you prefer the individual cup, please extend one index finger as your hands are folded on the altar railing. This will alert the communion assistants of your preference. Also, if for some medical reason you are not able to consume alcohol, grape juice is available in the individual cups. The grape juice is “red” while the wine is “white”.
P. Our Lord Jesus has given us a holy supper in which we receive his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of our faith. In this supper we celebrate the gift of his redemption, we bear witness to the fellowship we share as confessors of the truth, and we proclaim his death until he returns.
C. Praise to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In love, he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.
THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION
THE WORDS OF INVITATION
P. The gifts of God for the people of God.
C. Amen.
THE DISTRIBUTION
Hymn: 644 “The Church’s One Foundation”
623 “Lord Jesus Christ, We Humbly Pray”
689 “Let Me Be Thine Forever”
A COMMUNION PRAYER
We give thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this holy supper. We pray that through it you will strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THE BLESSING
P. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.
C. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: 655 “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast In Your Word”
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2024 CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
Sunday, December 1 - 1st Sunday In Advent
Service of the Greens at 10:30 AM
Wednesday, December 4
1st Mid-Week Advent Service at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 8 - 2nd Sunday In Advent
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Family Christmas Dinner at 12:00 PM
Wednesday, December 11
2nd Mid-Week Advent Worship Service at 7:30 PM
Saturday, December 14
Sunday School Dress Rehearsal at 9:00 AM
Sunday, December 15 - 3rd Sunday in Advent
Children’s Christmas Program at 10:30 AM
Christmas Caroling at 5:00 PM
Wednesday, December 18
3rd Mid-Week Advent Worship Service at 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 22 - 4th Sunday In Advent
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve
Family Christmas Eve Candlelight Choral at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas Day
Christmas Day Worship at 10:30 AM
Sunday, December 29 - 1st Sunday After Christmas
Worship with Communion at 10:30 AM
Tuesday, December 31 - New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve Worship at 7:30 PM
