Sunday, 23/11/2026
SENTENCE FROM SCRIPTURE:
Blessed be the Lord who sets his people free. (Canticle: Luke 1)
HYMN-
GREETING
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
COLLECT FOR PURITY
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”
The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
SILENCE
God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
ABSOLUTION
God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
GLORIA sung by Sue Turner
COLLECT
Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things
in the kingdom of your well-beloved Son:
mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth,
now divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together
under his most gracious rule;
through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen
PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD
FIRST READING Jeremiah 23.1–6 , read by Margaret Morton
1 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.
2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
5 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’
SECOND READING Colossians 1.11–20 , read by Peter Boreham
Brothers and sisters: 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience,
12 while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
GRADUAL HYMN
GOSPEL Luke 23.33–43 read by Rev Chris Wren
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Luke, chapter 23, beginning at verse 33.
Glory to Christ our Saviour
33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’
And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38 There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ 39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’
42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ 43 Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.
SERMON
Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The Gospels portray a man who wandered around his country sharing with and helping the poor, oppressed and needy, bringing healing and hope, touching people’s lives with a vision for the future. He washed people’s feet; welcomed children who, like women, had no social status at all; dined with sinners and forgave those who nailed him to a cross. The paradox, which is Christ, is that he reigns by self-emptying love and not by dominion.
Jesus kingly strength is built on transforming hearts, healing wounds and reconciling enemies, as one who walks beside the oppressed, teaching us that humility must be our way. So far as Jesus was concerned, the social order of his day was corrupt, both religiously and governmentally. under the oppressive regime of the Romans and Herodic kingships. He was brought up in Nazareth in Galilee, where he and his family were subjected to the punishing regime of Roman authority and the poverty which ensued. The religious authorities didn’t want to lose power by ‘rocking the boat’ and oppressed the population by unrelenting and empty laws. Jesus learned, the hard way, by needful practice in his own community, the need to support the oppressed and downtrodden and this became his way of life.
If we mean what we are celebrating today, that Christ is our King then we have to follow his example. Humility must be our way. In our world obsessed with status we are called to serve. In a culture of self-promotion, we are called to listen and support. In moments of conflict, we are called to forgive and re-route. Humility is not about hiding our gifts—it’s about using them for the good of others. It’s about recognizing that every person we meet bears the image of God. It’s about letting go of ego so that love can have a chance to reign.
There are therefore practical aspects which we need to assimilate into our daily lives if we are to really be followers of Jesus the Christ. In all our relationships we are called to be people of forgiveness, service and respect; all we do must be done with integrity; in our choices we must seek justice, peace and truth, not popularity and power. Often this means we are going to be seen by our friends and acquaintances as working in opposition to the social norms of this world. We too may need to bear this burden of the Cross. In doing these things we are reliant of God’s Grace and forgetting our own pride.
If we have a hope of Christ’s Kingdom being more fully revealed, we have to live in the tension of ‘The kingdom is here, but not yet’, where our acts of love glimpse His reign; our standing against injustice become a sign of Christ’s rule and every healed broken heart is a foretaste of his glory.
We have a King who reigns from a cross, whose power is love and whose throne is the human heart. We have signed up to faithfully follow that example.
THE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYERS
To the bidding “Lord, in your mercy” your own response can be “Hear our prayer”
God of love and power, we pray for the church here and throughout the world that through the courage and faith of your people your word may be preached and lived.
In November we are asked to pray for the persecuted church.
Eternal Father, Jesus foretold that those who follow him will be persecuted. We pray for our fellow Christians around the world who are suffering mistreatment, imprisonment, loss of possessions, and threats of death for their allegiance to you. Strengthen their faith. May they know you as their shield and defence, their refuge and their stronghold. Keep us faithful in prayer for them.
Lord in your mercy…………
We pray for the King and for all in authority at Westminster, Holyrood and in this region. As they determine policies and laws may they be guided by your Spirit and upheld by your grace.
Lord in your mercy……………
We pray for the nations of the world and our leaders. We pray that they will lead us in ways of truth and peace, of justice for all and of concern for the climate. May they be free from bitterness and self-seeking and acknowledge that ultimate authority is with you.
Lord in your mercy………..
We pray for all who are in trouble, that those who are sick will be cared for, those who are lonely will find companionship, those who live in fear of abuse will find strength. We pray for those who care at home, in hospital or nursing homes. May they find patience and compassion to uphold them. Heavenly Father, give comfort to those who mourn.
Lord in your mercy…………
We pray for ourselves. Be with us, Lord, in the coming week. Strengthen us for whatever lies ahead and help us to show your love and compassion to all we meet
Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together
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.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING
Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
HYMN –
DISMISSAL
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen
