The Story for the
Feast of the Reign of Christ
November 22, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Rhonda Waters

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the 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 people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by 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 something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal 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 nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just 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 eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” 

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Something to Do

Lord, when did we see you…?

Sometimes, Jesus himself gives us a thing to do. I don’t think there’s anything I need to add.

Pray in colour for all humanity

This title for the Messiah is sometimes translated as Child of Humanity or even The Human One. It emphasizes Jesus’ humanity and reminds us that Jesus’ humanity is sacred – it is humanity made perfect; humanity that includes all the rest of us. When the king in the parable tells people that “the least of these” are members of his family, this is the family he is talking about – the human family.

Praying in Colour is a way to release and focus our prayers by doodling. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen or pencil (coloured pencils if you want). Begin by writing Jesus’ name and doodling around it as you invite Jesus to come be with you and inspire you. When you are ready, write another name – an individual or a group – and connect that name to your Jesus doodle. Doodle around the new addition. Imagine them there with you and Jesus. Ask Jesus to help you feel connected to them. Pray for their well-being. When you are ready, add another name and repeat. As you pray, notice that everyone is connected to everyone else through Jesus.

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Something to Wonder

When I was…you…

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…

This thought exercise comes from the Thursday evening house group. Consider today’s world. Consider your own life. Where are the opportunities for caring for Jesus? How are we responding?

For example:
I was lonely living on my own during Covid-19 and you went for a walk with me.
I was thirsty for fresh water, and you told me to have a boiled water advisory.

From the Beatitudes to the Sheep and Goats

This parable marks the end of Jesus’ teaching ministry in the Gospel according to Matthew – a ministry which he began with the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). How do these two teachings connect? Who are the “blessed”? What is the role of God in each? Where do you find yourself?

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Something to Learn

The Reign of Christ (aka Christ the King) Sunday

History of Christ the King Sunday
Christ the King Sunday was established in 1925 by Pope Pius XI.  He sought to refocus the faithful on the reign of Jesus rather than the misleading and dangerous rule of earthly leaders.  Remember that this was after the horrors of World War I and in the midst of rising totalitarianism.

Read his encyclical, Quas Primas (Latin for “in the first”).  You won’t agree with all of it but it is an interesting read, nonetheles!

Christ the King
The Bible Project has a video and podcast series on the subject of the Kingdom. 

Or, if you’re up for a long and somewhat dense read, this article by bishop and theologian N.T. Wright is fascinating:  “…a fresh thesis about the gospels, stressing the way in which they summoned their first readers to imagine a new state of affairs being launched into the world, a state of affairs for which the obvious shorthand was ‘the kingdom of God’.”  Imagining the Kingdom: Mission and Theology in Early Christianity

And for those with less time or shorter attention spans: a synopsis of the book (How God Became King) that grew from the essay.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story for the
Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
November 15, 2020

prepared by the Rev’d Adam Brown

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵ to one he gave five talents,^[f] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸ But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹ For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰ As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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Something to Do

Lost and Found

Take eight coins, or draw them on a piece of paper. Assign each with a gift God has given you – it could be a talent or skill, a vocation, some aspect of your life, etc.. For each one, think of how you can nurture it and help it grow, and imagine all the good that it could do. Now go back and, for each, think about what would happen if you hid those gifts away from the world.

Talented Help

On a piece of paper, draw or list eight things that help you nurture your own “talents” or gifts from God. It could be a tool or a device, a person, a place, etc. You could draw or list one per day, or all at once and reflect on each one throughout the week.

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Something to Wonder

Talented Investing

In the parable, we hear an encouragement to invest the “talents” we have been given, rather than hide them away out of fear or laziness. The third servant was told he could have gone to those more knowledgeable for help. Take a moment and think of all those in your life who have helped you, both in general and spiritually. Were there moments in your life when you returned the favour?

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Something to Learn

Community Ministries

Take a moment and learn about the Community Ministries operated throughout the Diocese of Ottawa. There are six main ones, so perhaps you can choose one per day this week and learn about all the good ways those around us are “investing” their “talents”.

https://www.ottawa.anglican.ca/community-ministries

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.