Christ The King

CHRIST THE KING Hymns 352, 332, 272, 345

FIRST READING Ezekiel 34.11-16,20-24 For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 95 Response: If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD; let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us joyfully sing psalms to him. R

Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God, and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides. R

Oh, that today you would hear his voice: “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works.” R

SECOND READING Ephesians 1.15-23 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

GOSPEL Matthew 25.31-46 ‘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.’

NEWS FROM ST MICHAEL'S

A very warm welcome to any new readers, and to visitors and newcomers to St Michael's. A special welcome and thanks to Fr Paul Matthias, our celebrant this morning, who will also kindly be saying Mass for us on Thursday (St Andrew's Day) at 10.30 am. If you are new to St Michael's, do join us in the Vestry Hall after the service, so that we can welcome you properly.

Next Sunday we move into the season of Advent – a time to reflect on the first coming of Christ and to prepare for His second coming.

Our pre-Christmas Fair is on this coming Saturday, 2nd December, 12 noon to 4 pm! It isn't too late to look out for things that would make good Tombola prizes, to think about home-made items such as cakes and jams (please attach a list of ingredients), or to provide something crafty, or Christmassy, or nice for the garden! There are boxes at the back of church, and offerings will still be welcome if you bring them along from 9.30 am on Saturday, in time for setting-up.

There are printed posters and flyers at the back of church. Please take some to distribute and display.

If you are willing to come and help on the day, in whatever way, don't leave Sara to wonder – please let her know! Sara can be reached, with any offers or questions, on 07837 919761. If you have joined us recently, please don't be shy – everyone's contributions are welcome at St Michael's. Let's make this Fair a very special example of St Michael's teamwork.

Interview Day for the priest(s) who wish to be considered for St Michael's will be on December 6th. There will be a lunch in church (arrive between 12 and 12.30) before the formal interview session in the afternoon. If you can offer to help with this in any way, please speak to Sue, who will be delighted to hear from you. As it is a working day, many members of the PCC and congregation will of course not be able to come – but please indicate on the list if you hope to be present. And please, everyone, continue to pray for all concerned in the appointment process.

Everyone is welcome to join in the patronal festival celebrations of St Andrew's, Deal, on Thursday, November 30th. Mass at 7 pm will be followed by a fish-and-chip supper.

Long-standing friends of St Michael's will be sorry to learn of the recent death of Margaret Broadbent, who was our PCC Secretary for many years and was latterly a resident of The Grove. Details of her funeral arrangements are still to be announced. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

The Parochial Church Council meets in the Vestry Hall on Wednesday, 29th November, at 7.30 pm. A copy of the Agenda is displayed in the narthex. If there is any item of Other Business you would like raised, please speak to Jonathan or Eleanor.

From Our Tower: Kent County Association - Maidstone, Kent, St Michael and All Angels

Sunday, 12 November 2023 in 41m (6–1–24 in C)

1272 Norwich Surprise Minor

  1. Emma Jarvis
  2. Jacqueline Barlow
  3. Janice Byrne
  4. Mark Elvers
  5. Philip Jarvis
  6. Neil Jones (C)

Rung half-muffled on Remembrance Sunday. 'We will remember them.'

100th together: 3 & 6.

Friday, 17 November 2023 in 37m (6–1–24 in C)

1296 Jarrom Surprise Minor

  1. Mark Elvers
  2. Janice Byrne
  3. Jacqueline Barlow
  4. Philip Jarvis
  5. Pam Thomas
  6. Stephen Coaker (C)

Rung on the Saint's Day of Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, 1200.

St Andrew's, Barming, invites everyone to Raise the Roof - seasonal songs and refreshments on December 1st at 7.30 pm – retiring collection for the repair of the church roof!

December Readers' List (Thank you, everyone, and please feel free to arrange swaps if necessary):

Sunday 3 Dec OT Mike Trout, NT Eleanor Relle

Sunday 10 Dec OT Margaret Gatehouse, NT Katja Svarts

Sunday 17 Dec OT Team Kwalombota, NT William Danes-Volkov

Sunday 24 Dec (Morning) OT Ralph Baldock, NT Catherine Garland

Midnight Mass: OT Team Kwalombota, NT Mike Trout

Christmas morning: OT Eleanor Relle, NT Ralph Baldock

Could you pass this sheet on to someone else who might like to see it?

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