Unfortunately, the NZ Lectionary continues to make a mess of this Sunday, offering about a dozen titles for the day, a poor suggestion for the collect, a variety of reading options, and even excluding (once again!) the colour that the majority of Christians will be using for this day (White)!
So – my advice: Kiwis, once again – put the Lectionary to one side.
The feast day on Sunday is Christ the King, or if your community prefers, the Reign of Christ.
The colour is White.
Here are the readings.
Here are resources from textweek.
• collect/opening prayer reflection for November 20 Feast of Christ the King – the Reign of Christ
We do not have a shared traditional collect for this Sunday. Rome’s latest translation is:
Almighty ever-living God,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of the universe,
grant, we pray, that the whole creation,
set free from slavery,
may render your majesty service
and ceaselessly proclaim your praise;
through our Saviour, Jesus Christ,
who is alive with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Traditionally, this is also “Stir up Sunday”. I suggest the traditional “Stir up” collect is used as a Prayer after Communion. Also, obviously Christ the King is a feast day, and the collect for this day is not appropriate to use throughout the week that follows. I suggest the “Stir up” collect be the one used through this week:
Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people;
that they, richly bearing the fruit of good works,
may by you be richly rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord
[who is alive with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever]*
Amen.
*It is common practice to use the full Trinitarian ending for the collect/opening prayer of the Eucharist, and to use the shorter ending for the prayer after communion.
Please add ideas for sermons, hymns, etc.
