November 26th, 2006 - Sunday Service

This is the last Sunday of the church year. Pastor Dayle announced that Pastor Mark, together with some of our youth, was at Lloyd Center Double Tree Inn for the Thanksgiving Oregon Lutheran Youth retreat.

This is Christ the King Sunday, instituted as a feast by Pope Pius XI in 1925. It raised controversy at the time because many felt that the idea of "King" was outmoded, and didn't any longer convey the meaning it had once contained. The Pope, however, thought it should convey King of all creation, rather than an oppressive King. The feast was moved to the Sunday that falls Nov 20-26th (last Sunday of the Church year) after Vatican II. It makes sense at that point in the Church year, as the idea of Christ the King is the fulfillment of the journey from anticipation through birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, Pentecost.

But, conveniently, the contemplation of Christ as the fulfillment of everything at the end of everything takes you right back to the already-but-not-yet aspect of the Kingdom of God. And that rather neatly leads you back into Advent the week after. So its location as the last Sunday of the church year works rather well from that point of view.

Pastor Dayle, in worship, handled Christ’s crown and cross as mystery. In the Children’s time she rearranged a cross (displayed behind the altar on sticky paper) into a crown, underscoring this transformation and relationship of cross and crown. As she put it in her sermon “The cross and the crown are parts of the same puzzle.”

The service did not emphasize Christ the King as conquering king or worldly achiever. We sang By Your Hand You Feed Your People during communion and Beautiful Savior as closing hymn. We began to ready ourselves for Advent and for the anticipation of Jesus as helpless infant.

There was an Intergenerational Advent Festival between services. There were a number of crafts including making Yule logs and candy locomotives. Thanks go out to Teresa, Jim and all who participated in the planning and preparation of this.

Matt went into the plans for the Christmas program. Sounds like the substance of the program we will do on December 20th is coming together.

Advent is coming, services start next Wednesday and the waiting will begin.