Worship Ideas for Christ the King Sunday, Year B - 2006

I will probably open the worship service with a reading of the passage from Revelation.  And for those of you more stringently liturgical, let me say that I have never like reading all of the scripture passages in row - it’s like Bible overload/overdose, if you ask me.  So I usually spread the scriptures throughout the worship service before the message.  Often the Psalm will serve as a call to worship, another text as a call to prayer or call to the offering. 

After reading from Revelation 1:4b-8, we will move into the Call to Worship proper by reading responsively Psalm 93.  At the beginning and end of the Psalm we will sing verses of Praise to the Lord, the Almighty by Joachim Neander.  The format will look something like this:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him,
for he is your health and salvation!
Let all who hear
Now to his temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration!

Psalm 93

The Lord reigns. He is robed in majesty; the Lord is girded about strength.

The world also is established, and it cannot be shaken.

Your throne is established from of old; you are everlasting.

The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas lift up their crashing waves.

Mightier than the thunders of great floods, mightier than the powerful billows of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

Your testimonies are wholly trustworthy; holiness becomes your house, O Lord, forever.

Praise to the Lord! Oh, let all
That is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
Come now with praises before him!
Let the amen
Sound from his people again.
Gladly forever adore him!

After the gospel lesson, we will probably sing portions of both versions of All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (Coronation and Diadem).  We will sing three verses of Coronation then three verses of Diadem, with it’s beautiful, rolling refrain.  The contrast between the majestic nature of these hymns and the gospel text will present an excellent foundation for preaching the message (at least I think so).

Interesting black and white illustrations suitable for bulletin covers can be found here, here, or here.