Christ the King
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 95:1-7a; Eph. 1:15-23; Mat. 25:31-46
The time has come. In the third of the November parables about the coming of the Son of Man, he is finally here in the fullness of his glory. He gathers everyone and separates the sheep from the goats and the wheat from the weeds. The ones to the right are blessed by God and will inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. The ones to the left will find themselves forever separated from God. The litmus test for Jesus’ sheep is this: the intentional extension of compassion, hospitality, and everything else that the least of us – the poor, the sick, the ones living in bondage – need to live a dignified life.
The prophet Ezekiel gives voice to the promise of this day. To his lost and vulnerable sheep (34:16), the Lord will give freedom (13), good pasture (14), and the joy of his presence (15). Paul praises the church in Ephesus for the fruitful faith in the Lord Jesus (Ephesians 1:15), who has authority, power, and dominion over every name in this age and the age to come (21). Moreover, this faith makes the Ephesian faith community the embodiment of the fullness of Christ (22).
We sing with the psalmist:
“4In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
the heights of the hills are also yours.
5The sea is yours, for you made it,
and your hands have molded the dry land.
6Come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
7aFor the Lord is our God,
and we are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of God’s hand.”
Bridging Faith 