King Christ: Bring Together All Peoples of the Earth

Almighty and everlasting God,
whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son,
the King of kings and Lord of lords:
Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth,
divided and enslaved by sin,
may be freed and brought together
under his most gracious rule; 
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and forever. Amen. 

– Book of Common Prayer

For helpful commentary on this prayer, see
http://anglicanpastor.com/collect-reflections-the-sunday-closest-to-november-23-christ-the-king-sunday/

Here are some excerpts:

First, we can know that King Jesus is ruling even now, and that even what seems terrible is sifted through his loving hands to ensure that it works for our good.

Second, we should look forward in hope to when this beautiful world is renewed and restored to a far greater glory.

Third, we can know that that future world will be a time of not only individual salvation but of glorious fellowship among different nations and peoples.  While ethnic differences now cause strife, on that day they will bring joy.

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‘Christ Enthroned’ contemporary icon by Mark Dukes
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/christ-enthroned-icon-mark-dukes.html

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I’m indebted to Victoria Emily Jones for this next entry, found in her blog post at
https://artandtheology.org/2017/07/04/roundup-hebrews-album-flags-in-church-god-the-plowman-digitized-prayer-book-lively-praise-hymns/

A video excerpt from the evening worship service held on June 14, 2017, at the  General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America

https://videos.files.wordpress.com/QLcuvg4b/joyful-joyful-full-res_dvd.mp4

Te praise team launches into a second hymn at 3:36 to ululation (celebratory cheer sounds), this one Caribbean-flavored. Composed by Felice de Giardini in the eighteenth century, “Come, Thou Almighty King” is a Trinitarian invocation: “Come, Thou Almighty King” (verse 1), “Come, Thou Incarnate Word” (verse 2), “Come, Holy Comforter” (verse 3). This particular arrangement is by Joel Littlepage, with orchestration by Michael Anderson. [See Victoria’s blog post for more details.]

1 Come, Thou Almighty King,
help us Thy name to sing,
help us to praise:
Father, all glorious,
o'er all victorious,
come and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.

2 Come, Thou Incarnate Word,
gird on Thy mighty sword,
our pray'r attend;
Come, and Thy people bless,
and give Thy Word success:
Spirit of holiness,
on us descend.

3 Come, Holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear
in this glad hour:
Thou who almighty art,
now rule in ev'ry heart,
and ne'er from us depart,
Spirit of pow'r.

4 To the great One in Three,
eternal praises be
hence evermore.
His sov'reign majesty
may we in glory see,
and to eternity
love and adore.

https://hymnary.org/text/come_thou_almighty_king_help_us_thy

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Christ Enthroned (contemporary icon) by Natalya Rusetska, Ukraine
http://iconart.com.ua/en/artists/artist-16/natalya-rusetska

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See more of Natalya’s art at
http://iconart.com.ua/en/gallery

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Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory (Latin: Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whose membership changes over time and according to the context. The image develops from Early Christian art, which directly borrowed the formulae of depictions of the enthroned Roman Emperor. In the Byzantine world, the image developed slightly differently into the half-length Christ Pantocrator,

The full-length image of Christ is surrounded by the symbolic beasts of the Four Evangelists in the corners, representing the vision of Chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation. [In the icon above, we also see many angels with their wings folded.]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_in_Majesty

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O Lord our God, You alone are the Most Holy King and Ruler of all nations.
We pray to You, Lord, in the great expectation of receiving from You, O Divine King, mercy, peace, justice and all good things.
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth.
Guard us we pray Most Faithful One.
Protect us from our enemies and from Your Just Judgment
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against you.
Jesus, You are a King of Mercy.
We have deserved Your Just Judgment
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us.
We trust in Your Great Mercy.
O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before You and pray;
May Your Reign, Your Kingdom, be recognized on earth.

Amen.

https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/novena/christking.htm

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Christ in Glory. Ethipoic Gospels - Parchment manuscript British Library
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_in_Glory._Ethipoic_Gospels_-_Parchment_manuscript_British_Library_Or._MS_481,_f.110v.jpg

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There is a really good, and really lengthy, ‘Liturgy for Christ the King’ at
http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/litanies/christking.htm

Out of the dozens of the lines, about 3 of them at the end reflect the Roman Catholic view of Mary. But 98% of the powerfully-worded prayer can easily be prayed by Protestants.

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Feast day of Christ the King

Your kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom,
on earth and in heaven above,
your people
and all those confessing your name,
sharing the blessings of your grace.
Your victory
which conquered the fear of death,
demonstrating the power of love,
your peace
which flows like a stream in our hearts,
what could be greater than this?

Prayer by John Birch ~

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‘From Every People and Nation,’ a book by Hays and Carson
https://renewpartnerships.org/posts/from-every-people-and-nation-by-hays-and-carson/

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Christ Enthroned, Book of Kells, ancient Ireland

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