Our series during Ordinary time will explore the revelation of God’s Kingdom through his Son. We will look specifically how the incarnation—the ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ—reveals the long-promised Kingdom of God breaking into human history demonstrating God’s love, destroying the powers that ravaged creation, and displaying the Messiah’s promise (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).
Click on image above to access our Church Year Calendar
YOUR KINGDOM COME
Pastoral Resources | 2025-26 Themes At-A-Glance
The Messiah’s Calling the Disciples: The Kingdom’s Community, Mark 1:16-20; 3:13-19
In calling his disciples to himself, Jesus reenacts (recapitulates) the New Exodus, setting apart a Kingdom people who will represent his Kingdom purposes in the earth. As the first fruits of his sovereign mission, they neither assemble nor collect themselves into a group; rather, the Messiah creates the community: he sees, wills, and summons each one into his camp, and his Word alone both calls and does what it says. He first draws those he calls into fellowship with himself, i.e., “to be with him,” and only then commissions them to be sent out on behalf of him and his Kingdom. Therefore, the mission of the Kingdom is anchored in communion with the Messiah himself. As modern-day talmidim (disciples), Christ our Lord also calls and selects us, not through our qualifying ourselves but by leaving our “nets” and following him wherever and whenever he leads.
Our Focus Today
The Divine Initiative of the Call, Mark 1:16–17; 3:13
Christ initiates the formation of his Kingdom community through his own sovereign calling and summoning, and not with our own human volunteering and efforts.
Invocation
Lord Jesus, before I ever sought you, you saw me; before I desired you, you set your love upon me for you wanted me to be a member of your Kingdom community. I come now only because you have first called me to yourself. Quiet my restless striving, open my ears to hear your word of call, and draw me afresh to you in this hour. I will answer your word with my own “Here I am, send me!” because you have spoken my name. Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Monday: Lam. 4-5; Obad.; 2 Kings 25.22-26; Jer. 40.7-41.18
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Monday: Psalm 27, 57, 87, 117, 147 and Proverbs 27
The Divine Initiative of the Call, Mark 1:16–17; 3:13
Christ initiates the formation of his Kingdom community through his own sovereign calling and summoning, and not with our own human volunteering and efforts.
Reflection
In the Kingdom of God, God’s sovereign grace precedes our response and change; the Lord sees, wills, and calls before we ever seek him. Christ comes to us with his own desire, will, and summons; it does not begin with ideas of our servanthood or discipleship but with his answers to his prior summons. He sets us free, then, from the anxious labor of trying to qualify ourselves before God on our own strength. Jesus simply calls us to respond to him when he comes to us, for he is the One who has already set his desire upon us.
Engaging God’s Word Today
Where do you think you have you been striving to prove yourself worthy of God’s call? How might your life change if you truly believed that Christ saw you, desired you, and summoned you first, before you ever turned toward him?
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
Thank you Lord Jesus for the amazing call you have given to me in my life. How you came to me when I didn’t know anything about you and loved me before I ever knew who you were. I am assured today that my discipleship rests upon your grabbing hold of me, and you will never lose your grip on me. You saw me, you desired me, and you called me and I’m convinced that you will surely keep me too. Teach me how to rest in your gracious will, and how to better answer your promptings throughout the day. You are my master and I will follow you today. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Eph. 1:20-23, The Ascension and the Day of Pentecost: The Kingdom’s Cosmic Authority
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.
Books We Are Reading this Church Year, and When
• The Most Amazing Story Ever Told, Dr. Don Davis (during season of Advent)
• Get Your Pretense On, Dr. Don Davis (during season of Christmas)
• Destined for the Throne, Paul Billheimer (during season of Epiphany)
• The Presence of the Future, George Eldon Ladd (during seasons of Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Ascension)
• Who Gets to Narrate the World?, Robert E. Webber (during seasons of the Coming of the Holy Spirit, and Headship)
• Thy Kingdom Come, Rev. Terry Cornett and Dr. Don Davis (during season of Harvest)
• The Gospel of the Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd (during the seasons of Hope and Remembering the Saints, Exalting the King)
Book Reading Reflection: Destined for the Throne
(Reading “Who Gets to Narrate the World?” during season of Coming of the Holy Spirit and Headship)
“In brief, the ancient Christians believed that the truth about life is found in the story of Israel, Jesus and the church. It spread like this:
1. God’s story—found in the history of Israel and culminated in the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus—immediately formed a new community.
2. This community was initially formed in Jerusalem and, following Pentecost, spread to cities throughout the Roman Empire. These people gathered to remember God’s saving action in Jesus Christ. They did this in worship—through sermons that summarized God’s work in history and in meals that recollected the Last Supper.
3. When the early Christians gathered in these assemblies, the apostles of Jesus interpreted the life and ministry of Jesus and the events surrounding his death and resurrection. They always interpreted Jesus as the fulfillment of the story of Israel.
4. These stories—of God, the Garden of Eden, Abraham, Moses, the exodus, the wilderness wanderings, the history of Israel, David, the prophets, the psalms and the Promised Land—found their fulfillment in Jesus.
5. The stories of Jesus were remembered in conversation and repeatedly told. His baptism, his temptation in the wilderness, his selection of disciples, his itinerant ministry, his struggles with the Pharisees, the events of Palm Sunday, the betrayal in the garden, his scourging, his last words on the cross, the resurrection and post resurrection meetings with the disciples, his ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit were all interpreted as the fulfillment of promises made to Israel. These events constituted the narrative of the world!
6. His followers, acting on his final words—the Great Commission—went everywhere telling others the good news of God’s reign over all things through Jesus.
7. New Christian communities (churches) were born, and they retold the Christian narrative in new settings.
8.The apostles wrote down their memories in books that came to be known as Gospels—good news books. These books constituted the authoritative texts of the church’s beginnings and of the common apostolic interpretation of Jesus’ person, work and ministry. They are revered as sacred texts.
9. The churches throughout the Roman world grew, and the apostles sent letters to the churches. The Gospels and these letters were assembled. The apostles died, and their successors read and studied the apostolic memoirs when they assembled for worship.89.
~ Webber, Robert E. Who Gets to Narrate the World?: Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL: 2008. Electronic Edition. Location 612-620.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
The Messiah’s Miracles and Healings: The Kingdom’s Power Over Creation, Mark 4:35-41; 6:30-44
Visit our Church App for more information: Scan the QR Code below (if you have difficulty loading the app, click here for instructions how to get the app on your iPhone or Android)
