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).
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YOUR KINGDOM COME
Pastoral Resources | 2025-26 Themes At-A-Glance
The Messiah on the Cross: The Kingdom’s Triumph Over Satan and Sin, Mark 15:21-40; Colossians 2:13-15
On Calvary’s Cross, that which looked like defeat was nothing other than the victorious engagement of the King against the powers of Satan and the guilt of sin. Christ’s death effected the King’s complete answer to the sin question through the ages. His shed blood erased the charge against us and shattered the dominion and domination of the Enemy. Now, through the death of the King on His Cross, the Church can live and operate as victorious agents of the Kingdom’s inbreaking, not simply hoping for victory but as those who are experiencing it, declaring His victory already won, living free from condemnation, unafraid of the powers and their effects, and living boldly to proclaim the victory and strength of the once crucified King who now reigns at God’s right hand.
Invocation
Reigning Lord, we come to the foot of Your Cross, where Your suffering demonstrated God’s love for us, and Your sacrifice declared Your victory over the powers of the enemy and sin. Open our eyes to see Your triumph where the world sees only suffering and defeat. Silence every accusing voice, for You have cancelled our debt; still every fear, for You have disarmed our enemy, and his lies no longer need torment or distract us. Meet us now, crucified and risen King, here before You and teach our hearts to trust You and to worship. 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.
Sunday: Mark 15.42-16.11; Matt. 27.57-28.15; Luke 23.50-24.12; John 19.38-20.18
Lectionary Readings for Today
Our readings from the Psalms, the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary for this week.
Psalm: Psalm 80:7-15
Old Testament (or Acts [during Eastertide]): Isaiah 5:1-7
Gospel: Matt. 21:33-46
New Testament: Philippians 3:4b-14
Click here for all of this week’s Scripture readings
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Sunday: Psalm 4, 34, 64, 94, 124 and Proverbs 4
The Cross as the Throne of the King’s Triumph, Mark 15:21–40; Colossians 2:13–15
The crucified Messiah, Who appeared utterly defeated as He suffered and died, was in truth the reigning King whose death cancels our sin and disarms our enemy. Now the Church proclaims the Cross as the decisive victory of God’s Kingdom, the instrument through which the powers were disarmed and defeated.
Reflection
At Golgotha the Messiah died, from all appearances, as a condemned criminal and false prophet, mocked and forsaken, yet every detail declared both His engagement of the powers and His victory. The torn veil, the centurion’s confession, and the watching women mark the moment that God’s Kingdom breaks in, exposes evil, and declares His triumphant victory. Colossians unveiled the meaning: on that Cross our sin debt was cancelled and the hostile powers that have tormented humankind and creation were stripped, disarmed, and led out before the universe in open defeat.
Engaging God’s Word Today
Where are you still living as though the outcome of Christ’s victory over Satan and sin were in doubt, that is, where are you still carrying the guilt Christ has cancelled or fearing powers He has already disarmed? If you truly believed and lived into these truths, how do you think this would change?
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 for the Cross, Lord, for everything that You accomplished there, for Your people and for creation. Even though it looked like defeat, Your Cross was actually the victory that won us the day. We go now in the freedom Your Cross has won for us. The charge against us because of our sin has been cancelled; the powers that have our whole lives long lied to us and oppressed us have been defeated. Now, the way into Your presence and grace stands open to all. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, teach us to live as citizens of a Kingdom already triumphant, unashamed of the crucified King. And may the peace of the reigning Christ guard us until He makes all things new. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Rev. 21:1-5, Creation’s Groaning: The Kingdom’s Cosmic Scope
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
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)
• Kingdom, Church and World: Biblical Themes for Today, Howard Snyder (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: The Gospel of the Kingdom
Fundamentally, as we have seen, the Kingdom of God is God’s sovereign reign; but God’s reign expresses itself in different stages through redemptive history. Therefore, men may enter into the realm of God’s reign in its several stages of manifestation and experience the blessings of His reign in differing degrees. God’s Kingdom is the realm of the Age to Come, popularly called heaven; then we shall realize the blessings of His Kingdom (reign) in the perfection of their fulness. But the Kingdom is here now. There is a realm of spiritual blessing into which we may enter today and enjoy in part but in reality the blessings of God’s Kingdom (reign).
We pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The confidence that this prayer is to be answered when God brings human history to the divinely ordained consummation enables the Christian to retain his balance and sanity of mind in this mad world in which we live. Our hearts go out to those who have no such hope. Thank God, His Kingdom is coming, and it will fill all the earth.
But when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we also ask that God’s will be done here and now, today. This is the primary concern of these expositions, that the reader might meet the Kingdom of God, or rather, that the Kingdom of God might meet him. We should also pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” in my church as it is in heaven. The life and fellowship of a Christian church ought to be a fellowship of people among whom God’s will is done—a bit of heaven on earth. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” in my life, as it is in heaven. This is included in our prayer for the coming of the Kingdom. This is part of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
~ Ladd, George Eldon. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI: 2000. Electronic Edition (copyright © 1959, The Paternoster Press), Location 223-226.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
The Ascension and the Day of Pentecost: The Kingdom’s Cosmic Authority, Acts 1:6-11; 2:32-36, Eph. 1:20-23
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