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 Resurrection of the Messiah: The Kingdom’s Victory Over Death, Mark 16:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
The resurrection of Christ is the centerpiece of God’s manifestation of His Kingdom purpose and victory. It announces clearly to all who will listen the decisive first victory of God’s Kingdom over the Curse of the Fall, of the effects and judgment of sin, of the tyranny of Satan and evil, and the last enemy of death itself. Because Jesus the Messiah-King has risen, ascended, and reigns now, no evil nor grave, no failure nor fear can ever pronounce the final word over those who belong to him through grace. Now, we have been set free to live, serve, and witness boldly today, confident that the risen and reigning King alone guarantees tomorrow’s complete triumph.
Invocation
Almighty God, who raised Jesus, our Messiah-King, from the dead, open our hearts as we hear Your Word today. Roll away the stones of doubt and fear that seem insurmountable to us, stones we cannot move. Let the empty tomb bear witness of Your gracious working before us, allowing the First fruits of the resurrection to fill us with living hope, that we may worship and serve our risen King in both spirit and truth. In His name we pray, 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: Acts 13-14
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 106:1-6, 19-23
Old Testament (or Acts [during Eastertide]): Exodus 32:1-14
Gospel: Matt. 22:1-14
New Testament: Philippians 4:1-9
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 11, 41, 71, 101, 131 and Proverbs 11
The Empty Tomb and the First fruits: The Risen King Has Begun His Conquest of Death, Mark 16:1–8; 1 Cor. 15:20–28
The empty tomb of the crucified Jesus in Mark and the First fruits in Paul announce one cosmic reality: God has raised Jesus the Messiah-King from the dead, and that resurrection announced boldly the Kingdom’s certain triumph over every enemy, so that now the Church lives, serves, and bears witness from a victory already won through the Cross and a consummation already guaranteed by a risen and living Savior.
Reflection
At dawn, on the day of the resurrection of Jesus, grieving women found the stone rolled away and heard the news announced by the angels: the crucified Jesus had risen and was going before His disciples. The apostle Paul unveiled the meaning of that morning’s happenings to the Corinthians: Christ Jesus is the First fruits of the resurrection, reversing the effects of Adam’s death and the Curse, and now must reign until every enemy, including death, is finally defeated, and God becomes all in all. The empty tomb prophetically announces the cosmic victory of the Kingdom.
Engaging God’s Word Today
Where in your life are you still carrying spices to a tomb, treating a situation you are facing as something dead and final, when the risen King Himself has gone before you and already rolled away the stone of your concerns?
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
No words can suffice, dear God, to tell You how grateful we are for the working of Your Son on our behalf. He confronted the foe, paid the price, and rose victorious as our Lord and Savior. Now may You, Father, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, send us out filled with Your Spirit as witnesses of His victory. May the risen King go before us, restoring us when we falter, and turn our fear into bold faith to proclaim His triumph over death. Teach us to live, serve, and proclaim from a victory He already won for us, until that time He makes all things new and God becomes our all in all. 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
Here is the root of evil: blindness, darkness, unbelief. The Biblical philosophy of sin makes ethical and moral evil secondary to religious evil. Paul elsewhere refers to the “ungodliness and wickedness of men” (Rom. 1: 18). All forms of wickedness ultimately grow out of the root of ungodliness. Sin is primarily religious and secondarily ethical. Man is God’s creature and his primary responsibility is towards God. The root of sin is found in his refusal to acknowledge in grateful dependence the gifts and the goodness of God (Rom. 1: 21), which are now imparted in Christ. Darkness is the assertion of independence rather than God-dependence.
The primary manifestation of satanic influence and of the evil of This Age is religious; it is blindness with reference to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How often we fail to understand satanic devices! A man may be a cultured, ethical and even religious person and yet be in demonic darkness. Satan’s basic desire is to keep men from Christ. His primary concern is not to corrupt morals nor to make atheists nor to produce enemies of religion. Indeed religion which rests upon the assumption of human adequacy and sufficiency is an enemy of the light. This is the character of the Age of this world: darkness.
It is obvious from these verses that the Kingdom of God does not belong to This Age, for Satan is called the god of This Age. This is not to suggest that God has been dethroned or His hand removed from the control of the universe. It remains eternally true that “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103: 19). Even when evil is strongest on the earth, when God’s people are most violently attacked by Satan, God is still the “King of the ages” (Rev. 15: 3).6 It is in the providence of God’s sovereign rule that this state of affairs has come to pass. It is, however, basic to our understanding of the Kingdom of God to recognize the Biblical teaching that This Age is in rebellion against God’s rule.
~ 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 345.
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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