Call to worship
Servant King meet us now in this time and place
Show us your ways
and open our hearts
so we may truly know you. Amen
Hymn Come let us with our Lord arise
1 Come, let us with our Lord arise,
our Lord, who made both earth and skies:
who died to save the world he made,
and rose triumphant from the dead;
he rose, the Prince of life and peace,
and stamped the day for ever his.
2 This is the day the Lord has made,
that all may see his love displayed,
may feel his resurrection’s power,
and rise again, to fall no more,
in perfect righteousness renewed,
and filled with all the life of God.
3 Then let us render him his own,
with solemn prayer approach his throne,
with meekness hear the gospel word,
with thanks his dying love record,
our joyful hearts and voices raise,
and fill his courts with songs of praise.
4 Honour and praise to Jesus pay
throughout his consecrated day;
be all in Jesus’ praise employed,
nor leave a single moment void;
with utmost care the time improve,
and only breathe his praise and love.
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Prayer
Loving God, we adore you,
Ruler of all, we praise your holy name.
For you are our God and our Servant-King:
We are the people of your pasture
and the sheep of your hand.
Suffering Christ, we adore you,
Saviour of all, we praise your holy name.
For you are our God and our Servant-King:
We are the people of your pasture
and the sheep of your hand.
Joyous Spirit, we adore you,
Freedom of all, we praise your holy name.
For you are our God and our Servant-King:
We are the people of your pasture
and the sheep of your hand.
Shepherd God – our Maker, Redeemer and Friend – we adore you,
singing for joy in your presence,
worshipping you with thanksgiving,
humbling our pride with praise.
For you are our strength, our protection and our hope,
source of goodness and love, faith and healing;
and with all the earth we call out to you in gladness,
before all the world we bless you as our King:
We are the people of your pasture
and the sheep of your hand. Amen
Collect Prayer
Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people,
that they, bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may by you be richly rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading John 18:33-37
Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him. Jesus answered, “Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?” Pilate replied, “Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!” So Pilate asked him, “Are you a king, then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”
What is truth?
Jesus is not prepared to deny the truth before Pilate even though it could have saved his life. He was prepared to go to the cross for the truth even though other people like his disciples did not think it was worth dying for.
Pilate seems to see th value of truth in purely relative terms, and he is not the only one.
This week Keir Starmer shook hands with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping he was trying to rekindle a better relationship with the leader of the 2nd most powerful and economically significant country in the world. Unfortunately for Starmer he did this just a few hours before 45 pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong were sentenced to up to 10 years of time in detention for protesting against the increasingly Chinese controlled regime in Hong Kong despite the agreement made in 1984 that there would be 50 years of two systems and one country in Hong Kong following Britain’s handover to China of its former colony in 1997. However the current British government seems to have decided that the possibility of greater economic prosperity at home is of more vital importance to Britain than taking the risk of upsetting Chinese by publicly criticizing their behaviour towards the citizens of Hong Kong.
Pontius Pilate would have understood this murky world of what people today sometimes call realpolitik. Realpolitik is a political approach that emphasizes practical and pragmatic considerations over moral or ideological beliefs. It is associated with the pursuit of power and national interest, focusing on what is achievable rather than what is idealistic. Pilate would have understood this he lived and breathed in such a world, a world where cynicism ruled. Principles were a luxury you couldn’t afford, and you simply did what was expedient. Before we become too critical we need to remember that Pilates world and the world of every principle has a price is our world.
Jesus is the truth is the truth of God’s love for us – Jesus demonstrates this truth by his willingness to die on the Cross. Jesus demonstrates this truth through his life of love and service.
At the beginning of the story Jesus seems to be on trial before Pilate. Yet at the end of our reading the tables seem to have been turned. It is Pilate who is on trial- Pilate has to answer the question whether he recognises God’s truth stood just a few feet in front of him. Sadly Pilate fails the test According to John in his Gospel Pilate feels sympathy for Jesus, but he will not place his trust in God and start living the life of love that Jesus shows us.
Pilate trusts the only truth and power he can understand – political power. His answer to Jesus what is truth? Shows that he cannot understand any other truth or power even when it is right in front of his nose.
Of course the question that we need to ask ourselves is do we recognise the truth?. Do we build our lives on love and service? Or are we more like Pilate who felt that he had to live in what he probably thought of as the real world.
Questions to think about
Jesus says to us “whoever belongs to the truth listens to me”.
- Do we listen to Jesus?
- Do we act on what Jesus calls us to do?
- Do we show that Jesus is the king of our lives by the way we love our neighbours. If so, in what way? If not what could we do about this?
A song to reflect on “I trust in you” by Lauren Daigle
Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see
I’ve tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You’re by my side
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There’s not a day ahead You have not seen
So, in all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!
You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand
Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There’s not a place where I’ll go
You’ve not already stood
When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
I will trust in You! I will trust in You!
I will trust in You!
Hymn Make way, Make way
1 Make way, make way, for Christ the King
in splendour arrives;
fling wide the gates and welcome him
into your lives.
Make way (Make way), make way (make way),
for the King of kings (for the King of kings);
make way (make way), make way (make way),
and let his Kingdom in.
2 He comes the broken hearts to heal,
the prisoners to free;
the deaf shall hear, the lame shall dance,
the blind shall see.
3 And those who mourn with heavy hearts,
who weep and sigh,
with laughter, joy and royal crown
he’ll beautify.
4 We call you now to worship him
as Lord of all,
to have no gods before him,
their thrones must fall!
Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 264
Used by permission.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God.
For the love of our Father, the Maker of all,
the giver of all good things:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For the world’s beauty and the changing seasons,
and for the life that we have been given:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For Jesus Christ our Saviour,
who lived and worked among us:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For his suffering and death on the cross
and his resurrection to new life:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For his rule over all things
and his presence in the world:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For the Holy Spirit, the giver of life,
who teaches and guides us:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
For the grace of the Spirit
in the work of the Church
and the life of the world:
let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer of dedication
O God of majesty,
as you have raised your Son,
Jesus Christ from the dead,
and exalted him as our Saviour and Judge,
so give us life and call us to truth and compassion.
O God of glory,
as you have made your Son, Jesus Christ,
head over all things for the church,
so increase that love which recreates us as Christ’s body.
O God of mercy,
as you have offered your Son, Jesus Christ,
into the pain and hatred and grief of the world,
so keep us faithful in suffering and wise in our witness.
O God of faithfulness,
as you have revealed your Son, Jesus Christ,
as the one who remains true to your truth,
help us to be faithful to Christ’s way,
of humble serving love,
even if that leads us to the cross. Amen
Hymn Meekness and majesty
1 Meekness and majesty,
manhood and deity,
in perfect harmony —
the man who is God.
Lord of eternity,
dwells in humanity,
kneels in humility
and washes our feet.
Oh, what a mystery —
meekness and majesty:
bow down and worship,
for this is your God,
this is your God!
2 Father’s pure radiance,
perfect in innocence,
yet learns obedience
to death on a cross:
suffering to give us life,
conquering through sacrifice —
and as they crucify,
prays, ‘Father forgive.’
3 Wisdom unsearchable,
God the invisible,
love indestructible
in frailty appears:
Lord of infinity,
stooping so tenderly,
lifts our humanity
to the heights of his throne.
Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 362
Used by permission.
Blessing
The blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be among you/us and remain with you/us always. Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
