Christ the King Sunday

Our readings for Christ the King are:

1. Ezekiel 34: 11-12, 15-17
2. Psalms 23: 1-2, 2-3, 5-6
3. 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28
4. Matthew 25: 31-46

• Finding the lost in our midst
• There are many reasons that making peace is hard to do.  One of them is that the estranged one, the stranger, harbors deep resentment and anger over injury that they have suffered at our hands, and it is painful to encounter that hurt.
• Who are those in your circle of acquaintances, or family members who have left their faith?
• If you felt a strong calling to bring them back, where would you start?
• Why do you think it is that we seem so slow to seek out those who have left?
• How could we make our parish, our community more welcoming, a place where they would feel safe, nurtured, and secure?

• Knowing the shepherd's voice
• Multitasking has been honed to a fine art in the workplace, in our personal lives, in our families, or has it?
• Do you feel that your life is pulled in too many directions, or do you feel as though the various facets of your days, who you are, all contribute towards a central goal?
• In an ideal world, how would you go about getting better "focus" in your life?

• The ultimate sovereign
• Our God is the king of kings, but he has a funny way of showing it.  No pomp, no circumstance, no loud blaring of trumpets attend His arrival.
• How would you define true humility?
• Why do you think that humility is so important to God and His work here on earth?
• How might we be more humble in our dealings with our community, our families?
• If we are humble, do you think that will "infect" the world around us?

• In the end, all that matters is what you gave away
• Who are some of the truly generous people that you have known?
• What were some of their strongest characteristics?
• How do you suppose that they were able to give so generously and not burn out?
• As seasons of our lives come and go, how do we tell when it is time to set aside one sort of giving, to retire from that work, and pick up another?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Would anyone describe me as a peacemaker?
2. How is God bringing focus to my life today?
3. Am I more humble than I was a year ago?
4. Am I going to have given it all away by the time I die, or will there be "loose ends"?

Shalom!