Christ The King Staff Prayer

Staff Prayer Ritual in the week of Christ the King: Outline

We Gather:

• Welcome
• Sign of the Cross
• Opening Prayer

We Listen:

• Scripture Reading
• Reflection

We Respond:

• Ritual Action
• Closing Prayer

We Go Forth:

• Blessing
• Dismissal
• Sign of Peace

The Environment

Ideally, set out chairs around a prayer focus – creating a space where people can be present to one another. Three candles are placed near the Bible which rests open at the Scripture Reading for today. More detail below ...

You will need:

• a Leader of prayer; a Reader (who will read from the Bible); other staff members to read the various parts of the Reflection on the gospel (see detail below)
• Strips of paper or card on which the following actions of the Kingdom are written:

I am hungry and you give me food

I am thirsty and you give me something to drink

I am a stranger and you welcome me

I am naked and you give me clothing

I am sick and you take care of me

I am in prison and you visit me

Ideally, there would be at least 3 or 4 cards for each action. This means that people could choose the one that meant the most to them, rather than having to take whatever was left if they were among the last to come forward. In other words, for six actions you will make 18 or 24 cards. It depends on Staff numbers, of course. However, it doesn’t matter if there are cards left over.

• 
  3 candles (head, heart and hands) + matches. These candles would be lit before the Prayer begins
• a Bible (open at the Reading) on the Prayer Table
• Handouts for each staff member
• Full text of the ritual for the Leader

Staff Prayer Ritual in the week of Christ the King: Detail

We Gather

Welcome & Introduction

Leader: This week, we celebrate Christ as King! The freeing power of Christ is alive and working among us to lift up the poor and needy, and to bring Life into a world of misery. His is not the ‘usual’ kind of kingdom that we know in the world of today. His ‘kingship’ is a power that moves more in a cosmic sense. We are invited to participate in this transforming work, bringing justice and peace into every heart and into every aspect of Creation. ... pause …

Sign of the Cross

Leader: We begin our prayer in the name of the Father,

All: + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Opening Prayer

Leader: Let us pray ...

All: God of the Cosmos,

you chose to restore all things in Christ your Son,

Move our hearts, in the love of Christ, to care for all you have made,

especially for all who need our help.

Make us worthy stewards of the gifts you have given,

as we generously give ourselves for the sake of the kingdom

where he lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever. Amen.

We Listen

Scripture Reading

Reader: A reading from the gospel of Matthew (Matt 25: 31 – 40)

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. “Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And he king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

SHORT PAUSE ...

Reflection: A way of understanding the ‘kingdom’ of God

Reader 1: ‘I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink’

Reader 2: What do we all hunger and thirst for in our lives? We could answer food, respect, shelter, a job, peace, happiness, a word of encouragement, forgiveness, love. There are many needs and many ways in which we can respond to people’s needs. It may not involve major projects – it may be a simple as a smile or a friendly word of affirmation or gratitude.

Reader 3: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’

Reader 4: Hospitality is a key gospel value. One Scripture scholar has even referred to Jesus as the ‘hospitality of God’. The welcoming of strangers is about our attitude to those who are different from us – be it in looks, religion, culture, speech or talent! Being different is not dangerous!

Reader 5: ‘I was naked and you clothed me’.

Reader 6: To be naked is to be without … without self-esteem, without love, without security, without peace of mind. What else could be lacking from a person’s life? How do we ’clothe’ another with friendship, with encouragement, with affirmation, with a good reputation, with speaking the truth?

Reader 7: ‘I was sick and you took care of me’.

Reader 8: Many forms of illness afflict people today. Recently, a psychologist specializing in adolescence stated that one in five Australian students suffer some form of psychological problem. One of the solutions, he stated, was to instil in students a sense of meaning and belonging. Who and what helps us to deal with such concerns in our lives?

Reader 9: ‘I was a prisoner and you visited me.’

Reader 10: In what ways are we ‘prisoners’ feeling unfree in our lives? What is it that binds us and prevents us from growing and living ‘life to the full’ (John 10:10)? Fear can bind us, so can guilt or loneliness or insecurity. How can a positive outlook melt our fears?

We Respond

Leader: We have just heard a description of a very different kind of “kingdom”. In our ritual action, I invite you to choose one way that you can work with Christ to bring about the Kingdom of God in our school today!

People can choose one of six ways (from today’s gospel) in which they will commit to bringing God’s Kingdom into their Classroom, Playground, Staffroom, School, today ...

These have been placed in the prayer space (on cards) before the Prayer Ritual began. People now move forward and choose one to take back to their classrooms OR perhaps to leave on their staffroom desks.

After all have chosen a card ... the Leader may continue:

I invite each of you to share the action you chose (or that ‘chose’ you!)

People simply speak their chosen line of Scripture, without discussion, in turn.

Closing Prayer

Leader: Let us pray ...

All: Lord Jesus Christ,

You are a King who cares deeply for his people.

May we search out those in need,

so that Love and Justice will reign

as the Kingdom of God is brought forth within us.

We ask our prayer in your name and in the power of the Holy Spirit

Amen.

We Go Forth

Blessing

Leader: May almighty God bless us, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

Dismissal

Leader: Go forth to bring the Kingdom of Justice and Peace to all you meet today!

All: Thanks be to God!

Sign of Peace

Leader: Let us show that we are indeed active in God’s Kingdom as we offer one another a Sign of Peace.