November 26, 2023 - Reign of Christ

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 

For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 

I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 

Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 

And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Psalm 95:1-7a

O come, let us sing  to God;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into God's presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise!

For God is a great God, and a great Ruler above all gods.

In God's hand are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are also God's.

The sea is God's, for God made it,

and the dry land, which God's hands have formed.

O come, let us worship and bow down,

let us kneel before God, our Maker!

For God is our God, and we are the people

of God's pasture, and the sheep of God's hand.

Matthew 25:31-46

31 “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. 32 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, 33 and he will put the sheep at his  right hand and the goats at the left. 34 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; 35 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, 36 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.’ 37 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? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and  welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we  saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer  them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of  these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will  say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me  into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I  was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me  nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked  and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not  visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw  you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and  did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell  you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not  do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but  the righteous into eternal life.”