This opening of worship for a leader with a sung response, was written for Christ the King Sunday but is appropriate for any time a service theme centers around the lordship and sovereignty of Christ.
The communion table appears bare at the start of the opening of worship but as the litany progresses the leader will set various things on or by it: a table cloth, chalice and plate, chair, and crown of thorns. If desired someone else could dress the table but make sure what they are doing is evident to the congregation.
[Communion table is center, but empty. The leader will set the table throughout the reading.]
Leader
People of God, we claim Christ as our king!
[The leader places a gold (or other appropriately fancy) table cloth on the communion table.]
Leader
But God gives us a different kind of king than we might expect.
“God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you gave us your Son,
The beloved one who was rejected,
The Savior who appeared defeated.”
Sung Response
“O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us” (st. 1) Dufner
[The leader places the chalice and plate of fine china or silverware on the communion table.]
Leader
Our King gives us a different kind of law—a law of love and a gospel of grace.
“The mystery of his Kingship illuminates our lives.”
Sung Response
“O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us” (st. 2) Dufner
[The leader places a chair next to the communion table.]
Leader
Our King calls us to live different kinds of lives.
“[God], show us in [Christ’s] death the victory that crowns the ages,
And in his broken body the love that unites heaven and earth.”
Sung Response
“O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us” (st. 3) Dufner
[The leader places a crown of thorns as the centerpiece.]
Leader
We worship a different kind of king who lays down his life for his people!
“[God we praise] your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever!”
Sung Response
“O Christ, What Can It Mean for Us” (st. 4) Dufner
—Katy Matejka Kroondyk © 2025 ReformedWorship.org, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. All quoted texts are taken from The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources. Section P.1.4.5
