Christ the King Sunday

Today we celebrated Christ the King Sunday at Christ the Redeemer.  Our preacher was Christopher P. Leighton the second rector of our former parish St. David’s and now rector of St. Paul’s Darien CT.   At our eight o’clock service we sang music themed for the occasion, the old Fisherfolk tune “Jesus is Our King” and hymns “Come Thou Almighty King” and “Crown Him With Many Crowns” yet to break up the theme a bit "O Christ the Same Through All Our Story's Pages" to the familiar Irish tune Londonderry Air (Danny Boy) was offered as an anthem by David Ball during communion. 

During the Adult Ed hour Christopher and Janet and Gale and I shared of our history together at All Saints’ Aliquippa from an evangelistic perspective and Christopher and Janet shared about their evangelistic outreach to the neighboring community of Norwalk CT.  Christopher shared about their planting of 10 “Anglican mission stations” (outside of TEC) scattered throughout the state of Connecticut.  St. Paul’s has also brought litigation in the state courts to determine the legality of the imposed trust of the Episcopal Church’s Dennis Canon in Connecticut.   This is because St. Paul’s property is valued at $12 million and the Diocese of Connecticut and TEC is not going to willingly relinquish a claim to it and in favor of their congregation.    

At the 10:30 service at the end of his sermon Christopher made an appeal for those who would like to surrender to Christ the King to stand –the whole congregation stood.  He then asked those who’ve done this for the first time to raise their hands and five did so.  Praise God!  It will be our job to follow up these commitments and we surely will.   All in all it was a great Sunday.