For Sunday, January 4, 2015, Epiphany, Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6, Ps 72:1-7,
10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12
EPIPHANY!
THEOPHANY!
REVELATION!
INCARNATION!
Astounding, Bewildering, Astonishing...Are there enough superlatives to describe all that this holy day represents? Of course, we could use the same words for Christmas and this is, by extension, and in the compression of time given in the Gospels, continuing the celebration of the birth of our Messiah. At the Nativity of Jesus, Luke tells us that the angels appeared to the shepherds who received the good news of great joy, but Luke never mentions the Magi. Matthew never mentions the shepherds or even the birth itself except for a brief phrase: "...until she had borne a son; and he [Joseph] named him Jesus." [Matthew 1:25b] Matthew told us of the "...wise men from the East..." [Mt 2:1b] who had seen a great star that revealed to them the need for a journey to pay homage to a new born king of the Jews. Herod gets involved and we begin to see the ominous cloud moving in to shadow the glorious star. But are we listening as it is read again, having heard this story so very many times? Have we ever wondered what it could possibly mean for us in our time?
Perhaps the season has worn us down, the pageantry and the glorious music, the hustle and bustle of preparation for gifts and food and gatherings, the familiar rush of a given time of year. Perhaps Epiphany has come to be an anti-climax, the end of the story rather than the beginning of a new chapter. So let us hear the story again, as if for the very first time - we have an extraordinary gift, Christ, Our Lord, has been born to us! Let us REJOICE and BE GLAD!
It is a new beginning, another chance to finally hear and to actually believe. And then I must consider, how will I pay homage, follow and live into the light and life of Christ from here? How can I discover the Magi-cal gifts in my own life? Listen...
It is a new beginning, another chance to finally hear and to actually believe. And then I must consider, how will I pay homage, follow and live into the light and life of Christ from here? How can I discover the Magi-cal gifts in my own life? Listen...
Leader: ~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, let us come
together as Your people, to lift our eyes and see the brightness of Your
eternal dawn, to know the peace that You bring to us again and again, to openly
receive the promised gift of our salvation.
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
RESPONSE: We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise
You for Your Glory
~
Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, with Your radiance as our guide, let us
actively work to reverse the travesties of violence, oppression, and injustice,
from the imperial powers of our own day. Let us be models of the very compassion
and peace that we demand of our leaders for all the people in our world, in our
country, and in our community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
glory
~
Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, brighten the hearts and souls of those in the
grip of illness, depression, or hopelessness. Let Your comforting presence
surround and support them and those who give them care. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
glory
~
Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, we ask that the extraordinary joy of Your birth
comfort those lost in grief and envelop those who rejoice with new life in the
eternity of heaven. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
glory
~
Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud
or silently…
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
glory
~
Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, as the Magi returned to their own kingdoms to
spread the word of Your birth, so, too, the wise women and men who lead us in
Your church prayerfully bring to us Your words, works, and wonders, that we may
follow You and accept our liberation from sin. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord Jesus, Light of
Heaven on Earth
We worship You, we give You thanks, we praise You for Your
glory
The Celebrant adds: Holy Jesus, Wholly God,
grant us the willingness and courage to give our souls to You as the guiding
star of the dark moments of life, our rising and sustaining sun in each and
every day. We ask in humility through our Almighty Creator of all that is, and
the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, who together with our Christ are One God, in
the never-ending resplendence of eternity. Amen.
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