People's Prayers

Monday, January 17, 2022

Prayers of the People: This Year of Favor ~ 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany '22 Yr C

For Sunday, January 23, 2022; Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a,

Luke 4:14-21

Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. [Nehemiah 8:2a]

By [the statutes of the LORD] also is your servant enlightened...cleanse me from my secret faults...O LORD my strength and my redeemer. [Ps 19: 8a, 11 a, 12 b, 14b]

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body ~ Jews or Greeks, slaves or free ~ and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. [1 Cor 12:12-13]

[Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit,] stood up to read, and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was given to him. He and unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind..." [Luke 4:14a, 16b, 17-18a]

This week the prophet Nehemiah tells us that the people of Israel were gathered together to hear a long reading of the law of Moses which God had given. The assembled were people who had forgotten or had even become contemptuous of God’s Covenant and for 3 generations, 70 years, they and their descendants had been exiled to captivity in Babylonia. Now returned home at last, Ezra read the law of God, with interpretation and the sense of it given so the people understood. The people listened and then bowed their heads in worship with their faces to the ground as an act of recognizing their own failings; yet the Levites tell them it is a day holy to the Lord and they are not to mourn or weep. God has not forgotten them and it is God who has brought them home. They then went on their way, with the joy of the Lord as your strength and told to send portions of their feast to those for whom nothing is prepared.
The Psalmist tells us the heavens declare the glory of God and reminds us that God's law is perfect and God's statutes are just and rejoice the heart. And there is verse 14 from the Psalm that we hear often as some of our preachers begin their sermons: Let the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. It is a verse we can all use as a beginning to prayer and especially as we prepare to meet and greet others.
Comforted and bolstered by the knowledge of the Lord's presence within us, we can imagine the members of the Church in Corinth gathering to listen to Paul's letter. He begins with the reminder that we were all baptized into one body...and made to drink of one spirit.
Continuing on from last week's reading of the gifts of the Spirit, Paul takes us further into the anatomy of the Body of Christ as created by God. He dissects our non-hierarchical arrangement of parts, well, except for God giving the greater honor to the inferior member. So very many members ~ digits, organs, and limbs ~ all created in the image of God, and all one body ~ all ordinarily the same and each extraordinarily different. ALL parts of the body ~ individually and corporately, locally and planetarily ~ are created and arranged by God, the ultimate and pre-eminent Architect, Electrical, Chemical, Plumbing, and Systems Engineer. We are endowed from before birth with different gifts that are not our own, but in our human lives are to be given out to and received from each other, so as to have the same care for another...if one member suffers, all suffer...if one member is honored, all rejoice together in it.
And then, in the Gospel, we move to the gathering in the Synagogue as Jesus returns to his home town, to his home congregation, and was asked to read the words of Isaiah [61:1-2a+] that were, interestingly and coincidentally (?!), appointed for that day. Quite an honor? Perhaps a test? In those days, as now, the synagogues in Palestine were not staffed by professional rabbis. Members, men, of the congregation read the Scripture lesson and were perhaps asked to explain them or apply them to everyday life. It was not uncommon to ask a visitor, who seemed knowledgeable, to read as a new voice and who might have a fresh understanding of the reading to share.
Jesus unrolled the scroll, read from it, and then rolled up the scroll...and sat down. Everyone was watching him and so he told them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Today is the key word, the principle concept. He had read Isaiah's words The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me... Jesus had just announced his ministry, designating himself as the One about whom Isaiah was speaking, to the congregation where he grew up. Is that an audible gasp travelling through the millennia?
As we gather together to listen to God's Law and Word, let us who hear with understanding be conscious of the Spirit within us. Let us seek the gifts that are unique to us as individuals and honor the gifts of others. The waters of Baptism flow in a variety of ways and directions and the entire Body has been given the waters of the Spirit to hydrate our souls, to cleanse our hearts even of its secret faults, and to purify our intentions whether known or unknown to the other members. Each time we provide hope for the dispossessed, or offer help to those in need or trouble, we are making a day that is holy to our Lord and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor. Let us gather often to drink deeply of one Spirit, experience the Good News and strive for the greater gifts as living members of the Body of Christ. Let this and every year be proclaimed and dedicated to the Lord’s Favor.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, revive our souls with the power of Your Good News, as we carry it to all we meet and live it through our words and actions. Enlighten and cleanse us from our secret faults and engage the workings of our bodies, minds, and souls as mindful instruments of Your honor and love.

O Christ, our Teacher
           RESPONSE:               We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, grant us words so effective that they move the hearts and minds of all who govern the countries of our world, our nation, and our community. Endow those in seats of power and judgement with the compassion and courage to act now on behalf of the poor, the blind, the sick, and free those who are oppressed and held captive by misguided aims, debt-slavery, and so much more. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher
                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, relieve the pain of those who suffer from chronic illness, anxiety, or depression, and refresh all who provide care and comfort. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher
                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, lift the heavy weight of mourning, as those who have now left us in this life, rejoice and dance in Your everlasting light. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher
                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher
                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

~ O Lord of Joy and Glory, we give You thanks and praise for all who are anointed to guide our lives and souls by Your Church, opening the scrolls of Your Word, and journeying with us toward the fulfillment of Your purpose. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Christ, our Teacher
                                                       We are Your Hands, Your Feet, and Your Voice

The Celebrant adds:  O Lord our Strength and our Redeemer, overflow us with the desire to drink deeply of the Spirit, as we strive to find even greater gifts within us to use for Your purpose. Teach our hearts, again, to care for and honor each other as the Body of Christ as we proclaim and dedicate this year, and every year, to Your favor. We ask through Jesus, Prince of Peace; and the Holy Spirit, the Fount of our Wisdom; who together with You are One God, forever, and ever. Amen.

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Monday, January 10, 2022

Prayers of the People: Being Filled ~ 2nd Sunday after The Epiphany '22 Yr C

For Sunday, January 19, 2022; Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36:5-10, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 [optional: Dr. Martin Luther King, Rt. Rev. Quinton E. Primo, Jr.]*

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn... [Isaiah 62:1]

For with you is the well of life. and in your light we see light, Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and favor for those who are true of heart. [Psalm 36:9-10]

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed... there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [1 Corinthians 12:1,4-7]

When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you or me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you"… Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

[John 2: 3-5, 7]

These Prayers of the People were originally commissioned by The Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM) in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2013. They continue to be used by that Parish who in 2021 celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the blending of a traditionally white parish ~ St. Andrew's, founded in 1829, and a traditionally African-American parish ~ St. Matthew's that began in 1846. St. Matthew’s was founded in the lower level of St. Andrew's as the Robert Smith Sunday School until it became St Matthew's Parish in its own location in 1891. Much later, in the racially fraught 1968, Bishop Quintin Primo, then an African-American Episcopal Vicar, guided St. Matthew's from mission status to full parish status and lived to see the joyous union of these two parishes into one. As many of us were privileged to know him personally, we are pleased to celebrate his life and prophetic voice this day along with the vibrant legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. The selection from Bishop Primo's autobiography (below) is SsAM's additional reading on this Sunday. To learn more about the historical significance and current mission of SsAM see: www.ssam.org

As with so many Biblical anecdotes and parables, the story of the wedding feast of Cana is so well known that people of many beliefs and cultures have heard it. Vendors even sell really terrible wine on the streets of a town that might be Cana but no one really knows for certain where the Cana of this story is. As we’re told in John's Gospel, Jesus turned water into wine ~ his first miracle ~ and he didn't think he was ready. While quite an accomplishment, the setting for this first sign may not appear to be auspicious enough for such a pivotal event or serve humanity in any important way. Yet his mother asked and he complied, if slightly less than willing, and therefore took the first step in his public ministry. Clearly his mother knew her son was ready for bigger things.

The volume of the wine changed from the water is significant; it is an abundant amount given how late in the celebration. It is a metaphor for the way the love and the Presence of God fills us all, God's own created vessels, up to the brim, just as the new wine fills the stone jars. And it matters not how late in our lives that we change and recognize the fullness of God's love within. The moment made believers of his chosen disciples: Jesus, Son of God, Worker of Miracles! Let's follow him everywhere!

Jesus incarnated was the embodiment of God's gifts as we each are, in our own individual ways. For us mere mortals, discerning our gifts is not easy and many of us ignore or disclaim them, hiding from ourselves under a mask of artificial humility. We may not all have the greatness to save the entire world but each one of us has abilities, knowledge, and talents that make us unique, useful, even admirable ~ if we accept them. Perhaps it is easier to hide from them if it seems that the acceptance and claiming requires some responsibility for using them. Jesus accepted his gifts and used them for teaching, preaching, and healing. Dr. King and Bishop Primo used their gifts and did change the world and, often, especially as with Dr. King, at their own peril.

But of course Jesus, Dr. King, and Bishop Primo were special people, called by God to do great and memorable things that are written down and remembered. "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent..." says Isaiah, and Dr. King, and Bishop Primo. What is Zion for me? What will call me from just dreaming about what I might do someday to pushing myself to action now? Dr. King said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." Our first step begins with the Gospels. Today’s Epistle reminds us that we are each endowed by the Holy Spirit with gifts to be used for the common good. Bishop Primo was very clear when he said, "What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ..." But not everyone agrees on how and what to believe. If the Gospel message is so clear why are so many Christians arguing with and disparaging each other? How can there be so many divisions, denominations, theological, and ideological differences determining who's in and who's out and who's right and who's wrong, who should be condemned (or worse) and who should be accepted? If being fully loved by God, as we learn from the Gospels, doesn't bring us all together, it does beg the question, "So, really, What Would Jesus Do?" Well, being filled to the brim with gifts of the Spirit and faith, being true of heart, and as Mary directed, do everything He tells us. (And listen to your mother)

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ O God Most Loving, give us ears to hear, hearts to feel, and souls to know and deeply experience Your Spirit-charged words, and listen to the voice[s] of Your servant[s] Martin [and Quintin*]. Activate our own spiritual gifts, that we may change the substance of our lives from self-serving to full-service, and to be true of heart and strong in faith, now more than ever.

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

RESPONSE: In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, let us not keep silent as we raise our voices loudly and often for those who are lost and forsaken, and in danger and despair in this life. Let us not rest as we continually urge all Governments and Authorities, locally and globally, to make Martin’s Dream into truth and action, with peace, justice, and mercy for ALL. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, calm the hearts and minds of those with physical, emotional, or spiritual challenges, and lighten the load for all who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need … add your own petitions

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, console all who mourn as Your steadfast and priceless love gathers our faithful departed into the joy and abundance of Your House forever. We pray especially for… add your own petitions

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

In You our souls are free at last

~ O God Most Loving, nurture and enhance the gifts of our anointed leaders in Your Church who strive to impart Your wisdom and keep us aware of Your eternal Presence. Guide us to discover and offer the endowment of Your gifts and strengths within ourselves. We pray especially for: add your own petitions [and the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.]

O Righteous, Faithful Lord

In You our souls are free at last

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Our Well of Life, as the vessels were filled at Cana, fill us with Your Light that we may see light; and with Your loving-kindness and favor, grant us courage to follow the path of our Redeemer Christ with refuge under the shadow of Your wings. We ask through Jesus, Your Son and our Salvation; and the Holy Spirit, Your Infinite Wisdom; who together with You, reign as One God forever and forever. Amen.

-----------------------------

*Optional Readings ~ as always, feel free to edit these prayers and reflections to suit your local needs and a small attribution is much appreciated.

A reading from the I Have a Dream speech by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [1929-1968], delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963:

"When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last! Free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

A reading from The Making of a Black Bishop by the Rt. Rev. Quintin E. Primo, Jr. [1913-1998]:

"The day of the yearly (Diocesan) Convention arrived. Presenting to the assemblage our (St. Matthew's) formal application to become a self-supporting unit of the diocese, the Rev. Canon James Birney, program developer/director for the diocese, spoke most eloquently, ''What we are doing at this moment is a symbol of what black and white people must continue to do as we offer our lives to be instruments for bringing the Kingdom of God to reality on earth. For the past 122 years, the white congregations have patronizingly supported the black mission of St. Matthew's. Today, when black men everywhere are breaking the bonds of patronage which we hope are the last remnants of slavery and inequality, the people of St. Matthew's now both black and white, are freeing themselves and this Diocese from bondage to each other. Subservience and patronage are both gone. The congregation is free and the Diocese is free. And being free, we are both free to be One. What binds us together now is our common loyalty to Jesus Christ and to this branch of His Church. In this Christian context, you are demonstrating the meaning of Black Power.'"

Monday, January 3, 2022

Prayers of the People: Being Beloved ~ 1st Sunday after Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord, Yr C

For Sunday, January 9, 2022; Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7, Ps 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Thus says the Lord, he who created you...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. [Isaiah 43:1]

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness…The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. [Ps 29: 2, 4]

[Peter and John] went down and prayed for them…laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. [Acts 8:15a, 17]

"...one who is more powerful than I is coming...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand...to gather the wheat into his granary...and when Jesus had been baptized...a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'" [Luke 3:16b-17a, 21b, 22b]

We’re only a few days after the Epiphany and the arrival and departure of Royal Visitors with their extravagant gifts. So much has happened to this Child Jesus and his family in two short chapters in Luke, and even more in the first two chapters of Matthew. And, as things happen, suddenly the grown man Jesus is meeting his cousin, John the Baptizer, son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and asking John to baptize him. The life of Jesus will move on quickly from here but let’s slow down a bit and look at the meaning of Baptism.

The word Baptism is derived from the Greek and Latin words for washing, dipping, or plunging. There are a variety of meanings, protocols, requirements, and reasons for such rituals, for example, initiation into a community of faith or spiritual regeneration. Whether by aspersion (sprinkling with water), immersion (plunging into water), or affusion (pouring water on), Baptism is a sacrament, ceremony, a rite, that hearkens back to the Jewish heritage of Jesus. Ancient and modern Jewish rituals of ablution (washing) for cleansing and/or purification were established millennia before John poured water over his cousin's head or submerged him in the Jordan River. Some Christian denominations believe that Baptism is necessary for Salvation, others do not. Some baptize infants and children; some require one to be older to make one’s own decision. Not all schools of Judaism practice purification/cleansing rituals and neither do all Christians. But for most Christians, this Gospel moment marks the very beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert immediately afterward to prepare himself further.

If you haven't been baptized, christened, or dedicated, many of us believe that it’s not a salvation deal-breaker. And if you want to be baptized but don’t quite know how to go about it, some believe that just wanting to be baptized is enough and you become baptized through desire. And while anyone of us can be a baptizer with water, Jesus brings the fire of the Holy Spirit to set our faith ablaze.

One important part of baptism, whether by water or desire, is to grow into the willingness to live faithfully. As we hear in the readings for today, God calls us each by our names and claims us. God promises to be with us, to honor us, and to love us always. God gives us strength and the blessing of peace. God also gives us Jesus, who willingly and gladly accepted the role and responsibility of faith ~ and God proclaimed Jesus as Beloved. The most important message in the combined readings for me, is that as God calls us by our names and we are precious in God's sight, we need not fear because we are also God's Beloved. Let us, then, with confidence and courage, give God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit the honor due their names, as we would for those we love. Let us by our every thought, word, and action of a faith-filled life, try to be a reflection of God's Divine Love as we, in turn, reflect on the promise, the joy, and the role and responsibility of being beloved by God.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, You call us each by name and we are Your own. Gather us as wheat into Your granary and burn off the chaff within us that turns us from You. Baptize us in the fire of faith that we may discover the beauty of holiness in each day of our earthly lives.

                                                    O Lord of Glory
        RESPONSE:                 Bless us with Your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, fill us with the splendor of Your powerful voice to proclaim to all who govern or hold authority with evil intent, that Your boundless love and eternal presence removes our fear and saves us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, cradle the hearts of the sick, the poor, and the lonely, and fortify the hearts of all who give of themselves to help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, carry the sorrowful through the waters of grief, as those You have called Home now live again, forever joyful in Your infinite love and grace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, enlighten and excite Your anointed disciples of our own day, who pray with and for us, baptize and confirm us, and instruct, encourage, and travel with us through our earthly sojourn. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace

The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, Eternal and Almighty, grant our souls the confidence and courage to give the glory due Your name by our every thought, word, and action, striving to be among those with whom You are well pleased. We ask through Jesus, Your Beloved Son; and the Holy Spirit, the Fire of our Faith; who together live and reign with You as One God, now and forever. Amen.

Monday, December 27, 2021

Prayers of the People: Magi-cal Moments ~ 2nd Sunday after Christmas '22 Yr C

For Sunday, January 2, 2022; Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ps 84, Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a; Luke 2:41-52

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. [Jeremiah 31:13]

For the LORD God is both sun and shield; he will give grace and glory; no good thing will the LORD withhold from those who walk with integrity. O LORD of Hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you. [Ps 84:10-12]

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation...so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know...the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance...the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. [Ephesians 1:17-19a]

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” [Matthew 2:1-2]

This Sunday is not the Sunday of Epiphany! The official date is January 6^th and it marks the visit of the Magi (or the Wise Men or 3 Kings from the East) to the stable to see the Child Jesus. They saw his star in the East and were moved to make the journey to find him to pay homage and bring gifts that are at once extremely valuable and are also symbolic. The short version of the symbolism is: Gold for royalty as to a King, Frankincense as to a God, and Myrrh as to a Mortal.* And while this isn’t THE date, the Gospel for this Sunday is the same Gospel for the official celebration of this event.

The word Epiphany is the name used in the western Christian churches; in the eastern orthodox Christian churches it is known as Theophany. For the Orthodox, the feast of Theophany celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In western Christian Churches, the feast of Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus as God Incarnate to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, as the Magi were not Jewish. The word Epiphany means a revelation of a divine being; also a sudden insight or intuitive understanding. The word Theophany is the appearance of God to a human. Whether Epiphany or Theophany, Christ was revealed to the Jewish and Gentile worlds as the Son of God.

The feast is an important date on the Church Calendar. EPIPHANY IS BIG! It brings us a bright shiny and HOLY revelation! But unless it falls on a Sunday, the Feast of the Epiphany seems to be somewhat ignored in these times. It IS the continuing and the expanding of the celebration of the birth of our Messiah, and His importance to us all, but perhaps we are too worn out to listen. We have come through the four weeks of anticipation in Advent, the hustle and bustle of preparation for gifts and food and gatherings, the familiar rush of the time of year, followed by the pageantry and the glorious music, and then the usual “let down.” Perhaps Epiphany, the 12^th Day of Christmas, has become an anti-climax, the end of the story, the time to take down the decorations. Yet it is in truth a beginning. We open new chapters of the Story that will take us from Jesus the Baby, to Christ our Redeemer. While we celebrate the birthday with great fanfare, the Epiphany moves us into the reason for which this Child was born, the revelation of God’s eternal purpose is upon us. A theophany then ~ the manifestation of God visible to humans ~ a re-discovery now.

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." But Matthew did tell us of the "...wise men from the East..." They saw a great star revealing 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 having heard this story so very many times are we listening as it is read again? Have we tuned out rather than engaging with the experience? Or is it possible that we are able to be re-awakened to the wonder of that moment and what it could mean for each of us in our own time?

These three Kings have trekked long distances to tell Herod, and us all, of the power and majesty this Child brings. It is now a new dawn, another chance to listen and to hear the message deep within ourselves. In the compression of time given in the Gospels and the Church calendar, it is a short season indeed before we begin the unfolding of the ministry, miracles, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It is time again to rediscover the astonishment, the amazement, the true adoration in this event.

In The Synthesis Commentary of 1997, there is a still significant and timely quote in their reflection on this Gospel that brings us directly to the need to know this story again and again:

We understand from this familiar story how much the

Light of Christ was needed in those early days ~ and

no less by us today ~ as the world has hardened itself

to the poor and needy, the young and the frail, and

where personal egos rule kingdoms -- and hearts.

Hear the story as if for the very first time ~ know that we have been given an extraordinary gift, Christ, Our Lord, has been born to us! Let us be overwhelmed with joy! Let us search diligently for the child within us and around us. Epiphany is the time to seek the Magi-cal moments and spiritual gifts in my own life that call me to pay homage, follow, and live into the light and life of Christ. Our mourning turned into joy...gladness for sorrow...Our God is both sun and shield giving grace and glory, and happy are [we] who put our trust in [God]. Let us pause and be overwhelmed with joy as we realize the Child Jesus, who becomes our Redeemer Christ, lives within us every moment of every day. Now that IS an Epiphany!

*For a fascinating and deeper look into the Magi's Gifts click here: Symbolism of the Magi's Gifts

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader: ~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, as we arise in the shining Light of Your glory, help us to come together as Your people, to seek the joy that You bring to us again and again, and to share in Your eternal promise.

Jesus, Light of Heaven

RESPONSE: Our Strength and our Redeemer

~ Holy Messiah, Heartbeat of God, guide all nations to come to Your light, and all leaders of governments to the brightness of Your dawn. Let us model the very compassion and peace needed in the world to reverse the damage of violence, oppression, and injustice in our own time. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

Jesus, Light of Heaven