1 Epiphany is about the light of Christ, finding direction for it and then sharing going on your own road
The congregation lit brought candles
“O Gracious Light Phos Hilaron” by St. Paul’s Choir
From “What Star is This” , hymn sung by St. Peter’s choir
“The guiding star above is bright;
within them shines a clearer light,
and leads them on with power benign
to seek the Giver of the sign.
“To God the Father, heavenly Light,
to Christ, revealed in earthly night,
to God the Holy Ghost we raise
our equal and unceasing praise.
Isaiah
“A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.”
Suggestions from the Psalm on using that light
“13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
“14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight
“We Three Kings” before the Gospel
2. Epiphany is about receiving and giving gifts. From the Sermon
“Receiving gifts is at the heart of the Christmas story. Jesus is God’s gift that God hopes we’ll receive– God coming to us and abiding with us, our Lord Emmanuel.
“Throughout the Christmas story, people receive gifts.
“Mary received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Joseph received the gift of dreams. The shepherds received the gift of a message from the angels, the gift of being the first to know that the Messiah had indeed been born. The wisemen from the East received the gift of a star, the sign that they had been seeking for no telling how long that a royal child had finally been born who would be king of the Jews.
“All of these people graciously received their gifts, and then acted on them by giving a gift in return.
“What strikes me this year about this familiar story is that Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and the wisemen had to be gift receivers BEFORE they could become gift giver
“The wise men had to receive the gift of the star before they could travel to Bethlehem and give their famous gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant King.
“What gift of love is God trying to give you, hoping that you will receive it?
3. The world is fearful today with the storming of the Capitol, ignoring the rule of law.
Appropriate Prayer of the People selection
“Almighty God, we pray for this world, so full of hate and fear. May the
nations come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn of
love and peace. We pray for our nation, divided by distrust and
suspicion of one another. We pray that the light of your love will lead
us toward understanding, tolerance and love for one another, so that
we can be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the
other nations of the earth. (Silence)
4. We long for the blessing.
Choir sang the concluding hymn “As with gladness men of old”
“As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold;
as with joy they hailed its light, leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we evermore be led to thee.”
The Blessing
May the light of God illumine the heart of your soul.
May the flame of Christ kindle you to love.
May the fire of the Spirit free you to live.
And may the blessing of God Almighty,
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be amongst you and remain with
you always. Amen