The
Epiphany
5 January
2013
The
Gathering of the Community
Gathering
Music
Opening
Hymn
‘Hail to the Lord’s Anointed’ Common Praise #101
Greeting
Blessed are you, Son of David;
you received gifts from the magi.
Blessed are you, Son of Man;
baptized by John,
you saved us from ourselves.
Blessed are you, Servant Lord;
teaching and preaching, healing
and comforting,
you proclaimed God’s reign of
justice and peace.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the voices of heaven
we celebrate the coming of our
Saviour.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the creatures on earth
we sing and dance at Christ’s
coming.
Praise and honour and glory to you, O Beloved of God.
Hymn
of Praise
Gloria in Excelsis by Rupert Lang
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
Creator
of the heavens,
who led the Magi by a star
to worship the Christ-child:
guide and sustain us,
so that we may find our journey’s end
The
Proclamation of the Word of God
The First Reading
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. Nations shall come
to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift
up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your
sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their
nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be
radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea
shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the
young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and
shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Hear
what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm
72.1-7, 10-14 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(sung twice): May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
1 Give the
king your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the king’s
son;
2 that he may rule your people righteously *
and
the poor with justice;
3 that the
mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring
righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people;
*
he
shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
Refrain: May
the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
5 He shall
live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown
field, *
like
showers that water the earth.
7 In his time
shall the righteous flourish; *
there
shall be abundance of peace
till
the moon shall be no more.
Refrain: May
the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
10 The rulers
of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the rulers of Arabia and Saba
offer gifts.
11 All rulers shall bow down before him, *
and
all the nations do him service.
12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out
in distress, *
and
the oppressed who has no helper.
Refrain: May
the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
13 He shall
have pity on the lowly and poor *
and 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.
Refrain: May
the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
The
Second Reading
A Reading from the Letter to the
Ephesians (3.1-12)
This
is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you
Gentiles — for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace
that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by
revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you
to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not
made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and
prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members
of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the
gospel.
Of
this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that
was given me by the working of his power.
Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to
me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to
make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who
created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich
variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly
places. This was in accordance with the
eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we
have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to
the church.
Thanks be to God.
Gradual
Hymn
‘Many and Great, O God, Are Your
Works’ Common Praise #407
The
Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ according to Matthew (2.1-12).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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 observed his
star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was
frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief
priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to
be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of
Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a
ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then
Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time
when the star had appeared. Then he sent
them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when
you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him
homage.” When they had heard the king,
they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its
rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they
were overwhelmed with joy. On entering
the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and
paid him homage. Then, opening their
treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to
return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Sermon
An
Affirmation of Faith
Let us affirm our faith.
We believe
that Christ is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
that in Christ all
things in heaven and earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
that Christ himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together;
that Christ is the head of the body, the church,
for in Christ the fullness of God was pleased to dwell;
that through Christ all things, whether on earth or in heaven, have
been reconciled to God.
The
Prayers of the Community
Intercessions,
Petitions and Thanksgivings
The
Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of Christ be always
with you.
And also with you.
The Holy
Communion
The
Offertory Hymn
‘Worship the Lord in the Beauty of
Holiness’ Common Praise #385
The
Prayer over the Gifts
Good and
loving God,
we rejoice in the birth of Jesus,
who came among the poor
to bring the riches of your grace.
As you have blessed us with your gifts,
let them be a blessing for others.
With the trees of the field,
with all earth and heaven,
we shout for joy at the coming of your Son,
The Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
you have revealed your eternal
plan of salvation
and have shown your Son Jesus
Christ
to be the light of all people.
Therefore with angels and
archangels
we raise our voices in joyful
praise
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Holy One, the beginning and the
end, the giver of life:
Blessed are you for the birth of
creation.
Blessed are you in the darkness
and in the light.
Blessed are you for your promise
to your people.
Blessed are you for the prophets’
hopes and dreams.
Blessed are you for Mary and
Joseph’s openness to your will.
Blessed are you for your Son,
Jesus, the Word made flesh.
In the night in which he was
betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and
gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body
given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the
cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink,
saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my
blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Let us proclaim the mystery of
faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
With this bread and cup we
remember
your Word dwelling among us, full
of grace and truth.
We remember our new birth in his
death and resurrection.
We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Holy God, we long for your Spirit.
Come among us. Bless this meal.
May your Word take flesh in us.
Awaken your people. Fill us with your light.
Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.
All praise and glory are yours,
Holy One of Israel,
Word of God incarnate, Power of
the Most High,
The
Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us
pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
The
Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life,
and that life is the light of the
world
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
The gifts of God for the people of
God.
Thanks be to God.
The
Communion
Communion
Hymn
‘All Poor Folk and Humble’ Common Praise #151
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer
after Communion
Radiant God,
with our eyes we have seen your salvation,
and in this meal we have feasted on your grace.
May your Word take flesh in us,
so that we may be your holy people,
revealing your glory made known to us
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn
‘Good Christians All,
Rejoice’ Common Praise #153
Dismissal
Go forth in peace to make Christ
known to the world.
Thanks be to God.
Concluding Music
[ii] Colossians 1.15-20 as arranged by
the Rev’d Dr R. G. Leggett.
[iii] ‘Trial Use Propers’ (Liturgy Task
Force 2013).
[v] Lang Carol Mass.
[vi] ‘Thanksgiving at the Table III’ in
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 110 alt.
[vii] Common Praise #744.
[viii] ‘Trial Use Propers’ (Liturgy Task
Force 2013).
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