Epiphany of the Lord
31 December 2017
The Gathering of the Community
Prelude
Announcements
Processional Hymn
‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ Common
Praise #118 vv. 1, 2, 3, 5a
Introductory Responses
Blessed are you, gracious God,
you have
caused a new light to shine in our hearts.
Glory to
you for ever and ever. Amen. [i]
Hymn of Praise
Collect
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
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[iii]
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading: Isaiah
60.1-6
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
60.1
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 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. 3 Nations shall come to your
light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4
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. 5 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. 6 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 from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(sung twice): May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
Give the king your
sense of judgement, Holy One,
to a king’s son
your sense of faithful justice.
May he judge your people faithfully
and give justice to your poor and needy.
Let the mountains
bring peace and prosperity
and the hills true
justice for everyone.
May the king judge the poor fairly,
save the children of the poor
and crush their oppressors.
Refrain: May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
May he live as long
as the sun,
for as many
generations as the moon.
May he come down like rain on mown grass,
and drop on the earth like showers.
In his time may
true justice flourish,
peace and prosperity outlive the moon!
Refrain: May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
Kings of Tarshish
and the isles will pay tribute,
kings of Sheba and
Saba bring gifts.
All kings will bow to him,
all nations serve him.
Indeed he rescues
the needy who cry for help,
the poor who have
no support.
He has compassion on the poor and helpless,
and saves the lives of the poor.
He will redeem them
from injury and violence.
Their blood is precious in his eyes.
Refrain: May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.
The Second Reading: Ephesians
3.1-12
A reading from the Letter
to the Ephesians.
3.1 This is the reason
that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — 2
for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was
given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by
revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which
will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 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:
6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of
the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 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. 8
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, 9
and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God
who created all things; 10 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. 11
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in
Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 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.
The Hymn before the Gospel
‘Awake, Arise:
O Sing a New Song’ Common Praise #311 (sung twice)
The Gospel: Matthew 2.1-12
The Lord be with you.
And also
with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to Matthew.
Glory to
you, Lord Jesus Christ.
2.1
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men
from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he
was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together
all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the
Messiah was to be born. 5
They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the
prophet:
6
‘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.’”
7
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact
time when the star had appeared. 8
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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw that
the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 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.
Hymn after Communion
‘Awake, Arise:
O Sing a New Song’ Common Praise #311 (sung twice)
The Sermon
The Affirmation of Faith (sung
to Common Praise #223)
We
believe in God the Father,
God
almighty, by whose plan
earth
and heaven sprang to being,
all
created things began.
We
believe in Christ the Saviour,
Son
of God in human frame,
virgin-born,
the child of Mary
upon
whom the Spirit came.
Christ,
who on the cross forsaken,
like
a lamb to slaughter led,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
he
descended to the dead.
We
believe in Jesus risen,
heaven’s
king to rule and reign,
to
the Father’s side ascended
till
as judge he comes again.
We
believe in God the Spirit;
in
one Church, below, above:
saints
of God in one communion,
one
in holiness and love.
So
by faith, our sins forgiven,
Christ
our Saviour, Lord and friend,
we
shall rise with him in glory
to
the life that knows no end. [iv]
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of Christ whose glory is revealed to
the nations
be always with you.
And also
with you.
The Holy Communion
The Offertory Hymn
‘What Child Is This’
Common Praise #137
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
God who reveals yourself to all who seek you,
we
give you thanks for the glory
revealed
to the nations in Christ.
May
we who offer you these gifts
be
transformed from glory to glory
and
show forth that glory in loving service
to
the whole of creation.
We
ask this in the name of your Beloved,
Jesus
the Christ. Amen. [v]
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.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful
God,
through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
By the leading of a star he was shown forth to all
nations;
in the waters of the Jordan you proclaimed him your
beloved Son,
and in the miracle of water turned to wine he
revealed your glory.
and so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
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’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,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.[vii]
The Lord’s Prayer (said)
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,
now and
for ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
God of glory,
you nourish us with bread from heaven:
fill us with
your Holy Spirit,
so that
your light may shine in all the world. [viii]
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks
be to God.
The Communion
Communion Hymn
‘Love Came Down at
Christmas’ Common Praise #131
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.
God of all the nations of the earth,
guide
us with your light.
Help
us to recognize Christ
as
he comes to us in this eucharist and our neighbours.
May
we welcome him with love,
for
he is the Christ now and for ever. Amen. [ix]
Blessing
May Christ, the Beloved of God, be manifest in you,
so that your lives may be a light to the world;
and the blessing of God, the Holy One of Israel,
the Word of God incarnate and the Power of the Most
High,
be upon you and remain with you now and for
ever. Amen. [x]
Closing Hymn
‘On This Day, Earth Shall Ring’ Common
Praise #150 vv. 1, 2, 3
Dismissal
Go forth in love to proclaim the birth of Christ.
Thanks
be to God.
[i] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 220 alt.
[ii] Lang Carol Mass.
[iii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use
Collects and Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion for Years A, B & C’
(2016), 59.
[v] The Rev’d Richard Geoffrey
Leggett (2017).
[vi] Lang ‘Carol
Mass’.
[vii] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), p.
110.
[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 350 alt.
[ix] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 280 alt.
[x] The Book of Occasional Services (2003), 24 alt.
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