Prayer as We Gather: God of unsearchable glory, bathe us in Epiphany’s revealing light as we meet for worship this holy hour. We embrace Isaiah’s assurance that, “though darkness covers the earth and gloom the nations, you will shine upon us,” lifting our eyes so we might see clearly the Kingdom tasks you have for us in this new year. Move among us, we pray. Amen.* (Mitchell Simpson, inspired by Isaiah 60)
Call to Worship:
God, give your righteous judgments to the king.
May he judge poor people with justice,
Saving the children of those who are needy,
Letting peace prosper until the moon is no more.
May he deliver the needy who cry out,
The poor, and those who have no helper.
May he show compassion on the weak,
Saving the lives of those who are in need.
Let the king redeem them from oppression and violence;
May their blood be precious in his eyes. (from Psalm 72, the Common English Bible)
Morning Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being our Secret Sharer, trusting us with your covert design, revealed in Jesus, to distribute your grace to all your children on the globe. You honor us with that responsibility, a once-hidden plan now made public: To show the rulers and powers the rich varieties of your wisdom through the church. With joyful confidence in the access we have to you through our faith in Jesus, we pray as he taught us, saying … *(Mitchell Simpson, inspired by Ephesians 3)
Prayer of Confession: Lord, forgive the Herod-spirit lurking within us all, troubled as we are by the full implications of Jesus’ birth: The threats to our selfish ambitions, the fear-prompted insecurities we exalt to magical status and then blindly defend, to the detriment of our most cherished human relationships. Have mercy on our weekly religious charades, mouthing the same false piety leveled at the inquiring Magi: “When you have found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.” Clearly, our lives prove we have no intention to honor Jesus by word or deed, hence the perpetual misery we create for ourselves and others. Grant, we pray, that 2019 might visit upon us epiphanies sufficient to turn us toward you, at last. Amen.*(Mitchell Simpson, inspired by Matthew 2)
Assurance of Pardon: Hear the good news: Just as the Magi were filled with joy as their star quest led them to Jesus, so we also can discover a joy unrivaled if only we persist as they did in seeking him, bringing him the gift of our best selves, our untamed devotion. Likewise, just as they were “warned in a dream not to return to Herod,” we too can be delivered from the blind alleys and false hopes of life if we allow God’s epiphanies to blossom in our dreams. Thanks be to God for continuing to speak to us in the unbidden visions of our individual experience!*(Mitchell Simpson, inspired by Matthew 2)
Thought for Epiphany Sunday: “Have you wandered so far and paid such a bitter price for knowledge and not yet learned that love has nothing to do with pardon or forgiveness, that it only loves, and loves … and loves?” -Willa Cather, “The Burglar’s Christmas”