Call to Worship (based on Psalm 72)
L: Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness
to a king's son.
P: May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with
justice.
L: May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in
righteousness.
P: May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
L: For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no
helper.
All: Come let us worship the King of kings and Lord of lords!
Call to Worship (based on Isaiah 60)
L: Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the
LORD has risen upon you.
P: Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of
your dawn.
L: Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to
you;
P: Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and
rejoice,
L: The nations shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the
praise of the LORD.
Opening Prayer
Creative God, you make all things new in heaven and on
earth.
We come to you at the dawn of a new year with new desires and old
fears, new decisions and old controversies, new dreams and old weaknesses.
Because you are the God of hope, we know that you create all the
possibilities of the future. Because you are a God of Love, we know that
you accept all the mistakes of the past.
Because you are the God of our faith, we enter your gates with
thanksgiving and praise, we come into your presence with gladness and a
joyful noise, and we serve and bless you. Amen.
An Epiphany Prayer
Heavenly Father, we celebrate with the wise men the heavenly light and
the discovery of the Light of the World- Jesus the Christ. God of Light,
make us faithful. Give us light, O God, sufficient for each step of the way.
Help us to spread the light you have given us. Help us to live our lives in
accordance with your great commission to make disciples in those common
everyday places. Help children and mothers and fathers to know what is
enough and to be satisfied with what is enough - enough of food, clothing,
shelter, things, and even revelation. Help us to live with what you give us
and to give away what we have in abundance; in Christ's name. Amen.
Prayer of Illumination
Send, o God, into the darkness of this troubled world,
the light of your Son.
Let the star of your hope touch the minds of all people
with the bright beams of mercy and truth;
and so direct our steps that we may ever walk in the way revealed to us,
as the shepherds of Bethlehem walked with joy
to the manger where he dwelled,
who now and ever reigns in our hearts, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of Confession:
by Nancy Carmichael
O Holy One, your gift to us is precious. All praise and honor are yours!
We glorify your name. The Kings of long ago acknowledged what the prophet
Isaiah foretold. They gave to Jesus fine and priceless gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh. They adored him and proclaimed him a King.
During this season we too adore the baby in the manger, but we often
forget to proclaim him our only King. We are caught up in the excitement a
holiday season. Now as the holiday recedes, we wonder anew. What can we
bring Jesus to honor and exalt him? We confess our motives and our actions
have not always reflected what you taught us. We confess that our hearts are
burdened.
Awesome one, unburden our hearts and our souls. Caress our hearts with
your grace. Jesus, we bring our most precious gift to you today. The gift of
our endless love and our life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit help us
to proclaim to others the birth of a new kind of King. A King of Love! In
Jesus name, Amen.
Canticle of Light and Darkness:
We look for light but find darkness,
For brightness, but walk in gloom.
We grope like those who have no eyes;
We stumble at noon as in the twilight.
Blessed be your name, O God, for ever.
You reveal deep and mysterious things;
You are light and in you is no darkness.
Our darkness is passing away
and already the true light is shining.
Prayer of Intercession
Encouraged by the radiant light of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ, let
us pray with boldness and confidence, saying: "Hear us, O God, and show us
your glory."
For all who are on a journey to find the source of grace and forgiveness,
that like the magi they may be led to Christ and freely offer him their gifts,
let us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
For the mission of the church that, like the holy star of Bethlehem, we may
be a beacon of hope, safety, and love for all who are seeking your face, let
us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
For the people of the world, that the poor and needy be sustained and
victims of violence and oppression be restored, let us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
For those who bear the burden of illness and long for healing, that their
health may be renewed, and that they may see God's holy light in our
compassion and love, let us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
For the people of this congregation, that we may continue to be fed by
God's Spirit and may lay the offerings of our lives before the one born to
save us, let us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
In thanksgiving for all those who bore Christ's light, revealing his glory,
and who now rest in God's eternal peace, that we may follow their course until
the day we stand with them as one holy people, let us pray to the Lord:
Hear us, O God, and show us your glory.
Into your hands, great God of heaven, we lay our prayers, trusting in your
mercy through the one who showed us your face, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen
Closing Prayer
O God, you made of one blood all nations and, by a star in the East,
revealed to all peoples him whose name is Emmanuel. Enable us who know your
presence with us so to proclaim his unsearchable riches that all may come to
his light and bow before the brightness of his rising, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
