Order of Service
Announcements
Prelude
Call to Worship Choir
Processional Reading John 1:1-5
Service of Light Cantor & Choir
L: Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.
R: The light the darkness cannot overcome.
L: Be with us, Lord, in our darkness.
R: And overcome the darkness with your light.
L: Let your light scatter the darkness.
R: And illumine your church.
Responses Pastor & Congregation
L: The Lord be with you
C: And also with you
L: Let us give thanks to God
C: It is right to give him thanks and praise
Thanksgiving for the Light “Prayer of Thanksgiving”
“Joyous Light” Cantor & Choir
L: Joyous light of glory
C: Of the immortal Father, heavenly holy, blessed Jesus Christ!
We have come to the rising of the sun, and the dawn of the morning light.
We sing to God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of life: the universe proclaims your glory!
Amen!
Hymn Tallis’ Canon tune: LBW No. 278
All praise to God, our heart’s delight, for all the blessings of the light;
Keep us, O keep us, King of kings, beneath your own almighty wings!
All praise to you, Eternal Lord, clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for thy throne, while worlds on worlds are yours alone.
Once did the skies before you bow; a Virgin’s arms contain you now.
Angels, who did in you rejoice, now listen for your infant voice.
Ah, little child, be now our guest, that weary ones in you may rest;
Forlorn and lowly was your birth, that we may rise to heaven from earth.
You came to us in dark of night to make us children of the light;
To make us, in the realms divine, like your own angels, ‘round you shine.
All this for us your love has done; by this to you our love is won;
For this we tune our cheerful lays, and shout our thanks in ceaseless praise!
Greeting
Collect for Epiphany
Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah 60 read responsively
This day a star leads the wise men to the manger:
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Nations shall come to your light,
And Kings to the brightness of your rising.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
And proclaim the praise of the Lord.
Your gates will lie open continually,
Shut neither day nor by night.
No more will the sun give you daylight,
Nor the moonlight shine upon you,
But the Lord will be your everlasting light,
Your God will be your splendor.
Gospel Acclamation please rise for the reading of the Gospel
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe:
Your Word has gone forth to the ends of the world.
May the whole creation be filled with your glory,
And all nations do you service!
Blessed be God forever! Amen!
Reading of the Gospel Lesson Matthew 2:1-12
Hymn “We Three Kings” (verse 1) WOV No. 646
Procession to the Manger
The First King
Hymn “We Three Kings” (verse 2) WOV No. 646
The Offering of Gold
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe:
To you be all praise and glory forever!
As gold in the furnace is tried and purified seven times in the fire,
so purify our hearts and minds that we may be a royal priesthood
acceptable in the service of your kingdom.
Blessed be God forever!
The Second King
Hymn “We Three Kings” (verse 3) WOV No. 646
The Offering of Incense
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe:
To you be all praise and glory forever!
As our prayer ruses up in your presence as incense,
so may we be presented before you with penitent hearts and uplifted hands
to offer ourselves in your priestly service.
Blessed be God forever!
The Third King
Hymn “We Three Kings” (verse 4) WOV No. 646
The Offering of Myrrh
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe:
To you be all praise and glory forever!
As you give medicine to heal our sickness
and the leaves of the tree of life for the healing of the nations,
so anoint us with your healing power
that we may be the first-fruits of your new creation.
Blessed be God forever!
Offering
Offertory Response “We Three Kings” (verse 5) WOV No. 646
Offertory Prayer
Homily
Hymn “As With Gladness” LBW No. 82
Prayer of the Church
Lord’s Prayer
Renewal of Baptismal Vows
God in Christ gives us water welling up for eternal life.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Lord, give us this water, and we shall thirst no more.
In the Old Covenant, God chose Israel to be his people and to obey his laws. Our Lord Jesus Christ, by his life, death and resurrection, has given a New Covenant to all who trust in him. We stand within this covenant and we bear his name.
On the one side, God promises to give us new life in Christ. On the other side, we are pledged to live no more for ourselves but for him. Let us renew our part in this covenant which God has made with his people, and take the yoke of Christ upon us.
Now, therefore, let us profess our faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the Church, the faith in which we were baptized:
Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil and all his empty promises?
I do.
Let us confess our faith.
I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in Holy Baptism:
To live among God’s faithful people,
To hear his Word and share in his supper,
To proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
To serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus,
And to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?
I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.
Let us pray:
Gracious Lord, through water and the Spirit you have made us your own. You forgave us our sins and brought us to newness of life. Continue to strengthen us with the Holy Spirit, and daily increase in us your gifts of grace: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Benediction
Hymn “Baptized in Water” WOV No. 612
Dismissal
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Postlude
This service for Epiphany remembers the three-fold emphasis of Epiphany:
~ Light. Jesus Christ is the light of the world, and the manifestation of God’s presence among his people.
~ Wise Men. Epiphany remembers the coming of the Wise Men with their gifts, and the call of the disciples, to follow Him.
~ Baptism. The season begins with the Baptism of Jesus and his call to ministry, and calls all of the baptized into faithful discipleship.
The Service today begins with the Luminare, or Service of Light, remembering that Jesus is the Light of the World. The congregation is invited to join the chorus of heaven and earth in praising God’s great act of redemption in this ancient song, and in Tallis’ Canon, another ancient hymn. The second portion of the service remembers the presentation of the Wise Men with a celebration from the Anglican Church, along with an invitation to present our gifts to the Christ Child. Finally, remembering Jesus’ baptism, we affirm our Baptism and calling to discipleship. The themes of this service are carried throughout the remainder of the weeks of the Epiphany Season, recurring in the Gospel readings for the season.