07A - Christmas 2A — 09A - Baptism of Jesus
See also my post from 2017, 2020
PSALM 72:1-14
O God, give your justice to the king,
and your righteousness to the son of the king.
May he judge your people with honesty,
and your poor with godliness.
May the mountains bring forth prosperity for the people,
and the heights your acts of justice.
May he vindicate the poor of the people,
rescue the needy, and defeat oppression.
May he live all the days of the sun,
and until the moon is no more, for all generations.
May he be like the rain on new-mown hay,
like gentle rain on parched earth.
May justice flourish in his days
and well-being abound until the moon passes away.
May he rule from sea to sea,
from the River to the ends of the earth.
May his foes shrink in his presence
and his enemies lick the dust.May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer a gift,
and may all the kings bow down before him,
and all the peoples serve him.
For he will rescue the needy crying for help
and the wretched who have no helper;
he will pity the poor and needy
and the lives of the needy he will deliver.
He will redeem their lives from oppression and violence
and their blood will be precious in his sight.
OFFERING
Gracious God,
with great joy the wise ones of the East
offered Jesus their gifts,
gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Following them,
we offer our gifts and our lives,
to be used to defend the cause of the poor
and deliver the needy. Amen.
A CREATIVE MOMENT – Matthew 2:1-12
Decorate the table at the centre/focus of the worship space with three objects which suitably represent the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, together with a purple cloth draped from the table to the floor.
A shallow bowl of sand and small rocks/stones on the table might symbolise the desert distances travelled by the wise men. Perhaps a lighted candle set in the sand could symbolise the light of the star they followed.
Click here for some ideas for worship at Epiphany gleaned from the pages of “On the Move” (now out of print), originally published by the Joint Board of Christian Education, Melbourne, Australia.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer, usually with connection to one or more of the lections for the day, to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession. Sometimes this prayer also borrows lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)
Light of the world,
deep mystery of the cosmos whom we name God,
be a sustaining presence
to those we name on our lips
and in our silence…
And for ourselves,
pour out your Spirit of grace
that our living might shed the light
of Jesus whom we follow…
(The Prayers of the People continue)
Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate
Or metrical psalms? Try Dale A. Schoening’s Sing the Psalms
| HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR EPIPHANY |
|
| Blessed Jesus, at your word | TIS 437 |
| God, your glory we have seen in your Son | TIS 461 |
| In Christ there is no east or west | TIS 459 |
| Jesus shall reign where’er the sun | TIS 207 |
| Joy to the world, the Lord is come | TIS 268 |
| Let earth and heaven combine | TIS 305 |
| Now to the Lord a noble song | TIS 113 |
| O bless the God of Israel | TIS 284 |
| Praise the Lord, all you nations | TIS 73 |
| The people that in darkness walked | TIS 274 |
| To us a child of royal birth | TIS 308 |
| Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness | TIS 454 |
| Isaiah 60:1-6 | |
| Joyful the morning when Jesus Christ is | TIS 383 |
| Lord Jesus, if the same you are | TIS 566 |
| Lord, your almighty word | TIS 447 |
| The advent of our God | TIS 271 |
| Wake, awake! for night is flying | TIS 266 |
| Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 | |
| Earth has many a noble city | TIS 291 |
| Jesus shall reign where’er the sun | TIS 207 |
| When morning gilds the skies | TIS 227 |
| Ephesians 3:1-12 | |
| All hail the power of Jesus’ name | TIS 224 |
| Christ is the heavenly food that gives | TIS 522 |
| Have faith in God my heart | TIS 619 |
| How deep the riches of our God | TIS 167 |
| Make me a captive Lord | TIS 604 |
| Sing a new song, sing a new song | TIS 166 |
| Matthew 2:1-12 | |
| Angels from the realms of glory | TIS 309 |
| As with gladness men of old | TIS 314 |
| Come, your hearts and voices raising | TIS 297 |
| Earth has many a noble city | TIS 291 |
| Funny kind of night | TIS 329 |
| Hail to the Lord’s anointed | TIS 275 |
| O come, all ye faithful | TIS 304 |
| O little town of Bethlehem | TIS 316 |
| The Virgin Mary had a baby boy | TIS 307 |
| When God almighty came to be one of us | TIS 281 |