07B - Christmas 2B — 09B - Baptism of Jesus
 
See also my post from 2012
 
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 (1)
Holy, generous Source of life,
the wise men opened their treasures,
and offered gifts to the child
whose star they had seen.
We, too, bring our gifts:
our work, interests, and talents,
our energy, time, and passion;
our very selves
and symbols of our daily living.
By the stirring of your Breath of life
may these gifts be used wisely for your glory
and the sake of your Word of life. Amen

OFFERING (2)
Generous God,
creator and giver of life;
through your goodness
we have these gifts to share.
Accept and use our offerings,
our hearts and our hands
for your glory
and for the service of your realm. Amen.

A CREATIVE MOMENT – READING REF’CE
Click here for an Epiphany suggestion in “Ideas for worship in Advent and Christmas” 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 to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession with connection to the lections for the day. Sometimes this prayer will borrow lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)

God of all grace,
in you is hope which has endured throughout every age.
In that hope we remember before you now
those we have named on our lips and in the silence of our hearts.
Help us bring consolation to those know to us,
return to our memory those whom we have forgotten
and be present to those who have no-one …
(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