08C – Epiphany

07C - Christmas 2C09C - Baptism of Jesus
 
See also my post from 2013, 2016, 2019
 
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
Holy One, you have given the world so much,
and favoured humanity beyond measure.
We bring no gold or frankincense or myrrh,
but simply ourselves and symbols of our daily living.
May your ever-present Spirit
bless our gifts and our lives
to the growth of new community,
in Jesus’ name. Amen

For use in worship, with acknowledgement. © Jeff Shrowder 1998, 2012.


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 in Advent and Christmas gleaned from the pages of “On the Move” (now out of print), 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 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,
breathe through us today
that we may be
compassion to lonely,
comfort those who mourn,
company to those who have no one,
that they may not lose heart…
      (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
God, your glory we have seen in your Son TIS 461
In Christ there is no east or west TIS 459
Let earth and heaven combine TIS 305
Lord Jesus, our bright Morning Star TIS 199
O bless the God of Israel TIS 284
Praise our God, the great creator TIS 165
Praise the Lord, all you nations TIS 73
To us a child of royal birth TIS 308
Isaiah 60:1-6
Joyful the morning when Jesus Christ is TIS 383
Lord Jesus, if the same you are TIS 566
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
Hail to the Lord’s anointed TIS 275
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
God has spoken to his people, hallelujah TIS 636
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
Brightest & best of the stars of the morning TIS 310
Come, your hearts and voices raising TIS 297
Funny kind of night TIS 329
Hail to the Lord’s anointed TIS 275
Lord Jesus, our bright Morning Star TIS 199
O little town of Bethlehem TIS 316
When God almighty came to be one of us TIS 281
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness TIS 454

2 thoughts on “08C – Epiphany”

  1. I have just discovered your website. it is very clearly set out. The hymns are very helpful. Your Creative Moments ideas are stimulating. I also appreciate your recommendation of River of Life.
    I shall recommend your site to other lay preachers in Western Australia.
    Graeme

    1. Thank you, Graeme, for your comments. I established The Billabong a number of years ago primarily as a resource for lay preachers, but it seems that over the years it has been useful to all sorts of people 🙂
      At the moment it’s not as up-to-date as I’d prefer; hopefully I can rectify that in the next several days.
      Blessings in your lay preaching ministry.
      Jeff

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