 We welcome all visitors to our services at Yetholm (10am) and Morebattle (11.15am) this Epiphany Sunday.
Call to Worship Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. The brightness of God’s light shines upon all the nations. All are welcomed to the brightness of God’s dawn. With our gifts, with our very selves, we worship God. Carol 327 – Brightest and best Prayer God of majesty and mystery, like the Magi following the star, we come to you in wonder. Your purposes are beyond our comprehension, your majesty incomparable and your love beyond imagination and your presence always with us. We praise you for your steadfast love, and offer you our trust for the days ahead as we seek to follow faithfully in the footsteps of Christ, our newborn King. God of justice, we confess that our actions disappoint you whenever we remain passive while others are oppressed; whenever we guard our own prosperity at the expense of those who are poor; or when we ignore the cries of those in need of help. Forgive us, we pray, for hiding in the darkness of this world more than loving the light of your righteousness made known to us in Jesus Christ. Judge us with mercy, we pray, and extend your grace to us. Strengthen our faithfulness to you and to all who are precious in your sight. We pray in the name of Christ, our Light. Friends, God is for us and not against us. For that very reason God sent the Son into the world—not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. We declare the good news of the Gospel: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free to live a new life in him. Lord’s Prayer All age Talk Readings – Isaiah 60: 1-6 Matthew 2: 1-12 Carol – We three kings (MP 740) Weekly Prayer Creator God, we pray that the people of the world might lift up their eyes round about and come to see your light. May rulers and kings, drawn to the brightness of your truth, rule with justice and mercy as we proclaim your praise, O Lord. Amen Sermon The shepherds had it easy. They were up on the hills, looking after the sheep when the angels appeared and told them what had happened, who had been born and where to go. It would have been terrifying – I would have been scared out of my wits if an angel appeared in the middle of the night. But they had their instructions, and they went to Bethlehem and were able to bow before the Christ child. The wise men had to work it all out for themselves. They had to interpret the meaning of the new star they had seen; they had to finance a long journey, which may lead them somewhere but may lead them nowhere. There would be dangers on the way, not least encountering the suspicion of foreigners as they travelled through various countries and cultures. I think they might have needed some stout bodyguards with them. But they overcame any obstacles and occasionally getting lost, and they finally reached their destination and were able to bow before the Christ child Each of us comes to God in different ways. For some it can be easier than for others. For some it can be a revelation through reading the Bible or through a certain person. For some of us it comes from the community of faith which is the church. For some the journey to God can take a long time and there are many obstacles to overcome. But like the wise men, there is a sense of real fulfilment when the destination is reached. I like the idea of these first visitors to the baby. Luke has the shepherds, representing the poor the ordinary, those on the fringes of society of the time. Matthew has, however, the Magi. He very much emphasises Jesus’ lineage – that he is of the house of David, of Abraham’s line, BUT he has these exotic strangers, people from a different faith and outlook, as among the first to worship Christ. That challenged the complacency of Matthew’s first readers and still challenges our complacency today. They are rather mysterious figures. Matthew doesn’t say how many of them there were, though we say three simply because there were three gifts. We call them kings, we call them wise; we often associate them with Persian astrologers, though early on, they came to represent the three continents of Asia and Africa and Europe, as the early church saw this story as very much emphasising the universal mission of the church. It echoes the prophecy we read from Isaiah in many ways, where in the darkness of the world the nations of the world are attracted to God’s light, and gold and frankincense are even mentioned. The gifts had their symbolism; gold is a gift of kings, the symbol of power. Frankincense speaks of worship, and incense is still used in some churches today. The resin from a bush gives off a sweet smell when heated and represents prayers rising to heaven. For many of us it holds no particular meaning but for some of us the smell triggers both memory and spirituality. It speaks of spirituality, tradition, and mystery. Myrrh is also a resin from tree bark, but is harder to explain. It’s still used in medicine but in the ancient world was a perfume used to anoint the bodies of the dead. It’s a gift that speaks of sacrifice. It has echoes in Mary pouring ointment over Jesus, anointing him for his death. The gifts were therefore very symbolic, gives for a king, a priest and a sacrificial victim, pointing to Christ on the cross. They travelled, they worshipped, they gave their gifts – and then what? They were warned in a dream to go home by another way. In any encounter with God, in whatsoever circumstance, there is no going back the same way, no way simply to retrace our steps. The encounter means we are changed and requires us to be brave and require us to be daring in going forward into our future. One final thing as we are now past 12th Night and decorations are taken down. Now, the song of the angels is stilled, now, the star in the sky is gone, now, the kings and princes are home, now, the shepherds are back with their flock, now, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among others, and to make music in the heart. So be it. Carol 326 – As with gladness Prayers of Dedication and Intercession Gracious and Holy God, your eternal purposes, revealed to us in Christ Jesus, show that your love extends to the ends of the earth, and stretches far beyond our own imaginings. We thank you for such expansive love and for the rich variety of ways you make yourself known among us. We pray for the Church, too often afraid of the rich diversity you have designed, too often timid in our proclamation of the Gospel before the rulers and powers of this world. Strengthen us in our witness, we pray. Fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit that we may be bold and confident through faith in Christ. Heal divisions within the Church so that we live truly as members of the same body. Cast out jealousies and suspicions until we become sharers in the gospel promise. We pray for people in positions of power in our country and throughout the world. May they govern with justice and compassion. Give to all who control economic and military might wisdom to choose the common good over personal or political gain. We pray for people who have little power according to the world’s measure of power. Defend the cause of the poor; deliver those in need, put an end to oppression; and save the lives of everyone in harm’s way this day. May all victims of violence find their lives redeemed by your love and care. We pray for people who are seeking you this day or searching for new meaning and purpose for their lives. Guide and direct them in their spiritual journey. Give them the vision to see signs of your promise, the wisdom to discern between what is false and what is true, and courage and curiosity in all their searching. May the joy of Christ surprise them and lead them to a place of welcome. We pray for those we know and love…. Finally, we pray for those overwhelmed by personal darkness today: the one bowed down in grief; the one overcome by depression; the one who is unemployed or in economic trouble; the one who is struggling with illness or recovery. We pray for those who are estranged from one another and for people undergoing stressful transitions. Send the light and peace of your presence, O God, and send us, too, that we might bear the light of Christ and so bring companionship and hope by your grace. Accept our prayers, Loving God, for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray Carol 323 – The first Nowell Benediction Now, the song of the angels is stilled, now, the star in the sky is gone, now, the kings and princes are home, now, the shepherds are back with their flock, now, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among others, and to make music in the heart. So go now and attend to the work of Christmas, and the blessing of Almighty God, Eternal Majesty, Incarnate Word, and Abiding Spirit be with you all now and always, Amen
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