01/06/2025
January 5, 2025
WELCOME
OPENING PRAYER
Dear God, reveal to us this day what our eyes look for but cannot
see; what our ears hear and cannot understand. Shine your light
on the pages of our lives. In the places where we share the dark,
everyone looks bright, and everything looks right. We are not
anxious to move out of our darkness where we are fooled. In the
darkness, our motives are not clear, our ideas are not voiced, and
our relationships are not questioned. But when your light shines,
everything is like an open window. We see clearly. Help us to
move on with you, Light of lights. We praise you and pray in the
name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Matthew 2:1-12 EPIPHANY
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is
the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed
his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When
King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with
him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the
people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be
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born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been
written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them
the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and
when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go
and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set
out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen
in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child
was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were
overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child
with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a
dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by
another road .
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LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and
the power and the glory forever. Amen.
MESSAGE
Almighty God, your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, came into the
world, that we might have light in our darkness, life rather than
death. Grant that your people, enlivened by the reading and
preaching of your word, and refreshed by your sacraments, might
rise, might shine forth into all the world the radiance of the glory
of Christ. May Christ be seen in us, worshipped by the world,
obeyed by all, to the distant ends of the earth, now and always.
Amen.
Today is Epiphany Sunday in the church.
The paraments in the church will remain white for this week
because of Epiphany and remain white next Sunday because of
the Celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.
The Christian year has two cycles: the Christmas Cycle
(Advent-Christmas-Epiphany) and the Easter Cycle (Lent-
Easter-Pentecost). Within each cycle is a preparatory season
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symbolized by the color purple and a festival season
symbolized by the color white. After each cycle there is
an ordinary time of growth symbolized the color green.
Thus, there is a sequence of seasons using purple, white,
and green in that order twice each year.
White and gold are used at Christmas and Easter to
symbolize joy and festivities.
Epiphany is the day Christians remember the coming of the
Magi to visit Jesus, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense
and myrrh.
It occurs on Jan. 6 every year, the 13th day of the Christmas
season. The word "epiphany," from the Greek
word epiphania, means appearance or manifestation.
The arrival of these visitors was a sign that the incarnation
of God in Christ had been made known and recognized by
the heavens to the whole world, so that even Gentile wise
men paid him homage. This is an observance of great
majesty, solemnity, and awe.
These three men were most likely wealthy as they brought
gifts of great value. However, they were not kings as we sing
in “We Three Kings of Orient are”
The gift of gold was for Jesus as King
The gift of frankincense was for Jesus as divine, since it
was used in worship.
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The gift of myrrh was for Jesus dying, since it was used
for embalming.
In order to deliver these gifts the wisemen were led to
Bethlehem by the Star of Wonder. You might hear many
explanations of how it was the alignment of 3 planets that
caused this bright light in the sky. But it was because God
wanted this star to appear and shine light upon the Christ
child. Remember our God we serve created all of the heavens
and earth and that which lives on it. So why is it so hard for us
to believe that God is great enough to create a star like the
one that shown upon Jesus as a baby?
They came to share the great news of the arrival of this baby
who is the King of Kings. Do we not come to church each
Sunday in celebration of Jesus in our lives and want to leave,
hear, and tell others? We should be excited like the Magi and
tell others about how great this man we call Jesus is in our life.
Have any of you worked the late shift before? I was working
the 7 pm to 7 am shift when I was in college one summer. My
drive was 1 hour and 10 minutes from work to home. One
night, on the way home, I was so tired I could barely stay
awake. I remember most of the drive home, but to this day, I
still have no recollection of crossing the railroad tracks on the
way home. I prayed that Jesus would be with me on the way
home tonight. I believe that it is only by the grace and love of
God I am alive today. I know Jesus was with me, delivering me
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home safely, as I do not remember anything about the last 3
miles of the trip home. Jesus is alive and well. Amen.
Are we being led by God to Jesus Christ, not by a star like the
wise men, but by a person who shows us love first without
expecting in return? That is a disciple of Jesus Christ in the
purest form. Walking beside a broken person just like we were
and helping them see the love of God and Jesus. Why?
Because we have been changed and received forgiveness for
our sins and are now the sons and daughters of the Father in
Heaven. When we are in trouble, do we call out to Jesus, our
protector, and let him lead the fight? He went to the cross for
us and is willing to protect us at all costs because we have
been given salvation through our baptism, acceptance of God’s
grace, and faith in Jesus Christ. There is power in the blood of
Jesus Christ because he spilled all of it so that we can live free
of sin.
Each of us, as children of the Father in heaven, should be
paying homage to Jesus each day of our lives. How do we do
this? Start the morning with a time set apart for God and you.
You can read scripture, a devotional, pray, meditate, Gratitude
journal, or sing to the Lord. The main point is to give the best
part of our day to the Lord, because he gave the best part of
him to us in the form of Jesus. Then, throughout the day, each
time we are prompted to pray or act for God, we do just that.
At the end of our day, we should be in prayer with the Father,
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thanking him for what he has done through us that day. If we
need to seek forgiveness now is the time to do it.
Intentionally pray for a specific person each day. Especially if
they are in a separated or strained relationship with our Lord.
Pray that God uses each of us as a conduit to help that person
back into the light of Jesus.
It is a travesty to receive grace, love, and mercy from God if
we are not willing to give that to others. At the same time, we
should be thankful for the blessings that come from God into
our lives. We are living, breathing creatures, part of God’s
creation with a purpose to go, notice, GO, and make disciples
of Jesus to transform the world. No matter how the world or
church may change around us it is up to each of us to keep our
eyes upon that little baby and the man Jesus, let us firmly fix
our eyes upon Jesus so we are always led to the Father and not
deceived by the world.
As individual children of God, are we going to shine the light of
Jesus into the world or are we going to set back and let the
world change around us while living in the past? Are we going
to be led by Jesus or are we going to try and lead Jesus where
we want to go? It is time to loosen our grip and let Jesus take
the lead in our lives and enjoy the journey he takes us on. Yes
there will be some painful stops along the way but Jesus has
been there before we ever get there. I hope that the journey
begins for many of us this year as the church and individuals.
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May we each shine the light of Christ with love, peace, grace,
and mercy into a hurting world.
Pray with me.
BENEDICTION
Beloved, as we go about our days, let us carry the blessing of the
Light, Jesus. The one that came among us as the Christ child.
May His love shine within each of you, casting rays of good news
wherever you may go. May the peace, grace, love, and mercy of
God rest upon you. Amen
