St Clement Church Epiphany
Community Service
Good morning to you all
A very ‘Happy New Year’ to you – may it be a peaceful and healthy one for us all.
Today we are celebrating Epiphany – a day early, but a time to remember those who travelled far to see and worship the greatest of all kings.
I wonder whether you have ever read the story of ‘The Story of the Other Wiseman.’ If you haven’t, do try and find it and read it. It’s a very special story.
My love to you all
Liz
Lord of light, we praise you, for you are the one who casts away darkness which covers our lives, and our world.
Yours is the light which illuminates that which is good in all the nations of the world.
In this time of worship, we lift our eyes to your light.
We rejoice in your glory and in the mystery of the salvation of the world you brought through Jesus Christ.
As the Wise Men came seeking the Christ Child, kindle within us a desire to seek him anew and to make new discoveries of his truth and glory.
May the Star of Bethlehem lead us to worship the Light of the World.
Amen
We say together:
God of wonder, help us to have as much faith as the wise men who followed your star to find Jesus. Lead us down the right paths and help us to recognise Jesus in the people that we meet as we travel through life. Amen
Hymn: 49 Brightest and best are the sons of the morning
We say together our Prayer of Penitence:
God of infinite grace, in the gift you gave us at Bethlehem you offer us the boundless riches of Christ. Yet we are slow to offer all that we have.
The Wise Men left home to seek the truth; but we are too often content to stay where we are comfortable.
King Herod claimed he wanted to worship the child; and too often, we are taken in by plausible lies.
We ask for your forgiveness for all the ways we fall short in generosity, in courage, and in failing to seek and to heed your truth.
Give us time to amend our lives and may your Spirit enable us to live more fully in the light of your Word made flesh.
Amen.
The Collect for Epiphany Sunday
O God, who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Readings:
Isaiah 60. 1 - 6
Ephesians 3. 1 - 12
Hymn: 55 Hail to the Lord’s anointed
Gospel: Matthew 2. 1 - 12
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wisemen from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, 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 born.
Thewy told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; “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 wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
The he sent them top Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; 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 at its rising, 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.
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
The Epiphany of our Lord is properly celebrated on 6th January, but it can be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Christmas, which is what we are doing today.
When you think about it, celebrating Epiphany is a great way to begin a new year. It commemorates the magi or wise men going on a long journey to see Jesus, which is a great metaphor for all people of faith.
Life really is a journey, and we are on this journey together, like the wisemen before us, to find and worship the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
But back to the wise men – initially they are led by a star. The wise men or magi are people who study the stars. So, God sends them a new star. God can use any event in life, good or bad, to get us on our way, in search of our Saviour. So, why not a star for the magi who know the significance of such things? They are led to Jerusalem, looking for the child who is born King of the Jews. They’ve come to the wrong place. It’s the logical place. Jerusalem – where else would the King of the Jews be born? But, it’s the wrong place.
Even at His birth, Jesus is showing us that He will be a very different kind of king. And, He is going to be full of surprises. The wise men follow a star but, they need more than the star to lead them to Jesus. They need God’s Word to find the newborn king. They need the chief priests and scribes, people who know God’s Word, to help them. So too for us – if we want to find the Christ Child, we need God’s Word, and we need each other and the Holy Spirit working through us and through the Word to bring us to this faith. The stars are not enough.
So back to the magi - they leave Jerusalem and follow the star once more to Bethlehem where they find Jesus with His mother, Mary. Immediately, they kneel down, pay Him homage and offer Him their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Holy scripture doesn’t tell us their names or how many there were. No one knows for sure. Eastern Orthodoxy says there were twelve but our tradition says there were three, probably because there were three gifts, and names them, Casper, Melchior, and Balthasar.
I strongly suspect that they didn’t find Jesus in Bethlehem and had to travel further, because we’re told that the star appeared when He was born and they then set off. Hence why Herod demands that all boys under two years old should be killed. But, where they find Jesus isn’t really an issue, the fact is, they do find him. And when they leave, they return home by a different road as they are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
I wonder how much trouble it causes them to have to return home a different way. Think about how much trouble it causes us, when we have to change a well-known route? But more than that, their returning home a different way has a symbolic significance. After all, they are forever changed by their encounter with the Christ Child. They will never be the same again. They return home different people, and so it is only fitting that they go home by another road.
But what about the fourth wise man? His name is Artaban and he comes to us through “The Story of the Fourth Wise Man,” a book written by Henry Van Dyke and published in 1895. It’s a beautiful story grounded in the teachings of Jesus. I don’t know if the story really happened, but I’d like to think that it is true. Do read it.
It is a new year, and what a blessing to be able to begin this new year together. Truthfully, none of us knows what this year holds for any of us, or for our world. But we don’t have to … because we know that wherever this year takes us, Jesus will be with us all along the way. We have found Him. We have worshipped Him, and now we travel on our way, by new and unexpected roads, but always with our Emmanuel alongside us.
As you and I travel through this new year together, may the one who created the stars, and gave us his only Son, bless us, and keep us; may the Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy; may the Lord look upon us with favour, and give us peace.
Amen
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Though he was divine, he did not cling to equality with God, but made himself nothing.
Taking the form of a slave, he was born in human likeness.
He humbled himself and was obedient to death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God has raised him on high, and given him the name above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen
Hymn: 47 As with gladness men of old
Our Intercessions by Helen Dunbar
Let us pray
The Magi came from the east to worship your Son: Father, grant to Christians everywhere the spirit of adoration and that through their worship they may reflect the glorious light of Christ.
We thank God for all those who brought the good news of Jesus to us, and all who nourish our faith today. We pray that the whole people of God may work in unity and openness for the coming of God’s Kingdom.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Lord God, as we face the start of 2025, we pray for your world. Let the star of your justice always shine in the hearts of those who are in authority. Enable all nations to recognize the sanctity of each and every human life in their care, so that all may experience an abundance of peace and security.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
Dear God, your son shared the life of his home and family in Nazareth: we give thanks for his presence with us in our homes and in our lives. Guide us in our relationships with family and neighbours, especially those in trouble or need and bless those who have guided and enriched our own lives.
We pray for all who have found Christmas a difficult time, those who do not have family and friends around them and find themselves alone, and all who grieve for family members they have lost. We also remember all the people killed and injured in the two plane crashes that have happened in recent days. We think of the grieving relatives and friends left in total bewilderment at what has happened.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We pray for our Church throughout the world and we ask for your guidance and blessing, Lord, on all who minister in our churches. Here at St Clement, we think of our own Revd Diane and her family and give thanks to you that we are blessed to have them here with us.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer.
We pray for King Charles and Queen Camilla and all the Royal family.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer.
We pray for all who seek meaning and purpose in their lives, and in their search, they will come to recognise Christ as the source of wisdom and light in the world. Loving God, we thank You for the gift of life and pray for those whose lives are troubled by illness, grief, poverty or injustice. We remember at this time those known personally to us: Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Barrie and Sandra, Roger, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Stella, Jeremy, William, Jane, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Andy, Anne, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Dave and Jeanette, Jane, Carrie and John Paul, Polly and Ebony, and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer
We pray for the recently departed and all whose anniversary falls at this time.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Clement, St Andrew and St Allen
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
We say together:
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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
The Wise Men by Monty Alexander
A brilliance in the heavens a star to point the way,
High up in the night sky, guiding the wise to where he lay.
They trekked from a distant land to the Manger’s lighted gloom,
Searching for the ‘Christ Child,’ cradled in that lowly room.
These men of a learned race, paid homage in that place;
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, to Him of ‘Godly Grace.’
As Mary held the child to her, she was amazed to see,
People who had travelled far, to meet Him who had to be.
Micah’s prophesy fulfilled, each marvelled in his mind;
Here the Babe in swaddling clothes; a ‘Saviour for mankind.’
The Peace
God has called us to live in peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: We three kings of Orient are
The Blessing
May our lives so reflect your glorious life of sacrifice, that others may come with us to worship. We offer to you our gifts of loving hearts, obedient service, and joyful lives, that your glory may be known among all people.
Amen