Epiphany

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

(Isaiah 60:3)

from Psalm 72

Give the king your justice, O God,

    and your righteousness to the royal son!

May he judge your people with righteousness,

    and your poor with justice!

Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,

    and the hills, in righteousness!

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,

    give deliverance to the children of the needy,

    and crush the oppressor!

. . . 

May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands

    render him tribute;

may the kings of Sheba and Seba

    bring gifts!

May all kings fall down before him,

    all nations serve him!

For he delivers the needy when he calls,

    the poor and him who has no helper.

He has pity on the weak and the needy,

    and saves the lives of the needy.

From oppression and violence he redeems their life,

    and precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live;

    may gold of Sheba be given to him!

May prayer be made for him continually,

    and blessings invoked for him all the day!

May there be abundance of grain in the land;

    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;

    may its fruit be like Lebanon;

and may people blossom in the cities

    like the grass of the field!

May his name endure forever,

    his fame continue as long as the sun!

May people be blessed in him,

    all nations call him blessed!

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

    who alone does wondrous things.

Blessed be his glorious name forever;

    may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

Isaiah 60: 1-9

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,

    and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

    and his glory will be seen upon you.

And nations shall come to your light,

    and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;

    they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from afar,

    and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

    your heart shall thrill and exult,

because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,

    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

    all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

    and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;

    the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;

they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,

    and I will beautify my beautiful house.

Who are these that fly like a cloud,

    and like doves to their windows?

For the coastlands shall hope for me,

    the ships of Tarshish first,

to bring your children from afar,

    their silver and gold with them,

for the name of the Lord your God,

    and for the Holy One of Israel,

    because he has made you beautiful.

Hymn: Saw You Never in the Twilight

1. Saw you never, in the twilight, when the sun had left the skies,

Up in heaven the clear stars shining through the gloom,

          like silver eyes?

So of old the wise men, watching, saw a little stranger star,

And they knew the King was given, and they followed it from afar.

2. Heard you never of the story how they crossed the desert wild,

Journeyed on by plain and mountain, till they found the holy Child?

How they opened all their treasure, kneeling to that infant King;

Gave the gold and fragrant incense, gave the myrrh in offering?

3. Know ye not that lowly Baby was the bright and morning Star?

He Who came to light the Gentiles, and the darkened isles afar?

And we, too, may seek His cradle;

          there our hearts' best treasures bring;

Love, and faith, and true devotion for our Savior, God and King.

 

(Trinity Hymnal, image from hymnary.org)

Ephesians 3: 1-12

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles . . . the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Anthem: The Three Kings 

Matthew 2: 1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Prayer:

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Collect for the Epiphany, from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

Hymn: As With Gladness Men of Old

1. As with gladness, men of old

Did the guiding star behold;

As with joy they hailed its light,

Leading onward, beaming bright;

So, most gracious Lord, may we

Evermore be led to Thee.

2. As with joyful steps they sped

To that lowly manger-bed;

There to bend the knee before

Him Whom heaven and earth adore;

So may we with willing feet

Ever seek the mercy-seat.

3. As they offered gifts most rare

At that manger rude and bare;

So may we, with holy joy,

Pure and free from sin's alloy,

All our costliest treasures bring,

Christ! to Thee our heavenly King.

4. Holy Jesus, every day

Keep us in the narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past,

Bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide,

Where no clouds Thy Glory hide.

5. In the heavenly country bright,

Need they no created light;

Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,

Thou its Sun which goes not down;

There for ever may we sing

Alleluias to our King