WORSHIP RESOURCES
Epiphany of The Lord
Matthew 2:1-12 (A,B,C)
A Star!
Additional Scriptures
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12
Worship Preparation
Prior to today’s worship, using construction paper, cutout stars of all colors—the more colors, the better! (See below for a star template.) Place your pre-cut stars on a table toward the front of your worship space. Provide markers/pens for each participant. These will be used for the Focus Moment in the service. Prepare enough for all to have one.
We Praise
Prelude
Songs of Presence and Praise Choose two.
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
“Seek Ye First” CCS 599
“Jesu, Tawa Pano/Jesus, We Are Here” CCS 71
“All Creatures of Our God and King” CCS 98
“Earth and All Stars” CCS 102
Welcome and Announcements
Responsive Reading
Leader: The heavens tell the glory of God; and the firmament proclaim God’s handiwork!
All: And we are in awe!
Leader: Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night declares knowledge.
All: And we are in awe!
Leader: There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
All: And we are in awe!
All: Amen!
—Psalm 19:1-5, adapted
Hymn of God’s Revelation
“Speak, O Lord” CCS 66
OR “Fountain of All Revelation” CCS 67
OR “We Limit Not the Truth of God” CCS 69
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Invocation
Musical Response
We Pray
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle.
Peace Prayer
Oh God,
You have searched and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted
with all my ways…
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me…
Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are
there.
If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea
even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
Even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
To you, even the smallest light of a candle, shines bright as a star!
Amen.
—Psalm 139: 1-11, adapted
We Listen
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
Focus Moment: You Are a Star! See the end of this service.
Hymn of Reflecting Light
“Light Dawns on a Weary World” CCS 240
OR “From a Far-Off Land/De tierra lejana venimos” CCS 440/441
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
OR “Peace Among Earth’s Peoples” CCS 448
Morning Message
Based on Matthew 2:1-12
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Hymn of Preparation
“Open My Heart” CCS 171
OR “Searcher of Hearts” CCS 178
OR “According to the Gifts” CCS 591
Communion Scripture Reading: Luke 22:14-23
Hymn of Preparation
“God Extends an Invitation/Nuestro Padre nos invita” CCS 520
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
OR “Let Us Break Bread Together” CCS 521
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “Is There One Who Feels Unworthy” CCS 526
Invitation to Communion
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others might have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
Blessing and Serving of Bread and Wine
Log in to Our Ministry Tools and search for Guidelines Lord’s Supper. If you have not used this library of resources, go to CofChrist.org/our-ministry-tools.
We Share
Disciples’ Generous Response
Hymn of Generosity
“Take My Gifts and Let Me Love You” CCS 609
OR “Brothers and Sisters of Mine” CCS 616
Statement
The treasure you offer is worth more than you realize. Even if we feel like we do not feel it, God’s grace and generosity that works through us proves otherwise. In Choose Generosity: Discovering Whole-Life Stewardship, we read:
“When we choose to believe that God is continuously pouring out grace and generosity, we begin to see God in everything—the good, the bad, and everything between. …Seeing all of life as a gift from God is a choice of faithful disciples.”
Just as the Magi offered their gifts to the newborn king, so are we invited to. Although we might not be perfect, God’s treasure flows through us.
Testimony
Share a testimony about a time when you felt overwhelmed by God’s generosity.
God’s generous compassion is limitless. As we open our hearts to courageously and generously share by placing money in the offering plates or through eTithing, we join the movement of God’s compassion in the world. God shares abundantly, we share faithfully, others share generously, and God’s love and compassion grow endlessly.
If you have participants joining the worship online, remind them that they can give through www.CofChrist.org/give or through eTithing at www.eTithing.org (consider displaying these URLs).
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
We Are Sent
Hymn of Commitment
“Send Forth Your Light, O Zion” CCS 622
OR “Go Now Forth into the World” CCS 646
OR “Now Go in Joy” CCS 659
Benediction
Sending Forth
You are a blessed and loved people. Go from this place rested, reassured, and rejuvenated. Go into the world and shine your light. Let the world know that God’s love lives and breathes!
Be a star and guide the way forward!
Postlude
Focus Moment: You Are a Star!
Distribute stars and markers to all participants.
Leader: Who can tell me what this is?
Hold a star so all can see. Allow time for responses.
Leader: That’s right! It’s a star! We heard in today’s scripture that a star was used to guide the Magi, or the Three Wise Men. What did they find when they got to the star?
Allow time for responses.
Leader: That’s right! They found baby Jesus! Overwhelmed with joy, they knelt before their new king and gave their most treasured belongings. Have you ever given a gift before?
Allow time for responses.
Leader: Epiphany is a day Christians around the world celebrate God’s revelation to all people through baby Jesus. But it was a star that led the way!
And guess what…each of you are stars!
If you choose to, you can lead people to God’s love! Your acts of kindness and love reflect God’s love for all people!
Hand out stars to each participant.
Leader: Take a star as a reminder that you can show the way to God’s love! Go and light your world!
Thank all participants.
Optional Activity
Participants can write “You are a Star”
on each star and place them on a wall or poster board.
(Sample pattern for star cutout.)
SERMON AND CLASS HELPS
Year C—Letters
Epiphany of The Lord
Matthew 2:1-12 (A,B,C)
Exploring the Scripture
In the Christian calendar, today is Epiphany, the twelfth day after Christmas, which has deep roots in our text. We find people who were foreign to both the religious and governing communities of Judea but who experienced an amazing epiphany—the manifestation of God through a baby.
Only Matthew tells the story of people who came from the East bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. Over the years these people have been identified as “kings,” probably due to passages in Isaiah about gold and frankincense being brought to Zion and the psalms declaring kings would come bearing gifts of gold. Matthew identifies them as wise men, presumably reflecting their religious practice of stargazing. However, there is no mention of how many, although because of three gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh), traditionally the number of magi was said to be three. Following a star, the travelers stopped in Jerusalem asking about the location of the child. Had they assumed the child was in Jerusalem? Possibly. Jerusalem, the more populous, outstanding, and powerful location, must be where this new king had been born. Could such a royal occurrence happen in some dusty, peasant village? Today there are those who believe important things are associated with the popular, powerful, and glamorous. Challenge the hearers to consider what they are seeking in life. Are they missing the “Bethlehems” because the “Jerusalems” seem more attractive?
An unlikely meeting occurred during this stop in Jerusalem—a city that represented the world then, and to some degree, the world now. At that meeting were King Herod, religious leaders, and seekers from the East. Herod represented people and institutions using oppression and force to achieve their goals of power. Herod asked the religious leaders for an interpretation of the scriptures about this new king. He might be considered representative of those who use the scriptures for their own motives and agendas. We must be willing to challenge the prejudicial and oppressive acts of the Herods in today’s world. Each of us must also acknowledge the Herod-like characteristics buried in our own hearts.
Religious leaders who were among the most devout followers of the God of Abraham were also at this meeting. They knew the scriptures identified Bethlehem as the Messiah’s birthplace. However, they made no effort to go there. They interpreted the scripture, but because of their preconceived notions of the Messiah, were unwilling to be drawn into places where the scripture was calling them. Having a new vision of God, an epiphany, most often occurs when we step out in faith and journey to the Bethlehems of our own experience. The preacher may want to challenge the congregation to be more open to new places and approaches to life as disciples to which the scriptures will call them.
The final group at the meeting was the seekers, stargazers who normally studied the sky and found spiritual guidance in the signs. Something about this new star, though, drew them outside their comfort zones to become seekers. We might take our cue from the wise men, willing to leave our comfort zones in search of the king. It is amazing that the only ones who really got it right, who experienced a new vision of God, were foreigners. These wise men, as defined by Matthew, were not from the Roman or the Jewish worlds; they were from a place outside the known empire.
The writer of Matthew sends a significant message, a foreshadowing of the mission of Jesus. Even in his infancy we find the message that God’s grace is for all persons. The words that show up later in the letter to the Ephesians about Christ coming to unite all humanity and break down walls of separation (Ephesians 2:14– 16), were beginning to take shape in Bethlehem.
Central Ideas
- Gaining new insights and experiencing an epiphany requires moving out of our comfort zones.
- People and institutions still attempt to interpret scripture to serve their own agendas.
- Dismantling walls of separation in our world is at the root of the mission of Christ.
- Listening to the questions of seekers may guide us to a new epiphany.
Questions for the Speaker
- How am I sometimes like Herod? How am I like the priests and scribes?
- Who are “Herods” in the world today, and what is our response to them?
- Might this scripture empower you to go outside your normal, daily routine in mission?
- How is the message of Christ still a threat to power structures today?
SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY
Year C—Letters
Epiphany of The Lord
Ephesians 3:1–12 NRSVue
Communion
Gathering
Welcome
Epiphany is observed twelve days after Christmas on January 6. Epiphany means “to reveal” or “to make manifest.” In the Gospel of Matthew, the story of the Magi traveling to find the infant king is told to illustrate the manifestation of God revealed to all the world, not just the people of Israel.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
God of the heavens and Earth, you are in all that grows, hibernates, and dies. You are the twinkling stars that guide travelers, the moon that lights the way, and the dark night sky that frames them. So long ago, Herod told the wise men to “search diligently” for the baby Jesus. So, too, shall we search diligently for you in the beautiful, wondrous world around us! Stay close to us as we journey. Make your love and peace known to us that we, in turn, may make it known to our neighbors. Strengthen us for the journey and embolden us to shine your peace into the unjust corners that exist far and near.
In the name of your Son, the Light of the world. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Dwelling in the Word
I will read a scripture aloud. As you hear the scripture allow the words, images, or phrases to come to mind. Try not to focus on them. Let them rest with you. After a moment of silence, I will read the scripture a second time. As you hear the scripture listen again for how God’s Spirit is nudging you or catching your attention.
Read Matthew 2:10–11 NRSVue:
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.
Pause. Read the scripture a second time. Invite group members to share responses to these questions:
- What images and thoughts came to your mind while listening to this scripture?
- The Magi brought gifts. What gifts do you bring to this community and the world?
Sharing Around the Table
Ephesians 3:1–12 NRSVue
This is the reason that I, Paul, am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you gentiles, for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access in boldness and confidence through faith in him.
Today we celebrate Epiphany, a day when we remember the journey of the Magi from the East to visit the infant Jesus. Epiphany is one of the oldest celebrations of the Christian church. The season of Epiphany begins January 6 and continues until Ash Wednesday.
Epiphany, in Greek, means “to appear” or “reveal.” In today’s text, Paul writes of the “mystery of Christ.” God’s purpose is revealed as Paul shares the meaning of—and an invitation to—community through Jesus Christ.
Paul says he is a prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles. The metaphor expresses Paul’s advocacy for Gentiles to be full members of the body of Christ.
Paul speaks to the people of Ephesus about the mystery of Christ. Paul suggests this mystery is made clear through embracing Gentiles as members of the body of Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just for Jewish Christians. The gospel is inclusive and transforming for all.
The transforming claim is a revelation to the community, grounded in the mystery of God’s wisdom. God’s community expands as we live God’s eternal purposes through Jesus Christ.
The idea of equality in Jesus Christ speaks to us today as we consider our world of separateness and independence. Everywhere we look, we see groups that for various reasons are outcasts, less-than, labeled as different, and not “us.” But when we create a culture of “us” versus “them,” we move from the community proclaimed by Jesus Christ, the community about which Paul spoke. God calls us to build a community of oneness because we are dedicated to “the boundless riches of Christ.”
Questions
- How has the divine presence been revealed to you?
- When have you participated in creating divisions between people? When have you helped bring about acceptance and unity?
- Where do you find opportunities in your life and community to create a space of oneness and welcome for all?
Sending
Generosity Statement
Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.
—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response. You also may give at CofChrist.org/give.
The offering prayer for Epiphany is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response.
Revealing God, may we always be generous. You have gifted each of us with boundless grace and unending love. May our response to that love and grace be humble service to others, and may generosity be part of our nature. Amen.
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
Community of Christ Sings 446, “Sing of God Made Manifest”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
- Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
- Thoughts for Children
Thoughts for Children
Say: On Epiphany we share about the Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem to see Jesus. Today, we are going to try a spiritual practice called “Walking in the Light.” We will use our imagination to walk in God’s light, as the Magi did, and to share that light.
Let’s start by quieting our minds, voices, and bodies. When you feel calm, imagine you are walking on a path of light. Picture yourself in your mind, walking this path of light. Picture the light all around you. Imagine what the light feels like and imagine how it makes you feel. What does it smell like? Can you taste it? Does it have a sound?
Pause fifteen seconds.
Now imagine that light growing to include the people you love, maybe your parents, grandparents, or siblings. Imagine these people enjoying God’s light.
Pause fifteen seconds.
Now imagine this light growing even bigger to surround your friends. Imagine their joy at being embraced by God’s light.
Pause fifteen seconds.
This next one is a little tricky, but is very important. Imagine God’s light growing to include people you don’t get along with. Maybe someone who has made you mad or who has hurt your feelings. Imagine their smiles as they are embraced by God’s light.
Pause fifteen seconds.
Finally, imagine God’s light growing even bigger, surrounding the entire world, all of creation. Imagine this light hugging all people in the world, comforting all animals, and filling all plants. Imagine this light filling everything.
Pause fifteen seconds.
As we close our practice, imagine creating space in your heart where the light of God can always live. May we all keep the light of God within us, and may we share it with everyone we encounter. Amen.
Thank participants for joining you in this practice.