EPIPHANY CHURCH SERVICE
THREE KINGS AND KINGSHIP OF JESUS
If you are unable to attend a Church Service, why not follow the service below in prayer and make spiritual Communion with Our Lord Jesus Christ? Perhaps you have been working in essential services, are caregiver at home or ill in bed. All of your intentions have been held before the Lord.
EPIPHANY CHURCH SERVICE
Celebrant; 'The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Congregation; 'Amen.'
Beginning hymn; We Three Kings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFiAxNDNORg
Lyrics;
We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light.
Born a king on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light.
Frankincense to offer have I.
Incense owns a Deity nigh.
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light.
Myrrh is mine: it's bitter perfume
Breaths a life of gathering gloom.
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light.
Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and Sacrifice.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Sounds through the earth and skies.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect Light
Celebrant; "Let us pray.
Shine on, Star of Bethlehem,
Proclaiming to the world the Prince of Peace
For the world today, tomorrow and forever. Amen.
Invitation to Confession;
Celebrant; 'In the silence and stillness
Of the glimmering light of the Star;
Let us rejoice as our Infant Messiah is revealed as
the Light of our Nations.
The people in darkness
Have seen a great light. Amen."
Here follows a few moments of silence. Reach out to God with your heart, and think of any area in your life where you can improve as a person. If there is an area in your life on which you need to work, silently communicate with God and commit to addressing this area.
Celebrant; 'Loving God, You have come as a little Child
To bear our sins upon Your Shoulders.'
Congregation; 'Lord, have mercy.'
Celebrant; 'Jesus our Saviour,
You were born of a holy mother
Who had been foretold by Isaiah.
She brought You to us as
Our True Light.
We pray for Your mercy for our shortcomings.'
Congregation; 'Christ, have mercy.'
Celebrant; 'Spirit of Love,
Great Kings came from the Orient
To humbly kneel before the King of Kings.
Let us worship Christ the Lord
Within the stable-sanctuary of our hearts.'
Congregation; 'Lord have mercy.'
Celebrant; May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to life eternal.'
Congregation; 'Amen.'
Celebrant; 'The True Light that gives light to everyone,
Has come into the world.
He shone His Light upon the rich and powerful of this earth,
The Wise and Noble Kings from the orient.
He shone His Light on the humble and work-tasked of this earth,
The Shepherds from the fields.
May we within the shelter of our hearts
Offer worship to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.'
Congregation; 'Amen. Thanks be to God.'
Congregation;
'Glory to God in the highest; And peace to all of goodwill.
We praise You, we bless you, we adore You, we glorify You.
We give You thanks for Your Great Glory.
Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son of the Father.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You Who take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us. You are seated at the Right Hand of The Father,
Have mercy on us.
For You alone are Holy, You alone are Lord.
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.'
Readings;
First Reading from the Gospel of St Matthew 2;1-6
'1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
Congregation; 'Amen. Thanks be to God.'
Congregation;
'Glory to God in the highest; And peace to all of goodwill.
We praise You, we bless you, we adore You, we glorify You.
We give You thanks for Your Great Glory.
Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Begotten Son of the Father.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father.
You Who take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us. You are seated at the Right Hand of The Father,
Have mercy on us.
For You alone are Holy, You alone are Lord.
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Spirit in the Glory of God the Father. Amen.'
Readings;
First Reading from the Gospel of St Matthew 2;1-6
'1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When
he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of
the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5”In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel’.”
Responsorial Psalm; A Song of the Incarnation are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel’.”
Response; 'The star of Bethlehem led the Kings to the Child.'
The star of God led the Kings to the Child.
Kneeling in humble and kingly worship
They worshipped before the Christ.
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great Light.'
R. 'The star of Bethlehem led the Kings to the Child.'
Gifts they offered Him;
But above all, far above the gifts of precious
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh,
The three Kings offered the gift of their hearts.
Truly the Messiah was pleased.
R. 'The star of Bethlehem led the Kings to the Child.'
Humble the Kings knelt before a village maiden,
Honour they gave to a young Nazarene girl.
Truly we have been blessed
With the Son of the Queen from Nazareth
and the Carpenter Descendent from the Royal Line of David.
R. 'The star of Bethlehem led the Kings to the Child.'
God has spoken to us in His Son.
Let us hear His Message for all the ages;
Look upon these, my little ones,
And know the love I have for each child.
Before I knit your being together in your mother's womb,
I knew each one of you.
R. 'The star of Bethlehem led the Kings to the Child.'
Gospel Acclamation:
"Alleluia, Alleluia.
Christ comes to the wise and powerful, star-led to Bethlehem, seeking a king,
He comes, Child of Mary; crowned with meekness, worthy of every gift.
Alleluia, Alleluia."
Celebrant; Gospel; St Matthew 2;7-12
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He
sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the
child. As soon as you have found him, report to me, so that I too may go
and worship him.”
9After they had heard the king, they went
on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On
coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they
bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and
presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.'
Celebrant; 'This is the gospel of Christ.'
Congregation; 'Glory to Christ our Saviour.'
Word of Encouragement;
Celebrant; 'The Kings from the Orient knelt before the tiny scrap of Humanity
They had travelled so far and undergone so many dangers and deprivations to meet.
Their faith, reflection and years of dedicated study had culminated in ageless knowledge and wisdom
That meant they had been ready to receive the Message of the King of the Heavens and the Skies when the constellation of the stars had been placed in sequence.
Now they stared into the Eyes of the Divine Infant
What did they see there?
Pools of Infinite Wisdom?
An immediate knowledge of the God Almighty?
A sense of limitless Glory and Everlasting Honour?
A tiny Baby yawning and falling asleep drowsily, tired after the exertions of the birth, in His Mother's arms.
Every child is unique. Every child is born to a destiny. Every child is known to the Almighty by Name.
Let us treasure each little one and protect him or her as if they were our own family. They are.
Let us defend the right to life of every little infant, human brother and sister to the Infant Son of God.
It is our honour to follow in the footsteps of the Wise Kings from the Eastern Tradition and protect the life of the littlest ones of humanity as they did.
Who knows whom we protect? The future physician to find the cure for Cancer?
The next great saint to shine in God's Kingdom? The next prophet?
The passerby who will one day save our life?
We never know whom we protect.
The Kings believed they protected the Son of God.
It turned out that they were right.
Let us love and protect all innocent beings and
SUPPORT THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.'
You may spend some time in quiet reflection if you so wish.
Prayers of Intercession;
Celebrant; 'Three Kings followed a Star
To find the young Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Help us to follow the Star of Wisdom
To the Birthplace of Faith in Christ.'
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'
Celebrant; 'Almighty God, You honoured the Wise Men
By warning them in a dream to go home by another route.
Enlighten us with wisdom and courage.'
Congregation; 'LORD,
hear our prayer.'
Celebrant;'Loving God, we pray for our community . . .
Three Wise Men on camels courageously left their home and country,
Responding in worship to the Coming of the King of Kings.
They returned to their homeland, to share what they had seen and heard.'
Congregation; 'LORD, grant us the gift of witness to Your Son.'
.
Celebrant; 'Loving God, we pray for the Church in all the world . . .
The shepherds spoke to the Kings of the Babe they all saw.
All joined to witness together to the coming of the Messiah.
Congregation; 'LORD, help us to witness together to the Glory of Your Kingship over the universe.'
Celebrant; 'The voices of many Angels were heard,
The brilliance of the Star shone around,
And the Kings gave glory to God.
We pray to unity among all nations.'
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'
Celebrant; 'Jesus, Infant of Mary,
The Kings saved Your Life by showing wisdom.
Give us wisdom in our dealings with all.'
Congregation; 'Jesus, Saviour,
hear our prayer.'
Breaking of Bread
Celebrant; 'Almighty God, You made a covenant with Your people, and declared Your purpose of justice and love.
When all things were ready, You sent Your Son to be Our Saviour.
In words and deeds He proclaimed Your Kingdom, and obeyed Your Will even to death on the cross.
Through His mighty death and resurrection, He overcame sin and death, to set the whole creation free.
We praise You, Father, that on the night before He gave His life, our Lord Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to His disciples and said; 'Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you.
Do this in memory of me.'
Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life.'
Celebrant; 'After the same manner also He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them saying, 'Take this, all of you, and drink; for this is My Blood; the Blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Do This in memory of Me.'
Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Cup of Life, the wine that is blessed for our salvation.'
The Lord's Prayer;
'Our Father, Who art in Heaven,
Hallowed by 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, forever, Amen.'
Benediction;
Celebrant; 'Father, it is our joy and delight,
Our reason for being,
To offer You thanks and praise.
The Wise Kings from the Orient
Drew knowledge from the ancient scrolls;
Divined the knowledge of the stars of the Heavens
And read the message You had left there, that
Your Divine Son, Name written in the ancient lore of the Heavens,
Was to be born. Stars and Sun together rejoice in the Coming of the Light,
Grant us the courage and strength to witness to Your Holiness
By protecting all the Innocent and Helpless
As courageously and wisely as did the Kings of the Orient.'
Congregation; 'Amen'.
Final Hymn; Breath of Heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOQRtYYERGo
'I have traveled many moonless nights
Cold and weary with a babe inside
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son
And I wonder what I've done
Holy Father, You have come
And chosen me now to carry Your Son
I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now
I am frightened by the load I bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now, be with me now
Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven
Do you wonder as you watch my face
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me
If a wiser one should have had my place?
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of Your plan
Help me be strong, help me be, help me
Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Be forever near me, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, hold me together
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven'
Be forever near me, breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven, lighten my darkness
Pour over me Your holiness for You are holy
Breath of Heaven, Breath of Heaven
Breath of Heaven'
SEND; 'WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE' TO YOUR MOBILE
http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/summary/play.cfm/crumb.19/crumc.0/sound_iid.408989
SEND; 'BREATH OF HEAVEN' RINGTONE TO YOUR MOBILE
http://www.metrolyrics.com/breath-of-heaven-lyrics-amy-grant.html
BLESSED EPIPHANY
TO YOU AND ALL YOUR LOVED ONES
With thanks to Youtube,, audiosparx.com and metrolyrics.com
Image by Catherine Nicolette
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