Epiphany Communion

INVITING
Be it the simplest wooden table or the grandest carved stone altar
this is Christ’s table.
Christ invites us to meet him here.
All are welcome to this meal, there is room for everyone.
Come and taste the grace eternal, come and see that God is good.

THANKSGIVING
Jesus is born! Emmanuel has arrived!
Glory to God in the Highest!
God is with us right here, right now!
And so we sing songs of praise and thanksgiving!

God of star light and angel song,
like the shepherds and the Magi
we come to see the newborn Saviour.
Like Anna and Simeon we sing our songs of praise
that after our long wait the promise has come true.

We remember the many Herods in our history,
people who actively worked against your hope and promise.
With thanks we remember all those who, encountering you,
chose a different path, went a different way,
so that the hope would win.
God who is revealed in many ways we give thanks
for all the ways we have come to know you, to hear you.
Keep our eyes, ears, minds, and souls open,
that we would continue to meet you –
in places expected and unexpected.

STORYTELLING
God of Christmas, as the Christmas season comes to its close,
we remember not only the Babe in the manger
but the adult he will become.
Jesus, child of Mary, will change so much –
how we understand the world, ourselves, and you.
For challenging the powers around him
he will be arrested, tried and executed.
But then he will break the bonds of death.
Here at this table we remember another table,
there Jesus will take bread, bless it break it and share it saying:
This is my body broken by the world, eat it and remember me.
At that same meal Jesus will take a cup, bless it and share it saying:
This is the cup of the New Covenant, drink it and remember me.
After all these years we still gather to eat and drink and remember.

SPIRIT-INVOKING
God, in Jesus you took on human form, sharing our lives.
Your Spirit moved through him into his followers.
As we gather at this table today, may your Spirit move among us.
Give us the wisdom to look for you, the courage to be ready to encounter you, and the willingness to take our part in your remaking of the world.
We pray in the name of the Child in the manger, the man he will become, the Risen Christ, who encourages us all to pray saying:
Our Father...

BREAKING, POURING, SHARING
The Bread we break is the bread of life
The Cup we share is the cup of love.
Christ is present in these ordinary things.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
God who took on flesh in Jesus,
We offer thanks for meeting us at this table.
We pray that this encounter with you would feed us in body, mind and soul. May every time we encounter you push us to grow into you would have us be. May we leave this table ready to carry your light and love into the world around us. Amen

For January 4, 2026 --Epiphany Sunday

 

CALL TO WORSHIP
Something drew us here this morning
Maybe a habit, maybe some new star in the sky.
Something keeps us looking and waiting,
Trusting that Jesus will meet us, that God will be revealed to us.
Let us join the Magi, and Simeon, and Anna, let us meet the child today
As fellow seekers and wait-ers we gather for worship

OPENING PRAYER
God of Epiphany, God who is being revealed in our midst,
in this time of worship open our eyes, our ears, our hearts, our souls,
open our very beings to sense how you are with us.
Free our tongues to sing your praise.
Spark our generosity to share our gifts.
Feed our bodies and spirits as we gather at your table.
And when this time of gathering is ended
lead us back out to share the Good News of a baby who will change the world. Amen

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Source of Life and Love, you reveal yourself in many ways.
Sometimes as a bright shining star, sometimes as a newborn baby, sometimes in bread and juice.
And yet, so often we miss the signs, we don’t see or hear or feel you right in front of us.
We take the wrong road, or we just don’t wait long enough.
God of Grace, in our seeking and our waiting,
guide us like the Magi, grant us the patience of Simeon and Anna.
Help us recognize your presence.
May we let the encounter change us, may we sing songs of praise.
...time of silent prayer...
God is indeed revealed in many ways. God meets us where we are, sometimes in grand spectacle, sometime in the everyday things of life. However God reveals God-self it is to lead us in the path of hope and renewal, reminding us that we are beloved.
Thanks be to God. Amen.

OFFERING DEDICATION
God, when they saw the newborn baby Jesus the Magi offered rich and rare gifts, Simeon and Anna offered songs of praise.
We offer what we have, our time and talent and treasure in response to Jesus’ presence in our lives. May they be used to help build up the Beloved Community, to pass on the Good News of a world being renewed.
We offer them in love and service to Jesus, in whose name we gather, in whose name we pray.
Amen

COMMISSIONING
We have joined the Magi on their quest, we have met Simeon and Anna in the temple
Like them we have encountered the Promised Child, Jesus of Nazareth.
We have sung and prayed and eaten together
Continuing to build the Beloved Community
Now we go out into the world
sharing the hope and the promise found in a tiny child,
proclaiming that God is actively transforming the world.
Go now secure in the knowledge that the God we meet in Jesus is with you every where you go.
Always and All Ways. Alleluia!

Christ Candle for Epiphany and the following Season

 

Like many before us, we seek to see God active in our world.

The flicker of the candle flame reminds us of God’s light, which can not be put out.

As it burns in our midst we center ourselves for worship

For January 5, 2025 -- Epiphany Sunday

CALL TO WORSHIP (Based on Isaiah 60:1-6)
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (NRSVUE)
We come to praise the source of the light.
Look around you and see: everyone is coming together, they're all headed your way. Your squad is gonna come from far and your girls will be right by your side. (GenZBible)
We join with people from all directions to explore how God is with us today.
All nations shall come to the light and kings to the brightness of the dawn.
We gather together in worship and praise

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God sometimes we think we know exactly who is a part of your community.
But then you surprise us, and strange new visitors show up.
Broaden our vision, we pray,
help us see the wide diversity that makes up your family.
God of Grace, help us welcome both friend and stranger.
God of Grace, open our homes and hearts to the unexpected guest. Amen.

COMMISSIONING
We have been fed at Christ’s table, we have joined the Magi in Christ’s home
Now we go out to the world to share Christ’s love.
We have become part of the global community drawn to the light of Christ
Drawn from all directions and backgrounds, sometimes strange companions on the journey of faith
Strange companions and visitors all linked by one thing:
All are beloved children of God
As God’s Beloved children go out knowing that God:
who has created and is creating,
who is revealed in the Baby Jesus, the Word-Made-Flesh,
who works in each of us through the power of the Holy Spirit,
is with you as you continue the journey of faith and life
Thanks be to God. Amen.