Saturday 5 January 2013

Saturday- Preparing for Epiphany

Prayer:    Prepare our hearts O Radiance and Bright Morning Star for the worship of Epiphany tomorrow.     May we take what we hear in prayer and song and sermon into our hearts and out into the community where we live.     Continue to always guide us in our journey.  Help us to not get discouraged nor tired on our life’s journey for our joy is to serve You and worship You with joyous and glorious hearts.    This we ask in the name of Jesus our Saviour and Messiah.    Amen.

Read  St. Matthew 2: 1 – 12

The Story of the Wise Men.    Legend has grown around this Scripture so we think that there were three Wise Men as that is how many gifts were presented to the Christ Child.  Yet,  we do not know how many Wise Men journeyed to find the Christ Child.  Perhaps more started out together but got discouraged and dropped out during the long journey.   Perhaps  only a couple of Wise Men started out in the east and more joined with them on the journey.   We just don’t know.       My father always jokingly said that there were actually four Wise Men but one was a Presbyterian who didn’t believe in commercialism and therefore didn’t bring a gift for the Christ Child.   J   Knowing the number of Wise Men who  journeyed to find the Christ Child isn’t as important as the journey itself.

The Wise Men journeyed so that they could worship the one who was born king of the Jews.  The Saviour.  The Messiah.    Wow.  

In our Church Pageants,  we usually have the Wise Men arriving the same night as the Shepherds (but with better bathrobes and gold crowns).  But the Scripture is quite clear that Joseph and Mary and Jesus were living in a house so the arrival of the Wise Men was some time after the birth of Jesus.   We don’t know how old Jesus was at this time but St. Matthew calls Jesus “a child”.   

Tomorrow we celebrate the Epiphany.    In the Church year,  Epiphany is the only Season that has two focuses.   First is the Story of the Wise Men.   Second is the Baptism of Jesus so that he can begin his ministry.     This year,  we are focussing upon the Story of the Wise Men.

How will you journey closer to the Christ Child this year?  How will you bow down and worship the Christ Child?    How will you share the joy of Christ with others?   What gift(s) will you bring to the Christ Child? 

Prayer:   Great God,  You dwell in our hearts and minds and souls.   Show us this year how we can journey closer to the Christ Child.   Remind us to continually worship You each and every day of our lives.    Provide us with imagination so that we can share of joy of Christ with others.     Heavenly Father,  we offer You our hearts and our minds and souls – our greatest gifts to bring to the Christ Child,  Your Son our Lord.   Amen.

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