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Feast of the Epiphany • Year C
January 6, 2025
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Historical Collect
O God, on this day, by the leading of a star, you revealed your only-begotten Son to the nations. Mercifully grant that we, who know you by faith, may be brought to contemplate the beauty of your majesty; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gregorian Sacramentary, 6th Century)
Thematic Collect
Heavenly Father, as your beloved Son was sent to be the Light to all nations, so may his light shine in and through us. Send us to be Christ’s light in our homes, schools, workplaces and to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
The Common Thread
The Lord has done a great thing. We must lift up our eyes, look all around, and see the blessings he has showered upon us. He has not done so only for our benefit. The nations will be attracted to his light shining among us. Righteousness and peace will abound—not only in eternity but now, in the hearts of the faithful. This is what the Gospel reveals because the Gospel reveals the Christ for the world, the King of the Jews as the King of the whole earth. He is the light of the world, the star, if you will, that led the gentile wise men and still draws the nations today.
First Reading • Isaiah 60:1-6
The glory of the Lord has risen upon the Israel of God (Gal 6:16). Lift up your eyes; see and be radiant. The Lord is lifted up and all people will be drawn to the brightness of his rising (John 12:32). So shine, Church, that all people may see his glory. Then the nations will come to your light, as your light is the very brilliance of God himself.
Psalm • Psalm 72:1–11, 12-15
The righteous flourish in the kingdom of God. Only in this peaceable kingdom does the peace of God abound to all people of faith. For their trust is in the Messiah of God who regenerates the unrighteous, making them truly righteous by his deliverance from sin and death. The lives of those made righteous by the King have been redeemed.
Second Reading • Ephesians 3:1-12
The mystery of the ages has been made clear. God has revealed in the Scripture what had been kept hidden. This divine secret is that God loves the whole world and has redeemed us all. Jews and Gentiles alike have been offered an inheritance of uncountable riches. This inheritance comes through faith in Christ and is available to all, first to the Jews but then to the rest of the world too (Rom 1:16). This is the promise of the gospel to those who believe.
Gospel • Matthew 2:1-12
Oh! that we would search as diligently for Christ as the wise men did so long ago. Imagine for a moment what those years of searching were like for the wise men. Every morning they woke up with one clear purpose, to search for the king. Every night, they made camp and went to bed dreaming of finding the child who had been foretold. They shared one, clear purpose. May we also spend our days with similar clarity of purpose, and having ourselves been found by the King, offer him our worship, and bring him our very lives as gifts.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
