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Epiphany
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Welcome to our Saturday evening liturgy as we celebrate the feast of our Epiphany. Epiphany, in which things take shape, become clear. Pathways open up and we get to choose the one we will take. Let’s consider our choice carefully.
Opening Prayer
Holy One, we gather this evening in your name. We seek your wisdom. Many paths are open to us. Some are well-trodden, others barely visible. Help us to discern the ones that will lead us to your kin-dom. Amen.
Opening Song: Journey to Your Heart by Marie Dunne CHF
First Reading: The Road Not Taken, By Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips
https://youtu.be/IC4nbwmQDVw
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
These are the words of the gospel writer known as Matthew. We affirm them with Amen.
Homily Starter:
This is such a familiar story. Wise men from the east, in search of a baby they thought would be the future king. They tracked down the baby with the blessing of the present king, Herod, unaware of the his bad intentions. And when they found the baby, they had a mystical experience. They saw the Divine in that child. And as so many stories go, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. And so they didn't. Instead, they took a different route back to their homeland. The wise men drop out of the story after that. I wonder what their trip back home might have been like, going as they did by a less-familiar route, choosing a less-traveled path?
And as it happened, the baby grew up. And lived his life following a different route, an unexpected path on which the poor had preference, and the last came first. His wish was that his friends might follow him on that fresh path.
What if each of us were to do this? Vere off the expected course and stymie the plans of those in power who want to do harm? We have seen, in our Upper Room community, and in the shining moments of our individual lives, where that lesser-traveled path might lead. We have glimpsed the Kin-dom in moments of personal epiphany. We know the power we have to change things just from where we stand, by the way we live our lives. We also know that there are authorities who expect us and everyone to walk a certain predictable path. A path of accumulation, a path of exclusion. A path on which we hand over personal freedoms and the freedoms of our neighbors in return for lower grocery bills. That is the well-worn path, the path we could walk with our eyes closed. What if we were to choose to take that other path? The one we have glimpsed in those moments when our eyes were open to all the possibilities? It can be scary to take the less-traveled route. Even scarier to forge a new path. We don't really know what awaits there. We do know where the unpaved path of Jesus led him. But we are not alone. We are community. What would it look like if we, as community, were to decide to keep Herod waiting?
Please share your thoughts on today’s readings.
Shared Homily
Statement of Faith:
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
adapted from Diarmuid O’Murchu
With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming presence residing within and beyond every part of this grand Universe, Holy Spirit, who enlivens and inebriates all that exists, we celebrate your presence among us today.
Down through the ages, you rescue us from darkness.
you light up our ways with wise and holy people. You restore our spirits and you revive our dwindling hope.
May the Spirit of life and wholeness transform us, allowing us to see the path of mercy, love, and life that will lead us to the Kin-dom.
For all you bring to our lives, we acclaim your love and greatness,
and we join with all creation to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy
(Words and music by Karen Drucker) https://youtu.be/9XywpRw3OPw
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Source of every path that leads to wholeness, maker and healer of all, we bring before you the darkness of our world, and the pain and suffering of your people.
We seek to be healed and to heal; we seek to be reconciled and to reconcile; we seek the road that leads to peace in our hearts and in our world.
We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts the empowering grace of your abundant Spirit, who infuses these gifts of bread and wine with the transforming energy of life, to nourish and sustain us.
As we gather around this friendship table, we recall God’s
blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew
the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life. May all be invited to the feast; may no one be excluded.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the plate and pray:
Back at the table, he took the Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
All lift the cup and pray:
Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity on the path that leads to life.
Please receive communion saying: “I will walk the path of life.”
Communion Song: You’ll Never Walk Alone, Gerry and the Pacemakers https://youtu.be/kOHua5B_nqc?si=jzJG-oFZjaSvKJvL
Prayer After Communion
In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace our dignity reclaimed,
In praise we thank our God.
Grant that we may strive to create a world where suffering and pain are diminished, where justice and peace are restored, and where all people can live in health and wholeness, united in acclaiming the God of life, whose abundance is offered to each and to all.
This prayer we make in the name of our loving God through, with, and in whom we have our being. Amen.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen (Miriam Therese Winter)
Blessing
Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
May we continue to walk the path of life. May our companionship make us new each day. May our name be a blessing in our time. Amen.
Closing Song: Choose Life by Colleen Fulmer https://youtu.be/8raDrcCNbPs
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