Epiphany- The Magi Matter

FIRST READING ISAIAH 60:1-6

¹   Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. ²   For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. ³   Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.⁴   Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. ⁵   Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. ⁶   A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.PSALM PSALM 72:1-7, 10-14¹   Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. ²   May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. ³   May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. ⁴   May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. ⁵   May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. ⁶   May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. ⁷   In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.¹⁰  May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. ¹¹  May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.¹²  For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper. ¹³  He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. ¹⁴  From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.SECOND READING EPHESIANS 3:1-12

¹This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — ²for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, ³and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, ⁴a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. ⁵In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: ⁶that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.⁷Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. ⁸Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; ¹⁰so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

GOSPEL MATTHEW 2:1-12

¹In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶   ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

• Light a candle to remember Christ's presence with you.
• Sit five to fifteen minutes in silent meditation paying attention to the deep breath.
• You are on a journey to Christ.
• How far will you travel to get there?
• You are on a journey for Christ.
• What grace has been given to you to redeem you?
• You are on a journey with Christ.
• What mercy is shown to sustain you?
• What gifts to you bring for the Christ child?
• What obstacles do you encounter on the way?
• How do you overcome the obstacles?
• What is waiting for you when you arrive?
• Give thanks to God for this time in journey to the manger and for any new insights that have been revealed.
• Share as you feel led in the reply box below.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Saturday, January 6, 2018, the Epiphany of the Lord  (Year B) Isaiah 60:1-6Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14Ephesians 3:1-12Matthew 2:1-12If you use these prayers in other groups, please give credit to author.Permission to use in not-for-profit settings (c) 2017 The Rev. Lil Smith, M.Div., DASD

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