The Feast of the Epiphany

9th January 2022

Year C

ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the ✝ is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross.

Where the ✊ is shown all are encouraged to strike their breast with a closed hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Where the ✋ is shown all are encouraged to tap their breast with an open hand following the actions of Fr. David.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold,
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright;
So, most gracious God, may we
Evermore be led to thee.

As they offered gifts most rare
At that manger, rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to thee our heavenly King.

In the heavenly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its light, its joy, its crown,
Thou its sun which goes not down;
There for ever may we sing
Alleluias to our King.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ✝

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

This prayer is omitted during Lent and Advent:

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.  Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.  Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

 Holy God, holy and mighty ✝, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

A Reading from the book of:

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

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.

Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

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.

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.

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.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 72:1-7,10-14

Deus, judicium

Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

A Reading from the book of

Ephesians 3:1-12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles– for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In 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: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of 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. Although 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, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so 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. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

We saw his star as it rose

And have come to do the Lord homage.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12:

✝✝✝

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “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.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`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.'”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then 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.” When 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Imagine the scene – Balthazar, the youngest at 67, is getting tired. “Will we ever get there?  How much longer?  How many more flies and dust-storms and recalcitrant camels do I have to put up with?” From the front Melchior, a stately king if ever there was at 72, replies, ‘Cheer up man, can’t be far to go now, perhaps only one more sleep.  Look how brightly the star is shining tonight.’  The old man in the middle, Caspar, immersed in his deafness, recites to himself, as he has done many a time, the ancient text from Isaiah: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

The music associated with Epiphany has always been among my favourites. The rollicking ‘Ooooo-oh star of wonder star of light’ of “We three kings” and John Monsell’s hymn, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” with its inspiration and opening line from Psalm 96.  Menotti’s delightful children’s operetta, “Amahl and the Night Visitors” made a deep impression when I saw it as a child; and who cannot be moved by the haunting counter melody floating above the chorale in Cornelius’s “The Three Kings.”  Gold, frankincense and myrrh – such mystery about those gifts.  And the wonderful, heart-warming deception of Herod by the magi in slipping away by a back route; thus allowing the holy family to escape to Egypt.

But today I want to think of Epiphany in terms of power.  That area of the Middle East known as the Promised Land, land of milk and honey, the HolyLand, Judah, Israel, Palestine was, for most of its history until the time of Jesus, a country caught between the superpowers, invaded by one or another, paying tribute to the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic rulers who followed, and then the Romans. Down south, always the threat of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

Ancient Israel, this catch-all phrase used to encompass the Bible lands, and, apart from the geography, having little in common with the modern State of Israel, was what we might call a ‘giving’ nation. It was constantly having to give of its wealth, natural resources, people – being milked by nations stronger and more powerful, perhaps more ruthless, than it.  Gold and slaves yes, but also the wisdom, the scholarship, the centuries of thinking and pondering that produced the Proverbs and Wisdom.  Tempted as the people were, especially during the greatest of all catastrophes, the Babylonian Exile, to give up on their god whom they struggled to name, there was always a small number who remained faithful to this un-nameable god, the one who was made known to Moses at the burning bush simply as “I am”.  Oppressed, crushed, beaten they may have been – but there was always a Daniel prepared to go into the lion’s den, an Elijah or Amos or Jeremiah or Judith, prepared to stand up for their god.

Today’s first reading from Isaiah 60 – “Arise, shine; for your light has come…” shows a remarkably positive outlook not only on life but on the place of this tiny, constantly occupied and oppressed country, sandwiched between the super powers.  Instead of paying tribute, handing over their gold, their women as concubines, their men as slaves, their knowledgeIsaiah’s vision suggests the reverse would be true.  This little nation, with its capital city Jerusalem, would be a shining light to the world.  It would draw the peoples of the world to it.  It speaks of a great returning of the exiles, accompanied by the largesse of a grateful world.  The gold and frankincense brought on camels from Midian and Ephah and Sheba would pour into, not out of, this tiny mountain kingdom. And God would be glorified.

This is the context of thinking in which we need to read the story of the magi, the kings coming to Bethlehem. It is, says Matthew, the fulfilment of an extraordinarily bold and ambitious vision from of old.  Who could honestly dare to believe that this pip-squeak of a country could ever command, not only the respect of the nations of the world, but their gold and riches?  And so, at the very beginning of Matthew’s account of the life of Jesus, and not bothering with stories about shepherds in their fields and angels singing, as Luke does, we get the story of the magi.

The story is set very intentionally in a power context.  Herod is the king.  More than that, Herod is the king appointed, and tolerated, by the mighty Roman Empire.  There is no question as to where the real power lay – not with Herod, but with Caesar.  To this man the magi come inquiring about a new king – the king of the Jews.  These strangers, foreigners, clearly do not recognize Herod as king of the Jews – they are searching for someone else!  To the child Jesus they offer their gifts – in exactly the same way as the prophet Isaiah had foretold, bringing gold and incense from their faraway lands.  It’s a very deliberate slap in the face to both Herod and Rome! You may think you are king, but our gifts are not for you!

Of course, as we heard a moment ago, it was not only gold and frankincense they brought, but also myrrh. This was an unusual addition, and the reason for it will not become clear until the end of the Jesus story. It is left to St John to clear up the mystery of the myrrh. He tells us that Nicodemus brought about a hundred pounds of myrrh and aloes with which to anoint the body. Gold and frankincense may be the symbols of royalty, of someone worthy of worship – but there is also death in the mixture.  And in the Gospels that have come down to us, which we read week by week in our Eucharist, it is at the point of death that the true nature of Jesus’s kingship is finally recognized.  This is not like any other kingship. This is the kingship which St Paul would write about when he quotes an early Christian hymn to the Philippians.  This may be the sort of kingship, leadership, power, that Isaiah had in mind when writing those enigmatic Servant Songs which appear a few chapters before today’s upbeat passage.

Epiphany, the Christian festival which is about so much more than simply wise men from the East, speaks into a context of power. Epiphany says that those we think have power, those who think they have power, do not necessarily have God’s power.  Epiphany links the gold and frankincense demanded by kings of their subjects, with the myrrh embraced in the death of Jesus when he hung, naked and exposed, on the cross with a label above him: “This is Jesus – the King of the Jews.”

The magi, the wise men of Matthew’s Gospel, brought their gifts to the Christ child, born to be king of the Jews. That’s a movement from the outside into the centre.  The task of the church, at its best, is to be the new magi, taking the wisdom of God, the love of God, out into the world.  And guess what Matthew does at the very end of his Gospel?  He has Jesus commission the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations!

Epiphany, the making known of the glory and wisdom of God does not stop with the star when the magi present their gifts; Epiphany continues into today and tomorrow, as we so live and speak the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that all the world may know the one to whom the wise men brought their gift of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

It begins, as the last line of Cornelius’s anthem “The Three Kings” suggests, when we offer Him our hearts.   Amen

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church. ✝

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

✝ and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

Intercessions for the Feast of the Epiphany – 9th January 2022

The Magi came from the east to worship your Son: Father, grant to Christians everywhere the spirit of adoration, and that through their worship they may reflect the glorious light of Christ.

Heavenly Father, you sent your son to guide your people, just as you sent a star to guide the Wise Men to worship him. We pray that you will send, your Holy Spirit to guide our Church as we begin a New Year here in Pattaya.  We know that this coming year will bring significant changes, and we pray that you will always be present as we take one more step along the journey of faith.

Lord; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord God, as we face the start of 2022, we pray for your world. Let the star of your justice always shine in the hearts of those who are in authority.  Enable all nations to recognize the sanctity of each and every human life in their care, so that allmay experience an abundance of peace and security.  Most especially, we pray that this year will see an end to the pandemic, as the programme of vaccination continues worldwide.

Lord; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Father God, Your Son shared the life of his home and family at Nazareth: we give thanks for his presence with us in our homes and in our lives.  Guide us in our relationships with family and neighbours, especially those in trouble or need, and bless those who have guided and enriched our own lives. 

Lord; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, we pray for all those who have lost their way, or have been led astray, and for all who are living below their potential or their abilities.  We raise before you all whose lives are unfulfilled and all those whose lives are restricted by illness; we remember the chronically ill, those in constant pain, the depressed and the despairing.  We pray especially for

Fr. Tom,  Brian, Kyoko, Colin, Mavis, Patricia, Eric, Kent, Elizabeth, Conrad, Griselda, Jun, Martyn, Dave, Carole, Emilia, Karen, and any others, known personally to each and every one of us… 

Lord; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful Lord, we pray for all who are coming to the end of their journey here on earth, and pray that they may come into your presence and kingdom. We pray for all those who have come before your face, and now rejoice in the fullness of life eternal. 

f. We give thanks for the lives of all the faithful departed, who have enriched others by their love….Grant them reunion with those they have loved, to share with them in your eternal joy.  We remember Roger, Michael……and all whose year’s mind occurs at this time, known to us personally or collectively.

Lord; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

[DAVID] Eternal God, as we go out into this New Year, we ask for your loving presence with us, to share in its joys, and to strengthen us in its sorrows.

Almighty God, who has promised to hear our prayers,

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

THE CONFESSION:

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry ✊ for all ✊ our sins ✊, Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of Fr. David as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you ✝ and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

THE PEACE:

The congregation stands.

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please greet each other with a sign of peace.

We three Kings of Orient are:
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem plain,
Gold I bring to crown him again,
King for ever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh,
Prayer and praising, all men raising,
Worship him, God most high.
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Glorious now behold him arise,
King and God and sacrifice.
Heaven sings ‘Alleluia’.
‘Alleluia’ the earth replies.
O Star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER C

The Lord be with you.

and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. ✝  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body ✝ which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood ✝ of the new covenant,

which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it,

in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God ✝, who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy ✊ to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of Fr. David as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

After Communion the celebrant and the congregation say

 

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. 

Keep us in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ✝, be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

Hail, thou source of every blessing,
Sovereign Father of mankind!
Gentiles now, thy grace possessing,
In thy courts admission find.

Now revealed to eastern sages,
See the Star of mercy shine
Mystery hid in former ages,
Mystery great of love divine.

Hail, thou universal Saviour!
Gentiles now their offerings bring,
In thy temple seek thy favour,
Jesus Christ, our Lord and King.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

Music

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is Chorale Prelude ‘In dir ist Freude’ (BWV 615)