Epiphany Worship Resource Index

Here's a list of all the worship resources on this website suitable for use on Epiphany (celebrated January 6 or the Sunday close to it).

If you’re looking for resources for Sundays in the season of Epiphany, see the “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.

Calls to Worship

Prayers

Confession and Words of Assurance
Act of Confession: Epiphany

Prayers at the Table

Benedictions
Benediction: Epiphany

Miscellaneous Resources
Canticle of Praise

Prayers of the People for Epiphany


Here is a prayer of intercession from worship at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington.  It was written by Margaret D. McGee.

Prayer of Intercession for Epiphany 


In the silences throughout these prayers, you are invited to hold up to God, either silently or aloud, the names of those you remember especially today.

Bathed in starlight, we pray together                                
to the One who created all things, saying,
Show us your child, O God,
For we observed a new star at its rising                    
and have traveled far, bearing gifts.

Make your wisdom in its rich variety known through all faithful people,
and give your holy church grace to bear the gifts of truth and love
to all your children on earth.

[silence]

Show us your child, O God,
For we walk together in faith.

Give your justice to the nations and their leaders,
and give your mercy to all whose decisions
affect the peace and well-being of the world.
Where we have power ourselves,
open our ears to the cries of the weak, the poor, and the needy,
and open our hearts to answer their call.

[silence]

Show us your child, O God,
For we walk together in hope.

Bless this community,
that in your light we may each become a servant, one to the other.
Bring us together in story, song, joy, and sorrow;
and let every daughter and son who comes among us
find kinship in this place.

[silence]

Show us your child, O God,
For we walk together in love.

Have mercy on those among us
who journey in sickness, fear, or any kind of trouble.
Meet them on your road with rest, peace, and good cheer.

[silence]

Show us your child, O God,
For we walk together by your side.

We remember those who have died.

[silence]

Your star goes before them. Show them your child, O God,
For they have traveled far to be with you.

Dear God, with longing and thanksgiving,
knowing that you hold this world and all its children dear in your heart,
we pray this night for the grace to receive your gifts,
to lift up our eyes and look around,
and to offer back those same gifts to you and your world, with love.

Show us your child, O God,
For we observed a new star at its rising and have traveled far, bearing gifts.

To the One who is the road on which we travel,
our companion along the way, and our journey’s end,
we pray in boldness and confidence through faith in Christ Jesus, 
 Amen.  

~ written by Margaret D. McGee, and posted on In the Courtyard. www.inthecourtyard.com 

Advent Call to Worship: God Comes!


Here’s a contemporary call to worship inspired by the suggested scripture readings for the third Sunday of Advent (Year C).  It was written by Thom Shuman.

Advent Call to Worship
(inspired by Zephaniah 3: 14-20, Isaiah 12: 2-6, Philippians 4: 4-7)

God comes! So don't let go
of all the reasons to rejoice.
We will sing a song of Advent
to the One who fills our lives with joy.

God comes! So don't stop
lifting your prayers with thanksgiving.
We will sing a song of Advent,
to the One who hears our words and silence.


God comes! So don't stop
giving your hearts to God.
We will sing a song of Advent
to the One who graces us with a peace
we cannot begin to understand.

~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/

Confession: Recovering Joy


Here’s a prayer of confession by Bruce Prewer.  It seems especially appropriate for the third Sunday of Advent (Year C) – so many of the suggested scripture readings (Isaiah 12:2-6, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Philippians 4:4-7) speak of joy.

Prayer of Confession:
Repenting and Trusting Grace

Let us confess our sins,
not as frightened servants
but as children of the household of God.

Whenever we live like losers,
without the faith-optimism of those who have received grace upon grace;
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Whenever we serve slavishly,
forgetting the glorious liberty
of those who have been named children of God;
Christ have mercy.
Christ have mercy.

Whenever we only laugh sarcastically,
mocking human faults
instead of participating in the joy of the redeemed;
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

God our Saviour-Friend, by the grace of Christ Jesus
please bring us to repentance and annul our sins,
and by the infusion of your Spirit
help us to recover the joy for which we are created.
With all the enlightened souls on earth and in heaven,
we long love you all the days of our life,
and adore you throughout eternity.
For your name’s sake. Amen!

Forgiveness
(Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 15:10)

With joy draw waters from the well of salvation!
Forgiveness is real!
Trust it and share it; forgive as you have been forgiven.
Jesus said: “There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.”
Truly, God is our salvation
we shall trust and not be afraid!

The peace of our Saviour Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page.  http://www.bruceprewer.com/

Call to Worship: Isaiah 12: 2-6


Here’s a call to worship litany based on Isaiah 12: 2-6.  It was written by Joan Stott.

 

Advent Call to Worship

(inspired by Isaiah 12: 2-6)

 

We come to share together
to celebrate the God who is present amongst us.
The Lord our God is our strength and song,
and is even now our salvation.

We come to share together
to celebrate with all the world, that the Lord is God.
With joy we gather around God’s fountain of grace
to be refreshed and renewed.

We come to share together
to celebrate with songs of praise and joy for the
Lord our God’s eternal presence
is forever amongst and with us, and all peoples.
We sing with joy:
Thank the Lord, our Mighty God!
Praise God’s holy name! Amen.

~ written by Joan Stott, and posted on the Geelong City Parish UCA website. If used in shared worship, please provide an acknowledgement as follows: Copyright © 2012 Joan Stott – "The Timeless Psalms" RCL Psalm Year C, used with permission.

Christmas Eve Communion Prayer


Here’s a prayer at the Table for Christmas Eve. It was written by Katherine Hawker.

Communion Prayer for Christmas

Gathering around the table as we celebrate new life borning,
we remember so many stories shared around tables;
tables where bread is broken and cup is poured out,
where families gather and generations share,
where stories are remembered, refined, reshaped.

(optional sung response)
Gloria, gloria, in excelsis deo!
Gloria, gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

Gathering around the table on this holy night,
we remember the story of the sacred daring to share our life,
the story of the holy donning human flesh and dwelling among us,
a story that is at once both ethereal and earthly.

(optional sung response)
Gloria, gloria, in excelsis deo!
Gloria, gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

Gathering around the table on this Christmas night,
we break the bread and remember the paradox
that it is in our brokenness that we become whole;
we fill this cup and remember the abundance
discovered in each new sharing of our sacred stories.

(optional sung response)
Gloria, gloria, in excelsis deo!
Gloria, gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

Together, around the table, we pray:
Come, holy Spirit, come.
Bless this bread and bless this fruit of the vine.
Bless all of us in our eating and drinking
that our eyes might be opened,
that we might recognize the Spirit rising in our midst
indeed, in one another.
Come, holy Spirit, come.

~ written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on Liturgy Outside. http://www.liturgyoutside.net/

Christmas Prayer Litany: We celebrate


These Prayers of the People were first used at Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2008 services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington.  They were written by Brad Offutt.

Prayer Litany:
In This Small Place Made Glorious

God of unimaginable love,
on the first Christmas You became one of us.
We celebrate Your love for every person
in every place and time.

God of all humanity,
You offered Your Peace to anyone
who would be satisfied with Your presence.
We celebrate Your Peace in Your Church
and accept Your commission to share it in all the world.

God of the shepherds,
You announced Your arrival among us to the poorest, the most humble.
We celebrate Your good news to each of us and to everyone,
right here where we are.

God of the manger,
You came to us through Your Son in a small and simple place.
We celebrate Your presence with us this day
in this small place made glorious by Your being in it.

God of deliverance,
You came to be one of us in order to deliver all of us.
We celebrate Your protection and mercy
toward all who are sick or in trouble.

God of birth,
when You became as we are,
You opened Yourself to each of us,
no matter who or what we are.
We celebrate this day Your Kingdom
and that we are welcome in it right now and always.
Keep us close, now and in the life to come.

God of Christmas,
bless us as we once again celebrate Your coming into Your creation.
 
Amen.  
 
~ written by Brad Offutt for the 2008 Christmas services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington.  Posted on In the Courtyard. www.inthecourtyard.com 

Prayer Reflection: The Season for Miracles


Here’s a reflection on the miracles of Christmas, followed by a prayer litany. It was written by Cheryl Lawrie.

The Season for Miracles
(Reflection and Prayer Litany)

If we were to list the miracles of Christmas
we’d probably talk about virgin births
angels, perhaps
and stars that light the sky
but perhaps there’s another miracle:
one of Mary saying ‘yes’ when God asked her to believe
and Joseph saying ‘yes’ when God asked him to trust.
They had to change everything about their lives
and the birth of the Christ-child wasn’t possible until they did.
What does it mean for you to say ‘yes’ to this story?
to believe that it might be possible
for the darkness to be transformed to light
and for peace to come in the world?
Those who know the darkest of the world
know the fragility of light;
we hold our breath as the candles flicker
we know they don’t always last.
the birth of Jesus doesn’t make everything right
but it shows us that the only way the darkness can be beaten
is to say ‘yes’ to the birth of light.
In the silence, we pray for those we love and miss today
and we pray for a broken world…

[Time of silence,
then invite people to take one of the candles from the side,
put it onto the worship space, and light it as we say the following prayer:]

God,
this is the season for miracles
and we pray for one today.
Where there is sorrow,
we pray for your grace to light the darkness.
Where is despair,
we pray for your hope to light the darkness.
Where there is hatred,
we pray for your forgiveness to light the darkness.
Where there is war,
we pray for your love to light the darkness.
Where there is confusion,
we pray for your peace to light the darkness.
Where there is injustice,
we pray for your courage to light the darkness.
Where there is fear
we pray for your joy to light the darkness.

It is the season for miracles
and we pray for one today:
Come, Lord Jesus, may your light come into our world.
Amen.

— written by Cheryl Lawrie, on her blog [hold this space] http://holdthisspace.org.au/

Prayers of the People: Advent 4


Here’s a prayer of intercession for the end of Advent (or Christmas Eve) when all four Advent candles (hope, peace, joy, love) have been lit.  It was written by Joanna Harader.

Advent Bidding Prayer

Holy One, be the light in our darkness tonight.
As we have lit the candle of hope,
we pray for those who feel hopeless . . .

As we have lit the candle of peace,
we pray for all victims of violence . . .

As we have lit the candle of joy,
we pray for those whose hearts are weighed down by sorrow . . .

As we have lit the candle of love,
we pray for those who do not feel loved,
for those who struggle to love others . . .

Holy One, be the light in our darkness tonight,
that we might reflect your light into the dark corners of our world. Amen.

~ written by Joanna Harader, and posted on her Spacious Faith blog. http://spaciousfaith.com/     

Christmas Litany: When the time had come


Here’s a litany for Christmas written by Kenneth I. Morse.

A Unison Christmas Confession

We were heavy with sorrow, but joy interrupted.
We were deep in the night, but a star appeared.
We were silent with sadness, but the heavens rang.
            And the splendor shone around them
            When the time had fully come.

We were hardened by conflict, but love intervened.
We were frightened by shadows, but light took them away.
We were haunted by fears, but a child brought us hope.
            And she laid him in a manger
            When the time had fully come.

We were dismal and defeated, but faith set us on fire.
We were weary and complaining, but our hearts discovered praise.
We were doubtful and confused, but a door to life was opened.
            And the guiding star went before them
            When the time had fully come.

We were arrogant and angry, but his innocence disarmed us.
We were cruel, crude, and clumsy, but his grace made all things new.
We were selfish, narrow, greedy, but his joy we had to share.
            And they offered him their treasured gifts
            When the time had fully come.

We were sheep who had lost their way, but the shepherd knew our names.
We were strangers without a country, but our kingdom came to us.
We were children far from home, but God sent his Son to guide.
            And the Word was flesh among us
            When the time had fully come.

~ written by Kenneth I. Morse, from “In Straw and Story,” p.80, Brethren Press, copyright 1977.  Posted on the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren website. http://rockhay.tripod.com/

Christmas Intercessions


Here’s a prayer of intercession for the world at Christmas from Reverend Roddy Hamilton.

Prayers of the People for Christmas

When will Christmas arrive in Afghanistan, O Saviour?
When will Darfur live in peace?
Will Palestinian and Israeli ever share justice?
When will Washington and Westminster and Brussels
proclaim no more hunger, no more war?
When will governments turn their weapons to ploughshares
and multinationals their profits to pruning hooks
When will Christmas arrive?

So we pray for the world

O newborn Saviour
this early morning
in the wake of your birth
when there is still time to believe
that because you are with us
the world can change
So in our ‘Merry Christmas’s today
may we make peace
in our ‘Seasons Greetings’
may we share a welcome
in our ‘Joyeux Noel’
may we sow seeds of justice
And may we believe
not in some magic
but in a vision
that isn’t a dream
but a way of life
not for someone else
but for us this morning
now you are born.
So be it
Amen

~ written by Reverend Roddy Hamilton and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.  http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/

Prayers of the People: Christmas Eve


Here’s a prayer litany for Christmas Eve from Margaret McGee.

Prayer Litany for Christmas Eve

In joy and thanksgiving at Christ's birth,                       
Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

We pray for all faithful people,
For all welcome messengers of good news,

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

For the nations and their rulers,
For the corporations and their executives,
For anyone with power over the lives of others,

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

For those who defend the helpless,
For those who strive for justice,
For those who work to find a way to peace,
For all the world, and all who live in it,

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

For anyone suffering, sick, alone, afraid, or in any kind of trouble.
We pray especially for … [name those you want to remember today].

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

For our own community, for friends, neighbors, and family, near and far.
We pray especially for … [name those you want to remember today].

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

For those who have died.
We pray especially for … [name those you want to remember today] .

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

We offer thanksgiving for Mary's firstborn Son—
good news of great joy.

Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
On earth peace, good will among people.              

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
Before the eyes of all the nations you sent your Son,
the exact imprint of love itself, to be our salvation.
With the shepherds in the fields,
let us go now to Bethlehem,
there to find Christ in our hearts, and in the world. Amen.

~ written by Margaret D. McGee for the Christmas Eve service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington.  Posted on In the Courtyard. www.inthecourtyard.com 

Prayer: A Lost Christmas


Here’s a prayer of petition for late Advent or Christmas from Bruce Prewer.

A Lost Christmas?

God! They have taken away Christmas
and we do not know where they have laid it!

They have replaced the Gift with an orgy of getting,
displaced Advent expectation with a pantomime of parties,
captured carols by candlelight and fed it to trivial television,
and drowned the Wonder in a swamp of alcohol.
We arrive at Christ’s birthday distracted, distended, disinterested.

Lord, Emmanuel,
please lead us again to the place where Christ is born,
that we may come and worship him with the delight of primitive adoration.
Let this be, dear Lord.
Let this be!
Amen!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage http://www.bruceprewer.com/ 

Christmas Intercessory Prayers


Here’s a Christmas prayer of intercession from Sam Hargreaves and the EngageWorship website. 

Sam writes: “We just wrote these for our service on the Sunday before Christmas, so thought we'd share them with you.  You can use them to lead prayers in church, remembering that Jesus was born into poverty and disadvantage, and turning this into intercession for those considered 'the least' in our world.”


Prayers of the People for Christmas

Jesus Christ, born in a stable,
Be with the poor and homeless this Christmas time.
As we pray, live and give; 
shine your everlasting light.
(silent prayer)

Jesus Christ, born of Mary,
Be with young mothers across the world this Christmas time.
As we pray, live and give; 
shine your everlasting light.
(silent prayer)
 
Jesus Christ, visited by Shepherds,
Be with all who have to work this Christmas,
and those who long to work.
As we pray, live and give; 
shine your everlasting light.
(silent prayer)

Jesus Christ, 
who became a refugee,
Be with those who fear for their lives,
and those who have left homes and families this Christmas.
As we pray, live and give; 
shine your everlasting light.
Amen.

~ written by Sam Hargreaves, and posted on the EngageWorship website. http://engageworship.org/

Communion Prayer for Christmas Eve


Here’s a prayer at the Table for Christmas Eve from Rev. Andy James, pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Whitestone, New York.  He writes: This communion prayer immediately follows the singing of ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ and so alludes to some of its phrases.”

Communion Prayer: Christmas Eve

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Lord, we greet you this happy night,
for you have been at work in our world throughout all time.

You made all things and called them good.

You claimed your people Israel,
freed them from the bondage of Egypt,
and journeyed with them through the wilderness to the promised land.

You sent prophets to call your people back to you.

Then in the fullness of time you sent your Son Jesus,
Immanuel, born the King of Angels,
your Word in flesh appearing.

He was one of us and lived with us,
giving up all his glory for our sake to make us whole.

And yet you raised him up again
to overcome the power of death and live a new life.

Still we wait for the day
when we too will share the fullness of life in him and with him.

And so with the faithful of all the ages, we sing the praise and glory of your name:
(all sing “He Came Down,” Cameroon/WGRG The Iona Community)

And so, O God, come among us tonight.

Show us your presence in this bread and this cup,
and make this bread we break and this cup we bless the body and blood of Christ.

By the power of your Holy Spirit,
unite us with Christ and all who share this feast,
just as you send us out to be his presence in and for your world.

Give us courage to be your people,
to show your justice, grace, mercy, peace, and love,
and to be a part of your transformation of our world
until the day when the baby whose birth we celebrate tonight
comes again in peace
and we sing your praise and glory forever.
Amen.

~ written by Rev. Andy James, pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Whitestone, New York, and posted on LiturgyLink. http://liturgylink.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/a-communion-prayer-for-christmas-eve/