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Vidimus stellam eius in Oriente,
et venimus cum muneribus adorare Dominum
(Communion Antiphon Feast of the Epiphany )
Service of Light
Greeting/Invocation
We light the Christmas Candles and say or sing:
Light and Peace in Jesus Christ our Lord!
~Thanks be to God!
The rulers of the Earth will fall prostrate, Alleluia!
~and all nations will serve him. Alleluia!
EPIPHANY HYMN
Apparent now how Bethlehem Becomes so great by greatest Guest:
A gem attracting other streams Of peoples led by Magi’s quest.
Apparent now new polar point, Fixed star for future reckonings:
Light signaled by alluring light; King singled out by other kings.
Apparent now his royal rule — divine and human, both extolled
By wizard’s gifts when wisely led: Incense and myrrh to gloss the gold.
All glory, Christ, to you we pay, with Abba, Holy Spirit, One:
Made manifest to all today, And onward as the ages run. Amen!
St. Meinrad, 1967; Plainsong Mode VIII
SERVICE OF THE WORD
PSALMODY
Antiphon
A Son before the daystar and Lord before the stirring of time,
today our Savior has appeared to the world.
Psalm 97/98
Sing a new song to Adonai,
the God of wonderful deeds;
whose right hand and holy arm
have brought salvation.
God has made the victory known
and has revealed justice to the nations,
Remembering both truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of Earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to Adonai, O Earth,
ring out your joy!
Sing praise to God with the harp,
with strings and the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim our Sovereign God!
Let the sea and its creatures roar,
the world and all its creatures.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy
at the presence of Adonai, who comes,
who comes to rule the Earth.
God will rule the world with justice
and govern the peoples with fairness.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore. Amen.
A Son before the daystar and Lord before the stirring of time,
today our Savior has appeared to the world.
Reading Isaiah 60: 1-3
Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Adonai has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Adonai will arise upon you–the Glory of God will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Silent Prayer
Responsory
R. Arise Jerusalem rise clothed in light for your light has come *and the glory of the Lord is rising on you. V. The nations march toward your light and their kings toward your sunrise. *and the glory of Adonai is rising on you.
Canticle of Mary
Antiphon
Seeing the star, the Magi said: “This signals the reign of a great king.
Let us go seek him, and offer him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
It is customary to make the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Gospel Canticle.
My heart + is radiant with the Lord,
My whole being delights in God my Savior.
All people now will call me blessed
For God has loved this humble handmaid.
The Almighty has shown me great favor
Holy is the NAME,
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
From one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God,
Scatters the proud in their own conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones
While lifting up the lowly:
Fills the famished with bounty,
And reveals the emptiness of riches.
Rescues lowly Israel,
Sharing such loving kindness,
As promised to our ancestors
To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
Seeing the star, the Magi said: “This signals the reign of a great king.
Let us go seek him, and offer him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
Service of Prayer
Litany of Intercession
Paying close attention to the natural world, the Magi noticed your new star at its rising, ~may we be tuned in to the beauty and wonder of the universe in all its complexity and paradox.
For the Magi, the night sky was not only beautiful to behold, it excited their imaginations and sent them on a quest to discover what new things You were doing in their day;
~ deepen our sense of wonder and curiosity about all that You are doing in the world today.
The Magi were wise enough to know that the old story is not the whole story;
~open our hearts, souls and minds to the new and evolving reality of your reign of justice and peace.
Seeking to make sense of what they had seen and heard, the Magi did not hesitate to consult the wisdom-tradition of the people of Israel; ~deepen our commitment to shared Wisdom and to the search for Truth everywhere and from everyone.
The scribes and elders consulted the ancient texts which indicated the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem; ~ may our quest to find You be informed not only by our sacred texts and traditions, but by that which is being born and happening right here and now.
Every atom in our bodies was forged in the fiery belly of a star who lived, died and
gave itself back to the universe; ~may we learn this Wisdom of God, manifest in the stars and in Jesus of Nazareth, and live and die in harmony with everything else going on in the universe.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father …
Closing Prayer & Blessing
O Holy One, Source, Guide and Goal of all that is, by the light of a star you revealed to the nations that something new and wonderful had taken place in the birth of Jesus, your Word-made-flesh. Fill us with His Light so that our lives may reflect the majestic beauty of your Wisdom and Love and all people and all creation will be drawn to freedom and fullness of life. Amen.
May the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth + bless us and all of creation. ~Amen
Let us bless the world with peace. ~And give thanks to God.
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon for Epiphany.
Marian Antiphon
Loving Mother of our Savior, holding open heaven’s only hope, Star for steerage in this vastness, rise to help us, save the sinking. Nature’s greatest Wonder: you have borne your own true Maker, giving human life to him. Virgin ever, before and after, that Good News from Gabriel, Word of Life for living, tell it now: mercy to all people!
The angel of the Lord brought the message to Mary. ~ And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may, by his Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of his Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.