At St. Paul's we celebrate Epiphany on the second Sunday of Christmas unless January 6th falls on a Sunday. Been that way here for a long, long time. Some beauty from the Epiphany liturgy:Arise and shine in splendor... Behold, the Lord, the Ruler has come and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand... May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render Him tribute; may the Kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before Him, all nations serve Him. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... Thou only, O Christ, art most high in the glory of God the Father... O God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles. Lead us who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence... They shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord... to bring to light for everone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things... We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him... Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?... When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him... And was made man... O Morning Star, how fair and bright, You shine with God's own truth and light, Aglow with grace and mercy... Come, heav'nly Bridegroom, Light divine, And deep within our hearts now shine; There light a flame undying! In Your one body let us be, As living branches of a tree, Your life our lives supplying... King of all kings, the wise men knelt in awe before the Child upon His mother’s lap and offered to Him their gifts. Help all the members of our congregation to join them in their worship and to offer up all we have in service to our Lord. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer... what was hidden from the foundation of world You have made known to the nations in Your Son. In Him, being found in the substance of our mortal nature, You have manifested the fullness of Your glory... The star proclaims the King is here!... A light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy people Israel... sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament... The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you... What joy to know when life is past, The Lord we love is first and last, The end and the beginning! He will one day, oh, glorious grace, Transport us to that happy place Beyond all tears and sinning!
For the last few years we have been having an Epiphany Service on the evening of January 6. We have a potluck dinner with people bringing dishes from their cultural background (the coming of all the nations theme) and then the Service follows. It is lots of fun and such an important Feast in the Church year! I brough haggis one year - surprisngly people liked it!
ReplyDeleteFlying Braunschweiger on a Ritz, what's next, Twelfth Night and Twelfth Night (Observed)?
ReplyDeleteI like the Epiphany potluck though. Great expression of the manifestation to the Gentiles. And, the pastor whom I served as an elder used to say you're not a real Lutheran unless you carry plastic utensils with you in case there's a potluck.
Plastic utensils we've got at church. :(
ReplyDeleteI have threatened to carry a Boy Scout knife/fork/spoon kit when the plastic was especially flimsy.
Helen
But what if there is no Second Sunday in Christmass and January 6th isn't a Sunday? :-)
ReplyDeleteWe celebrate Epiphany on the evening of Epiphany as Mike does. We take the Christmass decorations down after that service-- a custom that our congregation has adopted. By the Baptism of Jesus the Church is bare once again.
Blessed New Year to you, Will and to all.
John