St Ursula's Church
Berne, Switzerland
A Church of the Anglican Communion, welcoming all who seek the Lord Jesus Christ
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| St Ursula's Church A Church of the Anglican Communion, welcoming all who seek the Lord Jesus Christ | ||||||||
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Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.
1 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.
2 Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness:
high on his heart he will bear it for thee,
comfort thy sorrows, and answer thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
3 Fear not to enter his courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine:
truth in its beauty, and love in its tenderness,
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.
4* These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
he will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
5 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down before him, his glory proclaim;
with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness,
kneel and adore him: the Lord is his name.
J S B Monsell
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are 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.
The light of Christ has come into the world,
the light of Christ has come into the world.
The grace of God has dawned upon the world through our Saviour Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself for us to purify a people as his own.
Let us confess our sins.
Lord Jesus, illuminate the darkness in our hearts:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, open our eyes to your saving love:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, unstop our ears to hear your living word:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his 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.
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift 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. 5Then 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. 6A 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.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
1I, 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.
1 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid;
star of the east, the horizon adorning,
guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
2 Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining;
low lies his head with the beasts of the stall;
angels adore him in slumber reclining,
Maker and Monarch and Saviour of all.
3* Say, shall we yield him, in costly devotion,
odours of Edom, and offerings divine,
gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?
4 Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
vainly with gifts would his favour secure:
richer by far is the heart's adoration,
dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.
5 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid;
star of the east, the horizon adorning,
guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
Reginald Heber
Alleluia, alleluia,
Christ was revealed in flesh, proclaimed among the nations and believed in throughout the world.
Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 2'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.
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel.
Praise to you, O Christ.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord. Amen.
The season of joyful celebration that began at Christmas now continues through the successive Sundays of Epiphany. In the Western churches, the Epiphany became an occasion to celebrate one element in the story of Christ's birth – the visit of the far-travelled magi – which is understood as the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.
Anyone less familiar with Church jargon would have a number of questions popping up when hearing this.
I hope to answer all of these questions along the way. Let me start the first two right at the beginning:
What exactly is a magi?
The King James Version translates the original word as "wise men". Magi or wise men usually served kings. They were special advisers trained and groomed in every area. The first time we come across people from this job group is in the Old Testament.
In the book of Daniel we read that when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, they took certain gifted young Jewish men into the king's court to train them as his advisers. One of the Jewish men, who ended up as a quite famous magi was Daniel. (I will say more about that a bit later)
In Matthew's account we read about magi from the east who saw a star and attributed it to a recently born Jewish king. They embarked on a lengthy mission tofind that baby, to worship it and to return. This in itself, is quite astonishing for a number of reasons:
Magi were known to pay particular attention to the stars. They had gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science. Moreover, most magi were gentile. A gentile is simply a person who is not Jewish.
So the pressing question here is: Why would a bunch of non-Jewish 'scientists' want to meet a king born to the Jews? Why would they want to worship him?
Yes, the star they had discovered showed forth an unusual guiding light. Yet even if they were right about attributing that light to a Jewish baby king, what difference would that make? The Jews were an oppressed people. Rome ruled the world. To think that this baby would have any significance at all is quite a stretch!
At the first glance, this does not add up. Yet, as I mentioned before the most famous magi ever to grace the courts of Babylon was Daniel – a Jewish prisoner of war. This same Daniel was so famous because he saved the entire company of magi from total destruction by interpreting the then King's dream. Later, he spent the night with lions rather than to worship the king of the Medes and Persians. Daniel was miraculously saved by the hand of his God. On top of all that no one before or after Daniel has ever served as prime minister of two world empires (Babylon and Medo-Persia). Serving as prime minister of just one would probably have put Daniel into the "Magi Hall of Fame".
(As I have read elsewhere so aptly):
If you were to be in the Magi Club, don't you think you would be interested in reading a book written by the most famous magi of all time? The book of Daniel predicts that 483 years would pass from the time of the decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem until "Messiah, the Saviour and Prince" would come (Daniel 9:25). Perhaps the wise men had done the math for themselves as they tried to make sense of this unusual star.
Perhaps they had arrived at the conclusion that the star was not just announcing the birth of an ordinary baby but that it was pointing to that same mighty God of Daniel who truly deserved worship.
Interestingly, even though they embarked on a lengthy journey because of this unusual star, the star did not guide the first half of their journey. We read that the magi wentstraight away to Jerusalem. Perhaps because a palace is the most obvious place to look for a baby king. This must have been the first hint that Jesus is quite a different type of king.
I wonder though, whether the magi were more surprised about this discovery or about the fact that the Jews in Jerusalem who should have been eagerly waiting for their salvation were not aware at all about who their saviour is, let alone about when or where their saviour would be born. In fact, only the arrival of the magi and the subsequent panic of cruel King Herod prompted the teachers of the law and the chief priests to go and thoroughly search their books. That they missed this once-in-a-lifetime event and were not even looking for their Messiah is actually quite embarrassing, to say the least.
The magi also brought gifts to Jesus proclaiming who he is.
For us, it is certainly important to know that God manifested and revealed himself to gentiles as well as accepting their gifts, because it once more shows us that He is not just God exclusively to the Jews.
God made a promise to Abraham that he would be a blessing to "all the families of the Earth" (Genesis 12:3). Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Gentiles keep appearing:
There is no doubt that God had and still has great love for Gentiles.
Epiphany is therefore an apt season to pray for the worldwide mission of the Church and to look at our personal journey as disciples. I find that the personal journey of being a disciple is often like the quest of the magi to find the Christ child.
The journey starts with a star which gives us somehow this sense that we are about to discover an awesome and incredible God. We might not quite be able to explain how we can be so sure. We just know that we feel this incredible calling and that we feel drawn to him. We want to be close to him and to worship him. With excitement, we embark on an honorable mission to find him.
Like the magi we might find no direction from God during parts of our journey perhaps because we are not looking for it or because we are rushing off to look for him in the most obvious place. We might be disappointed and even anxious when we do not find him where we expect him to be. Quite like the magi who ended up being questioned by cunning King Herod and innocently answered all his questions, we might find ourselves in the presence of sheer evil from time to time without realizing that we should get away as fast as possible.
Once we are on our way we might discover that star again, the guiding light of the Holy Spirit going ahead of us, until we reach the end of our journey and meet the goal of our mission – the worship of Christ with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our soul. I hope that (like the magi) we will be overwhelmed with joy when we finally reach the presence of Christ.
On their way back home by divine intervention the magi were warned in a dream not to return to the presence of evil king Herod and the magi submitted to God's will.
What the experience of the magi (as well as our personal experience of our Christian journey) teaches us is the value of perseverance. Even though there might be days of no clarity and of having to deal with evil we still can correct the course of our journey by following the guiding light of the Holy Spirit and will end up finding ourselves in the presence of Christ.
Epiphany is therefore a friendly reminder to pray:
As I mentioned before the ignorance and apathy of those who should have been looking most eagerly for Christ served as a very bad witness to the magi who were new to the faith - so to speak. Nevertheless, God received worship from the magi who had light from thestar and possibly light from reading the book of Daniel. It was such a tiny ray compared to the bright light we have today concerning the Lord Jesus, yet, they followed it until they found the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ.
So at the beginning of this New Year I pray that we will persevere as we seek the presence of Christ and that each one of us will do their part to share the path on this journey with others encouraging, equipping, consoling and loving each other.
May the Grace of Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us NOW, throughout this New Year and forever more. AMEN.
Archana Jacob
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 from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
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.
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ let us pray to the Father.
God our Father, the star that led the Magi to the stable made known to the world that a Saviour, Jesus Christ, was born. Lord Jesus, light and saviour of the world, You stepped down into our darkness, open our eyes so that we may see your Living Presence. We are here to worship, here to bow down, with wonderment and joy, singing:
"Now thank we all our God with hearts and hands and voices, who wondrous things hath done, in whom this world rejoices."
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Lord God, in the midst of calamity and darkness, we hear the call into a right relationship with you, a call into deeper, more caring, and mutually beneficial relationship with all that is. May we live through this time of darkness toward a more fruitful and inclusive future. May we grow toward love, generosity, and hospitality. Help us to turn from the small, preoccupied self to the larger Self we find in you. As a community of faith may we maintain our missional identity to proclaim the gospel with boldness and joy.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Lord God, in this season of crisis the world needs a Saviour. May we and the world turn toward you, thereby liberating us to take bold and imaginative action toward a world of neighborliness; to relinquish and renounce the injustice and the unsustainbility of the old order. In the beginning of this New Year we are hopeful, because You are doing a new thing in us and in this world. With your mercy, solidarity and steadfast love for Your world, You will see us through this challenging time.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Lord God, we pray for our children, family, and neighbors who do not know you that they may in their time of darkness see your light and sense your presence. May we be that beacon of light to them and bear witness to Your everlasting light.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Lord God, we are grateful for sheltering in the comfort of our homes, for the prospect of a vaccine. We pray for those who do not have these privileges. It is hard to cope with the constant threat of this virus. We cannot by ourselves deal with the grief, loneliness and anxiety that well up in us. So, we turn to you Lord, for you are loyal, gracious and compassionate. We groan about loss, fear and death and we await for the good futures You are giving us. We dare to pray, not because we are at our wits end, but because you are the center of our life. Our hope is in none other save in You alone. So hear, heal, save, and restore! Be the God you promised to be.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Light is best seen in darkness. In our darkness may we see your light Lord Jesus, brighter and clearer.
Arise, shine, for the light of the World has come! May the light of Christ dispel all darkness, and illuminate all corners of the earth.
Merciful Father
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there shall be no end.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
1 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 Lord, may we
evermore be led to thee.
2 As with joyful steps they sped,
to thy lowly manger bed,
there to bend the knee before
thee whom heaven and earth adore;
so may we with willing feet
ever seek thy mercy-seat.
3 As they offered gifts most rare
at thy cradle 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.
4* Holy Jesus, every day
keep us in the narrow way,
and, when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed souls at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds thy glory hide.
5 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.
W Chatterton Dix
As our Saviour has taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen.
Lord God,
the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light
discern the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of glory,
you nourish us with your Word
who is the bread of life:
fill us with your Holy Spirit
that through us the light of your glory
may shine in all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 The first nowell the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
in fields where they lay keeping their sheep
on a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
2 They lookèd up and saw a star
shining in the east beyond them far;
and to the earth it gave great light,
and so it continued both day and night.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
3 And by the light of that same star
three wise men came from country far;
to seek for a king was their intent,
and to follow the star wherever it went.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
4 This star drew nigh to the north-west:
o'er Bethlehem it took its rest;
and there it did both stop and stay,
right over the place where Jesus lay.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
5 Then entered in those wise men three,
full reverently upon their knee,
and offered there, in his presence,
their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
6 Then let us all with one accord
sing praises to our heavenly Lord
who hath made heaven and earth of nought,
and with his blood mankind hath bought.
Nowell, nowell, nowell, nowell,
born is the King of Israel.
Traditional
Christ the Son of God perfect in you the image of his glory
and gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you
and remain with you now and always. Amen.
We have seen his glory, the glory revealed to all the nations.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
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