These texts are set for January 6 which in 2013 is on a Monday. The ideas here could be incorporated into weeknight celebration that includes worship in a freer form than often followed on Sunday morning. Also, they could be used on Sunday, January 5, by congregations who do not have a weeknight celebration but do not want to ignore Epiphany. Actually I think these texts have much more to say to children and adults than do the texts for the Second Sunday of Christmas.
Isaiah 60: 1-6
Isaiah calls the people of
Jerusalem to rise and shine because God’s glory is upon them for all the world
to see. Children heading back to school
this week after soaking up God’s Christmas love and glory are ready to hear the
call to shine also. Verse 1 is their key
verse. Actually “Arise, shine!” is all
they need.
It is a good day to
point out and explain your congregation’s use of candles during worship. Many congregations light two candles on a
central table. The explanation that I
grew up with was that one candle was “God is the light of the world” (John
8:12) and the other “we are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13) (I
know from the 2011 comments that others have different explanations. That is fine.
It is more important to know one than to have a “right one.”) An acolyte may light a taper from one of the
candles before snuffing both at the conclusion of the service. The acolyte often walks down the central
aisle and out the back door to call worshipers to follow the light of God out
into the world.
Light hymns children can sing at least
parts of with understanding:
“I
Want To Walk As A Child of Light”
“Let
There Be Light” with lots of short phrases of hope for the coming year
“This
Little Light of Mine” – a spiritual about our ability to be light as well as
enjoy light
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Turn this psalm into a prayer for
today’s leaders from all around the world. Begin by brainstorming a list of these leaders
together. Include political leaders of
all persuasions, leaders in your community, coaches, teachers, and other
leaders of children. Then adapt the
first few words of each line (mainly the pronouns) to make the psalm into a prayer
for those leaders. Groups 1 and 2 could
be the two sides of the congregation or the congregation and the choir. (Yes, Psalm 72 was a text for Advent 2 and
this script was offered there too.)
h h h h h h h h h
h h h h
A Prayer for
Leaders Based on Psalm 72
Group
1: Give our leaders your justice, O
God,
and your righteousness to their
children.
Group
2: May they judge your people with
righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
Group
1: May the mountains yield
prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
Group
2: May they defend the cause of the
poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.
Group
1: May they live while the sun
endures,
and as long as the moon,
throughout all generations.
Group
2: May they be like rain that falls
on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
Group
1: In their days may righteousness
flourish
and peace abound,
and peace abound,
until the moon is no more.
Group 2: Amen
All: Amen
Based
on NRSV
h h h h h h h h h
h h h h
Ephesians 3:1-12
Demonstrate Paul’s mystery that God
loves people all around the world
by including people of as many different racial and ethnic backgrounds in
worship leadership. Some might even come
in native dress or speak/read in native languages. Include music from many different cultures.
If
you frequently do this for Pentecost, today feature one reader from one
continent or country, use at least one piece of music or instrument
from that culture, hear about the church in that area, and pray for Christians
there.
Present several pairs of portraits of people
from different parts of the world
asking which of these does God love. The
answer of course is that God loves both of them. God loves all people in all parts of the world. (Old National Geographic magazines are good sources for these pictures.)
Matthew 2:1-12
Tell the story of the three kings in
your own words moving the kings from the crèche around the sanctuary as you
talk.
Actually you will need three assistants, one
to carry each king and perhaps a fourth to carry a shiny poster board star on a
pole. Start in a far corner of the
sanctuary telling about the beginning of the trip. Stop in another corner to tell about the
visit to Herod’s palace, then come to the mother and child figures. (These figures might be in a prominent spot
at the front of the sanctuary or in a nook off to a side.) Finally tell about the warning not to return
to Herod and accompany the king figures back to their homes following another
path around the sanctuary. (After the
story you might want to return the kings to their positions around the mother
and child figures.)
Do a hymn study of “We three Kings of
Orient, Are.” Ask all worshippers to open their hymnals to
the carol. Walk through the verses
explaining the significance of the three gifts.
Then sing the carol together.
This could be the outline for the day’s sermon or a fairly brief
introduction to the hymn.
Interesting sidebar for children: the carol is
generally known as “We 3 Kings of Orient Are.”
Most children assume that Orient Are is the place the kings come
from. The truer to the meaning grammar
for this verse would be:
We
three kings of (the) Orient are bearing gifts.
We
traverse afar, (over) field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder
star.
Chalking the Door is an Epiphany ritual that can be done at church then repeated in the congregation’s homes. It is basically a house blessing. Using chalk, members of the congregation or household write on the door frame the year’s date and the letters C, B, and M (the initials of the three wise men). Prayer is then offered asking that the door welcome many visitors during the coming year and that all who come through the doorway be blessed. Write on the church doors (if there are more than one, chalk them all!) during the worship service. Name some of the people who may come through the doors – parents bringing babies to be baptized, brides and grooms, people coming to remember those who have died, and lots of people coming to worship God each week. Then encourage households to chalk the doors in their own homes. Print a simple blessing for use at both church and home in the order of worship and give out small pieces of white chalk for home use. Below is a sample blessing.
God
of doors and homes,
bless this home this year and every year.
bless this home this year and every year.
Bless
all who come and go through this door,
both those who live here and those who visit.
both those who live here and those who visit.
May
all who enter through this door
come in peace and bring joy.
come in peace and bring joy.
May
all who come to this door find a welcome and love.
May
the love and joy in this home overflow and spread
into the community and the world.
into the community and the world.
The world is full of stories
about people who were invited to go with the three kings, but declined
for a variety of reasons all related to being too busy. In most this person
later then decides to follow the kings, but is always too late and spends the
rest of his/her life looking for the child.
The message in all the stories is to stay alert for signs of God at work
in the world (like a star in the sky or an invitation) and to be ready to drop
everything to respond. The
Other Wise Man, by Henry Van Dyke, is a rather complicated long
American version of this tale. Two of
the best of these stories for children are:
The Legend of Old Befana, by Tomie dePaola.
In this well loved European folk tale, an Italian grandmother meets the
kings, then spends the rest of her life leaving cakes and cookies for children
during the night on January 6. It could
be used at least two ways in worship.
Read
the first 13 pages ending with Befana telling the 3 kings that she has seen the
star which kept her awake at night and that she had work to do. (approximately
four minutes to read aloud) Stop there
to ponder the possibility of missing out on something wonderful because you
were stuck in a grumpy rut. Note that
the new year has many possibilities.
Encourage worshipers to stay open enough to give them a chance.
Or,
instead of stopping read one more page. Then,
stop. Ask listeners what Befana might
have done next. Read or tell what
happened in the next 13 pages (approximately three minutes to read the rest of
the book). Compare Befana’s (grumpy)
face in the pictures of her sweeping with her (happy) face on the last
page. Ponder what made the difference.
Baboushka, retold by Arthur Scholey, is a Russian folktale
about another busy grandmother who meets the three kings and is invited to join
them. At first she declines with lots of
busy excuses, then decides to follow, but never catches up. An angel points out that the shepherds left
immediately after the angels sang to them.
The kings followed the star as soon as it appeared. She is simply too late. She keeps searching, carrying with her toys
that she leaves with sleeping children in case they are the Christ child. (About ten minutes to read aloud)
For
what it is worth, I prefer The Legend of Old Befana because of the
change in her attitude. Also be aware
that some women object to both of these stories as stereotypical of overworked
women with limited vision. While I work
hard to avoid such stereotypes, I think either of these stories might be
used. If you object, go back to the Van Dyke story telling it in your own words.
