GREETING
We kneel before you, Star Child;
wide-eyed, we see, God’s Light;
believing in you, World’s Hope;
proclaiming you, Newborn King.
To gold, frankincense and myrrh,
we add our own gifts of worship,
pouring out praise and gratitude,
declaring to all, our eternal love.
HYMN 249 “There’s a Song in the Air”
PSALM 72:1-7
PRAYER
(Think back to the beginning of this day. Start there, and mentally walk through the day again, while you thank God for the day's blessings and God's continuous work of love. Confess and repent of those times when you forgot, ignored or rebelled against God. Continue to pray with your personal prayer list.)
SCRIPTURE LESSON
(Choose a passage of scripture to read. It can be a chapter, a paragraph, or a particular story. Daily lectionaries are available online or in print that assign a lesson each day from the gospels, epistles, Old Testament and psalms on a three-year cycle. Or you can create a plan to read a book of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Then follow the steps below.)
Read a passage of scripture. Read it out loud, very slowly and carefully as if for the first time. Continue reading until a word, phrase or sentence captures your attention. Stop there to repeat the word, phrase or sentence over and over, listening to it deeply in your heart.
Reflect on why the passage got your attention. Consider the area of your life to which this may apply. Is God saying something to you in this passage? Take time to listen carefully to whatever God may be saying to you.
Respond to God in prayer (or with journaling, music, art or whatever you choose) about what you have heard. Ask questions. Open yourself to God’s will for you.
Rest in God’s company. Be still and quiet. Move beyond thinking, practicing interior silence. Let yourself be open to God’s presence. Savor this moment with God.
PRAYER
They say we are 99.9% all the same, God,
that is, all humans have almost identical DNA.
So why do we focus so much on the .1% differences?
A surgeon trained in far-away Indonesia,
could do surgery on someone down my street,
and the surgeon will see the same organs and muscles.
An experienced teacher from Switzerland,
will discover the same eager, brilliant minds
on Native-American reservations as in her homeland.
With different colors of skin, hair and eyes,
we sort people into opposing groups and races,
Science agrees with you, Creator, calling this artificial.
Jesus came to all the world, not just to us,
He came to Jew and Gentile, men and women,
rich and poor, society elites as well as down and outs.
People from everywhere are called to Jesus.
This is the mystery hidden since the beginning,
that you would send Jesus to call all people together.
Gentiles are made fellow heirs with the Jews.
People across the world are members of one body.
We all share the promise you announce in your Son.
God, here in Jesus is peace, joy and unity.
Keep us from the confusion of artificial races.
Help us see not foreigners, but brothers and sisters.
With a star you led the magi to Bethlehem.
In Mary and Joseph’s eyes, they looked foreign,
but they watched these “foreigners” worship their son.
Never let us forget, God, that these magi,
were the first people to guard your Son’s life.
They disobeyed Herod, not telling where to find Jesus.
And the gifts the magi presented to Jesus,
seem to have been used to support his family,
while they hid as refuges among the Gentiles in Egypt.
God, the secret you hid in the ancient past,
now revealed in Jesus’ welcoming of the magi,
is declared to all, as he accepts their worship and gifts.
This Jesus healed a Roman centurion’s son,
the daughter of a Gentile woman from Tyre,
and the demoniac living in a Gerasene cemetery.
Jesus lifted up the Good Samaritan parable,
offered a Samaritan woman his “living water.”
commended a Samaritan leper who returned thankful.
Jesus prayed for every one of his disciples,
not just apostles, but all who believe their words.
He asked they be one, just as you and Jesus are one.
Help us, God, to peer into a foreign face,
and see there a brother or sister in Jesus Christ.
Overcome our artificial divisions, and give us unity.
Join the hands and hearts of all your family.
Unite us with the body and blood of our Savior.
Strengthen us to reach out to all you call your own.
Then as one body, the church of Jesus Christ,
we will all arise, letting the light of Christ shine,
whether in a manger, on a cross, or coming in clouds. Amen.
SILENCE AND COMMITMENT
(Pause to reflect and listen. Work to push out of your mind any distracting or irrelevant thoughts. Concentrate your thoughts on the words of the hymns and choruses you have sung, the prayers you have spoken and the scriptures you have read. Be aware of what you are feeling. Listen for anything that God might be saying to you in this time you have spent together. As God responds to your prayer-time, seek guidance for how you can best respond to God’s will. Then commit to serving God’s will for you.)
HYMN 248 “On This Day Earth Shall Ring”
CLOSING PRAYER
When darkness came, the magi could check their bearings,
they could be reassured that they were still following the star.
In this night’s darkness, Father, let Jesus’ light shine bright.
Help us reassess the course of our lives in the light of his life.
Realign our way of travel to accomplish your purpose in us.
Make us ready to set out again when the sun arises tomorrow.
Prepare us mind and body, heart and spirit, to serve in faith.
And bless our daily travel, leading us to our destiny with you. Amen.
Copyright 2020. Robert D. Ingram, 32746 Jourden Rd., Albany, Ohio 45710 (dr.bobingram@gmail.com). Used by permission.
