Silent Remembrance

On Tuesday, December 29, long-time member of our church family Janie Luchies died in her room at Freedom Village. As we will do at our in-person service, please begin with a moment of silence, using the prayer below to commit Janie to the Lord’s care.

Loving God, your beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them.
Give us grace, we pray, that we may entrust Janie to your never-failing care and love,
and bring us all to your heavenly kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Call to Worship

Arise, shine; for your light has come, Isaiah 60:1-6
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift 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.
Then 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.
A 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.

Praise the Lord!
We come to behold the light, beautiful light.

Song

Greeting

Song

Prayer of Invocation

Everlasting God,
you brought the nations to your light,
kings to the brightness of your rising,
and you have gathered us in.
Fill the world with your glory,
and show yourself to all the nations,
through him who is the true light
and the bright morning star,
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Give the king your justice, O God,
    and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
    and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
    and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
    give deliverance to the needy,
    and crush the oppressor.

May he live while the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
    like showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish
    and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
    render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
    bring gifts.
May all kings fall down before him,
    all nations give him service.

For he delivers the needy when they call,
    the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
    and precious is their blood in his sight.

Service of Confession & Assurance

Call to Confession: John 8:12

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.”

Prayer of Confession

God of grace,
you have given us Jesus,
the light of the world,
but we choose darkness
and cling to things that hide the brightness of your love.
Immersed in ourselves, we have not put on new life.
Baptize us with your Spirit,
that, forgiven and renewed,
we may preach your word to the nations
and tell of your glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and our light forever.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon: John 1:9, 12

The true light that gives light to everyone has come into the world.
To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Song

If you would like, sing the third verse below a capella in your homes after the video is finished.

Affirmation of Faith: Our World Belongs to God, §41-43

Joining the mission of God,
the church is sent
with the gospel of the kingdom
to call everyone to know and follow Christ
and to proclaim to all
the assurance that in the name of Jesus
there is forgiveness of sin
and new life for all who repent and believe.

In a world estranged from God,
where happiness and peace are offered in many names
and millions face confusing choices,
we witness—
with respect for followers of other ways—
to the only one in whose name salvation is found:
Jesus Christ.
In Jesus, God reconciles the world to himself.
God loves all creation;
his compassion knows no bounds.

Prayer of Illumination

—based on 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 52:10

Gracious God,
the mystery from which true godliness springs is great,
and we have come to see.
Jesus Christ appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
May all the ends of the earth
see the salvation of our God.
And may we see him afresh today,
through the reading and preaching of your Word.
Amen.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 2:1-12 

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon: Drawn to the Light

Prayers of the People & Song

Before our song of response, you are invited to pray this Liturgy for Moving into a New Home. While your physical home may not be new, this is a beautiful Epiphany prayer that applies to all of our homes, and how we pray God will use them in the year ahead.

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see. 

Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today. 

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your Word alone has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.

Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.

Words: Bernadette Farrell (b. 1957) © 1993 Bernadette Farrell, admin. OCP Publications;
All rights reserved, OneLicense.net 734287-A

Prayer of Spiritual Communion

In the absence of being at Christ’s Table together, where he feeds us, unites us, and draws us into his life, we invite you to pray this prayer of spiritual communion, knowing that you are praying it with the entire 14th Street family.

O Christ, we love you above all things,
and we desire, at all times and in all ways, to be fed by you.
And since we cannot now come to your Table,
we ask you to come by your Spirit into our hearts.
Unite us to you, together with all your faithful people,
and help us to embrace you with all our affections, body and soul.
Never permit us to be separated from you.
By your goodness we pray,
Amen.

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Holland Deacons Conference, World Renew, Back to God Ministries) through the Give button below.

God’s Parting Words

Brothers and sisters, hear this invitation and respond in faith:

Come to Jesus, the light of the world.

At the Father’s invitation, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
By the power of the Spirit, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
In times of joy and gladness, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
In times of sorrow and despair, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
Grateful for the light of your Word, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
Grateful for the gift of your church, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.
Called to witness to your love, we’ll walk in the light, beautiful light.

Blessing

May the light of the glorious gospel of Christ
shine in our hearts, transform our lives,
and brighten the world.

And the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
rest upon you always.
Amen.

Song