Read-along Service for Sunday, January 5, 2025 – Epiphany

Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, January 5, 2025 – Epiphany Sunday

Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements

Lighting the Christ Candle
We light this candle as a sign of God’s Spirit that is still at work in the world. May its light brighten our spirits, and may the light of God shine through us to brighten the world.

Introit This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let in shine.

Call To worship
Arise, shine, for your light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Even though darkness may cover the earth, the light of God will shine on you. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined. Let us celebrate the Light of the world, for upon us has the Light of hope does still shine.

Hymn Arise, Your Light Is Come VU 79

Arise, your light is come!
The Spirit’s call obey;
show forth the glory of your God,
which shines on you today.

Arise, your light is come!
Fling wide the prison door;
proclaim the captive’s liberty,
good tidings to the poor.

Arise, your light is come!
All you in sorrow born,
bind up the broken-hearted ones
and comfort those who mourn.

Arise, your light is come!
The mountains burst in song!
Rise up like eagles on the wing;
God’s power will make us strong.

Prayer of Approach
God of light, on this day of Epiphany, we confess we are still the people walking in the dark. The darkness looms large around us. We are beset by fear, anxiety, brutality, violence, loss. We want to be people of your light. So we pray for the light of your glorious presence as we wait for your appearing. We pray for the light of your wondrous grace as we exhaust our capacity for coping. We pray for your gift of newness that will override our weariness. We pray that we may see and know and hear and trust in your good wisdom and grace.

Merciful God, help us to have energy, courage, and freedom to face the demands of this day. We seek to follow your son Jesus, so we might live with a spirit of deep joy and high hopes. Amen.

Scripture Reader: Linda Boldt
First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Gospel Reading: Matthew 2:1-18

Hymn As with Gladness Men of Old VU 81

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 your splendor see.

As with joyful steps they sped,
to that lowly manger bed,
there to bend the knee before
Christ, whom heaven and earth adore;
so may we with eager pace
ever seek your throne of grace.

As they offered gifts most rare
at that manger crude and bare,
so may we with holy joy,
pure and free from sin’s alloy,
all our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to you, our heavenly King.

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 your glory hide.

In the heavenly country bright
none shall need created light;
you its light, its joy, its crown,
you its sun which goes not down;
there for ever may we sing
hallelujah to our King.

Sermon “Jesus’ Journey of Faith”

Anthem

The offering
We give thanks for everyone who continues to support TSA and our many ministries. Your gifts of support and encouragement mean a lot to us. You can get more information about making a donation by contacting the church office or by visiting our website. For all the gifts you share, for all the people you bless by your serving and giving as a disciple of Jesus, we give thanks.

Offering Song Grant Us, God, the Grace VU 540

Grant us, God, the grace of giving,
with a spirit large and free,
that ourselves and all our living
we may offer faithfully.

Offering Prayer
Holy God, may we have the faith and insight of the Wise Men, who, when faced with an ancient hope and the appearance of a remarkable star, grasped the connection, and went and followed that star. For we too are at the start of a remarkable journey. We stand now at the border of a new year, which is like an unknown country. We don’t know what we will experience in the days to come. We don’t know what obstacles will lie across our path in the months to come. So Lead us, we pray, like the Wise Men, on a quest of faithfulness and worship, of hopefulness and giving. May we share our treasures with others so we might share the blessings of your love with a lost and hurting world. Amen.

Hymn Will You Come and See the Light VU 96

Will you come and see the light from the stable door?
It is shining newly bright, though it shone before.
It will be your guiding star,
it will show you who you are;
will you hide, or decide to meet the light?

Will you step into the light that can free the slave?
It will stand for what is right, it will heal and save.
By the pyramids of greed
there’s a longing to be freed;
will you hide, or decide to meet the light?

Will you tell about the light in the prison cell?
Though it’s shackled out of sight, it is shining well.
When the truth is cut and bruised,
and the innocent abused,
will you hide, or decide to meet the light?

Will you join the hope, alight in the young girl’s eyes,
of the mighty put to flight by a baby’s cries?
When the lowest and the least
are the foremost at the feast,
will you hide, or decide to meet the light?

Will you travel by the light of the babe new born?
In the candle lit at night there’s a gleam of dawn,
and the darkness all about
is too dim to put it out:
will you hide, or decide to meet the light?

Pastoral Prayer,
The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn I Am the Light of the World VU 87

Refrain: “I am the light of the world!
You people come and follow me!”
If you follow and love you’ll learn the mystery
of what you were meant to do and be.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and the shepherds have found their way home,
the work of Christmas is begun: Refrain

To find the lost and lonely one,
to heal the broken soul with love,
to feed the hungry children with warmth and good food,
to feel the earth below, the sky above! Refrain

To free the prisoner from all chains,
to make the powerful care,
to rebuild the nations with strength of good will,
to see God’s children everywhere! Refrain

To bring hope of every task you do,
to dance at a baby’s new birth,
to make music in an old person’s heart,
and sing to the colours of the earth! Refrain

Benediction
The Spirit of God is upon you and has anointed you. You are the salt of the earth and you bring light to the world. So you are not too young or too old, you are not too rich or too needy to bring good news to the impoverished, to give a hand to the broken-hearted, and to live out freedom and pardon through the gifts you have been given. So remember to pack peace in your toolbox, hope in your backpack, and love in your lunch box. On these cold winter days, remember to bundle up and clothe yourself in integrity, honesty, and joy. Do not be frightened, for you are never alone. The God in whose image you are made will walk with you and guide you today, tomorrow, and every day. Amen.

Choral Amen Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, Amen! VU 974

Postlude

“Jesus’ Journey of Faith” Epiphany Sunday, January 5 2025.
Written by Rev. James Murray, Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church

When Jesus’ father Joseph died, his family gathered in Nazareth to say their farewells. Joseph had been weak for some time, so Mary had sent word to her children that they should come soon if they wanted to see their father one last time. Some of the children and grandchildren had travelled from Cana and Capernaum and they had said their good-byes before he passed. Some of his sons and daughters only made it for the funeral that was the next day. Mary and her two daughters Anna and Salome washed and prepared Joseph’s body for burial. There was a lot of tears as they held his rough hands for the last time. Joseph’s large hands were scarred from years of working with sharp tools. Mary commented how his hands were always so gentle when he kissed her when he left for work each morning. The two girls did laugh when they put the ceremonial robe on him, because they had never seen Joseph looking so dapper.

Jesus and his four brothers went out to the workshop and they built a casket for their father. They shared memories of all the days they had spent there chasing each other and building imaginary forts in the lumber pile. In the afternoon they went to the cemetery to dig their father’s grave. Since Jesus was the oldest, he was the first to break the ground. When he tired, he passed the shovel to the next oldest, who was James. James did a turn and then quickly passed the shovel on to little Joseph who was the next brother, and was quick to tell little Joseph to put his back into it. They still called him little Joseph, even though he was now the tallest of the boys. Judas and Simon took their turn when little Joseph was done. The brothers didn’t see a lot of each other much anymore. Since their father only had the carpenter’s shop and a little garden, each of the boys when they got old enough had to strike out on their own. Some of them had apprenticed under Joseph, but the younger brothers Judas and Simon had to do their apprenticeship down in the city of Sepphoris. It was only three miles away, but that Roman city was worlds away from the quiet beauty of Nazareth. Little Joseph had gone further up into the hills, setting up shop in Cana. It felt good to be together, even though they knew things would never be the same.

After the funeral prayers had been said, the family returned to the house for a meal. Several of the women from the village had gathered to help prepare the feast. As the meal progressed the family started telling stories. They remembered the time little Joseph fell down the well and his father had to climb down the well to save him. They laughed about the time Anna had tried to cook the unleavened bread for the Passover but had burned it. Simon said it was so hard it really was the Bread of Affliction to have to eat it. Salome asked Mary to tell the story of how she met Joseph. This was Salome’s favourite story because she always liked romantic tales. Little Joseph always teased Salome about this, so he started telling his version of the birth of Jesus, except he kept getting the part about the shepherds all mixed up. Mary put a stop to his silliness when she said some things are to be pondered and treasured and not made fun of.

It didn’t take long for Mary to start telling the rest of the story. Her children all knew it very well, for it was the story of their family. So they were comforted to hear it one more time. Mary told the story of that strange and wonderful night when Jesus was born. She told of them finding a place to stay in Bethlehem while she recovered. Joseph had found work repairing wagons. She described the strange sights and sounds and smells when the three travellers from the East payed them a mysterious visit. The two girls always got scared when Mary told the part about fleeing to Egypt when Herod slaughtered all the children. Jesus could still say a few words in Egyptian but they were all the words for his toys. The boys always tease Jesus about the time he got lost in Jerusalem, and the girls always tease Mary that it took her two days to realize that she had lost one of her sons. These were the good stories the family would tell.

They knew some of these stories pointed to something special about Jesus, but no one really had a sense of what that might be. Jesus didn’t take part much in the telling of these stories about him. He was a bit embarrassed that he had caused so much trouble by being born. He always felt a pang of guilt knowing that hundreds of children had been murdered by the Roman troops when they were hunting for him. He never did quite know what to make of those three wise men and what they must have seen in him to make such a difficult journey.

All of his siblings were amazed at the wondrous adventures that Jesus had when he was very small. As they grew into adults, they were even more amazed that he was content to stay home and not go seeking more great journeys.

James could see his brother was getting lost in deep thought. Jesus seemed to be doing this more and more. Jesus had stayed home to work with his father. As Joseph had weakened, Jesus had taken over more and more of the family business. The rebuilding of the city of Sepphoris had been a real boon to them. The Romans had burned that city to the ground around the time Jesus was born. Now it had been built up to a bustling city of twenty thousand people. Having the Roman Legion stationed there meant there was a lot of good money to be made. James had gone down to Sepphoris with Jesus many times to do business. They would often stay late to see what was playing at the Roman amphitheatre. Sometimes it was a musical act from Rome, or a play from Greece. James really liked the plays. Jesus really liked it when the philosophers would stand up and recite the great works of Plato. It was such a different world than what they had grown up in.

James often wondered why Jesus had not moved to the city. It might have been easier on him. The stigma of having been born out of wedlock really hurt Jesus’ chances of finding a wife. There were still those nasty rumours going around that Mary had been raped by a Roman soldier. Mary still says it was God’s hand that caused her to become pregnant, but James still did not know what that might mean. All James knew was that when Jesus got that far away look in his eye, he could get lost in his mind like that for days. Jesus was a great older brother because he always had time for his six siblings. He had been there to help each of them find their way, even as he stayed behind to help their father.

Towards the end of the meal, little Joseph shared some interesting news. He had gone to hear their cousin John preach. John was from a priestly family and everyone had expected him to become a priest at the Temple in Jerusalem like his father Zechariah. The big news was that John was so critical of the way the Temple was being run that he was preaching out by the Jordan River. Salome was surprised by this. She wondered if John was out of his mind, acting like he was a new Joshua leading people to the Promised Land. Little Joseph shocked everyone when he said that John was baptizing people in the Jordan River. Judas said that baptism is what dirty foreigners must do in order to become a Jew. Simon agreed saying no self-respecting Jew had need of being baptized unless they had done something really terrible.

The next morning, Mary’s five sons and two daughters said their good-byes. To everyone’s surprise, Jesus also said good-bye to his mother. Mary asked her eldest son where he was going, because she needed him now more than ever. Jesus gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and he said “I’m going to hear our cousin John preach. My journey isn’t over. Maybe it’s just beginning.”

Read-along Service for Sunday, January 5, 2025 – Epiphany

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