Evening Prayer for Epiphany

 

January 6, 2021

Evening Prayer (Vespers)

You may wish to light a candle and place it before you as you begin.

OPENING DIALOGUE

Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome.

Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening, and the day is almost over.

Let your light scatter the darkness and illumine your church.

HYMN: We three kings

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1ZOGTPsxng&ab_channel=GildaTabarez

READINGS

FIRST READING: Isaiah 60:1-6

A reading from: Isaiah

 Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
    the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
² Though darkness covers the earth
    and gloom the nations,
    the Lord will shine upon you;
    God’s glory will appear over you.
³ Nations will come to your light
    and kings to your dawning radiance.

⁴ Lift up your eyes and look all around:
    they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
    and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
⁵ Then you will see and be radiant;
    your heart will tremble and open wide,
    because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
    the nations’ wealth will come to you.
⁶ Countless camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
    carrying gold and incense,
    proclaiming the Lord’s praises.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

 

PSALM:  Psalm 72:1-7

 God, give your judgments to the king.
    Give your righteousness to the king’s son.
² Let him judge your people with righteousness
    and your poor ones with justice.
³ Let the mountains bring peace to the people;
    let the hills bring righteousness.
⁴ Let the king bring justice to people who are poor;
    let him save the children of those who are needy,
        but let him crush oppressors!
⁵ Let the king live as long as the sun,
    as long as the moon,
        generation to generation.
⁶ Let him fall like rain upon fresh-cut grass,
    like showers that water the earth.
⁷ Let the righteous flourish throughout their lives,
    and let peace prosper until the moon is no more.

 

Gospel:  Matthew 2:1-12

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. ² They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”

³ When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. ⁴ He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

⁶ You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.” ⁹ When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. ¹¹ They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

REFLECTION:

  

Were they kings or astrologers or magicians or priests? Were there three magi? Or were there more? They checked in at the palace and alerted King Herod, they brought 3 gifts to the baby, and they left. This is a familiar story to us. There are other stories about people who tried to find the baby, and these other stories remind us of the reason for giving and for seeking the Christ Child.

Here is one of them: The story of Babushka  

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlsGPdSR8Q&ab_channel=Storyteller

Or, here is one version of the text.

Once in a small Russian town there lived a woman called Babushka. Babushka always had work to do sweeping, polishing, dusting and cleaning. Her house was the best kept, most tidy house in the whole village. Her garden was also beautiful and her cooking was wonderful.

One evening she was busy dusting and cleaning, so busy that she didn’t hear the villagers outside in the square talking about and looking at the new star in sky. She had heard about the new star but thought, All this fuss about a star! I don’t even have the time to look because I’m so behind with my work. I must work all night!

So, Babushka missed the star as it shone brightly, high overhead. She also missed the little line of twinkling lights coming down towards the village at dawn. She didn’t hear the sounds of the pipes and drums. Babushka missed the voices and whispers of the villagers wondering whether the lights were an army or a procession of some sort. She missed the sudden quiet of the villagers and even the footsteps coming up the path to her door.

But the one thing that she couldn’t miss was the loud knocking on her front door.

Now what is that? she wondered, opening the door. Babushka gaped in amazement: There were three kings at her door with one of their servants.

“My masters need a place to rest,” the servant said, “Yours is the best house in the village.”
“You want to stay here?” asked Babushka.
“Yes, it would only be until night falls and the star appears again,” the servant replied. Babushka gulped.
“Come in, then,” she said.

The kings were very pleased when they saw all of the of the homemade bread, pies and cakes. She dashed about, serving them, asking lots of questions.

Have you come a long way?’
“A very long way,” sighed Caspar.
Where are you going?
“We’re following the new star,” said Melchior.
But where?
The kings did not know, but they believed that it would lead the to a new-born king.

“Why don’t you come with us?” asked Balthasar. “You could bring him a gift like we do. I bring gold, and my colleagues bring spices and perfumes.”
“Oh, I’m not sure that he would welcome me,” said Babushka. “And what could I bring for a gift? I know I could bring a toy, I have a cupboard full of toys. My baby son died when he was small,” she said sadly.

Balthasar stopped her as she went to tidy the kitchen up.
“This new king could be your king, too. Come with us when the star appears tonight,” he said.
“I’ll think about it,” sighed Babushka.

As the kings slept, Babushka tidied up as quietly as she could. What a lot of extra work there was, she thought. And this new king. What a funny idea, to go off with the kings to find him.

Babushka shook herself. There was no time for dreaming, all this washing-up and putting away had to be done.

Anyway, she thought, how long would she be away? What would she wear? What about the gift? She sighed. There is so much to do. The house will have to be cleaned when they’ve gone. I couldn’t just leave it.

Suddenly it was night again, and the star was in the sky.

“Are you ready, Babushka?” asked Balthasar.
“I’ll come tomorrow,” Babushka called, “I must just tidy here first and find a gift.”

The kings went away sadly. Babushka ran back into her house, keen to get on with her work. Finally, she went to the small cupboard, opened the door and gazed at all the toys. They were very dusty, they weren’t fit for a baby king. They would all need to be cleaned.

She cleaned all of the toys until each one shined. Babushka looked through the window, and it was morning. The star had came and gone. The kings would have also found somewhere else to rest by now. She could easily catch up with them, but she felt so tired she had to sleep.

The next thing she knew, she was awake and it was dark outside. She had slept all day. She quickly pulled on her cloak, packed the toys in a basket and ran down the path the kings had taken.

Everywhere she asked, “Have you seen the kings?”
“Oh yes,” everyone told her, “We saw them, they went that way.”

For days, Babushka followed the trail of the kings and the villages became larger. Babushka never stopped until she came to a city.

The palace, she thought. That’s where the royal baby would be born.

“No, there is no royal baby here,” said the palace guard when she asked him.
“What about three kings?” asked Babushka.
“Oh yes, they came here, but they didn’t stay long. They were soon on their journey.”
“But where to?” asked Babushka.
“Bethlehem, that was the place. I don’t imagine why. It’s a very poor place.” replied the guard.

She set off towards Bethlehem, and it was evening when Babushka arrived. She went into the local inn and asked about the kings.
“Oh yes,” said the landlord, “The kings were here two days ago. They were very excited, but they didn’t even stay the night.”

“And what about a baby?” Babushka cried.
“Yes there was also,” said the landlord. “The kings asked about a baby, too…” When he saw the disappointment in Babushka’s eyes, he stopped.
“If you’d like to see where the baby was,” he said quickly, “He was across the yard there. I couldn’t offer the couple anything better at the time. My inn was really full, so they had to stay in the stable.” Babushka followed him across the yard. He left her to be alone in the stable.

“Babushka?” Someone was calling her from the doorway.

He looked kindly at her, and she wondered if he knew where the family had gone. She knew now that the baby king was the most important thing in the world to her.

“They have gone to Egypt, and safety. The kings have returned to their countries, but one of them told me about you. I am sorry, but you are too late,” he told Babushka.

It is said that Babushka is still looking for Jesus today.

SCRIPTURE DIALOGUE

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,         

but in these last days, God has spoken to us by the Son.

 

PRAYERS

In peace let us pray to the Lord, saying, “We pray to you, Lord.”

 

That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, We pray to you, Lord.

 

That the work we have done this day and the people we have met may bring us closer to you, We pray to you, Lord.

 

That we may be forgiven our sins and offences, We pray to you, Lord.

 

That we may hear and respond to your call to peace and justice, We pray to you, Lord.

 

That you will sustain the faith and hope of the weary, the lonely, and the oppressed, We pray to you, Lord.

 

That you will strengthen us in your service, and fill our hearts with longing for your kingdom, We pray to you, Lord.

 

Other prayer petitions may be offered here.

For all this and more, We pray to you, Lord. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory, are yours now and forever. Amen.

HYMN:  As with gladness men of old

YouTube link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB8rKNrlpDQ&ab_channel=ChetValleyChurches

BLESSING

May the Lord of peace give us peace in all ways and at all times. Amen

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND GROUP CHAT

Scripture from Common English Bible © 2012

Liturgy from ELW Annual Liturgy License 26504