From Hebrews 1:1-3 NRSV
Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
now God has spoken to us by a Son.
God made the world through the Son, who has been appointed heir of all things and the perfect reflection of God's glory.
The Son is the exact representation of God's being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
Praise God for the gift of the Son.
We welcome the Light of the world!
From Matthew 2:1-2 TEV
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in the land of Judah during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterward some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem and asked:
Where is the baby born to be King of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the East and we have come to worship him.
Let us all worship the Christ who was born to be our King.
From Psalm 27:1,3, 11, 14
The Lord is our light and our salvation.
Then whom shall we fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of our lives.
Of whom shall we be afraid?
Though an army marches against me
I will not be afraid.
Though war rises up against me>
yet I will be confident.
Teach us your way, O Lord,
and lead us on level paths.
Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage.
We will wait upon the Lord.
Invitation
Wise men came from the East
to worship one they had
never seen.
They brought rich gifts
to one they did not even
know.
They were not Jews,
yet they came to worship the
King of the Jews.
They were outsiders,
yet their offerings
were accepted.
They had strange ideas about stars,
but saw coherence in the
whole world's plan.
They grew in wisdom.
For them, a King had come that
would not be a tyrant.
The little child was for them the
focus of all meaning.
This King would make all
things new.
They were dreamers who saw
beyond the facts to the reality,
and they went home changed.
Come, come everyone, from the
East and from everywhere,
Come and worship Christ, the
new-born King.
Adapted from a liturgy by David W. Romig of the Downtown Presbyterian Church, Rochester, New York.