January 10, 2023
Friends,
“The word Epiphany means ‘to make known’. At Christmas we journeyed with the shepherds to see the Baby in the manger. Now, in Epiphany we journey with the wise men, and the full nature of the Christ Child is made known to us. Epiphany reminds us that the Son of Mary is also the Son of God, the Savior of all people. Each week of Epiphany reveals this to us with increasing clarity, from the Child worshiped by wise men, to the Boy Jesus in the temple ‘about His Father’s business,’ to the Man Jesus who reveals His deity through His miracles. The Second Person of the Trinity has broken into our earthly world. God has appeared among us.
Prayer for the Epiphany Season
O Dearest Lord Jesus, in every deed You have shown Yourself to be the God of the Gentiles and the Jews, and being the true light for all people that come into this world, You want to enlighten all people to life eternal. For not only did You, through the guidance of that wonderful star, lead the wise men of the East to Yourself, that they might honor and adore You as their King, but You have brought us poor Gentiles into Your kingdom of grace and to the saving knowledge of Yourself, by means of the enlightening power of Your divine Word.
O my Savior, Your faithfulness and grace shown to us is so great that we can never sufficiently thank You. We were without God, strangers and outside the commonwealth of Israel. But You have made us, Your people, fellow-citizens with the saints and of God’s household. We were too blind to know You and to find the way to life eternal, but You, O Lord Jesus, have opened the eyes of our mind, and have made us rich in all knowledge. We sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, but You caused Your glory to shine upon us, so that we are now walking in Your light and may in time enter eternal bliss in heaven. For this we justly laud and praise You with thankful hearts and tongues, in this sacred season, and we shall sing Your grace and goodness as long as we have our breath.
We furthermore pray You, O most faithful Redeemer, cause Your grace to abound in us, keep us and our descendants in the blessed knowledge of Yourself to the end of time, and so guide and lead us by Your Holy Spirit that we no longer, like the heathen, walk in the vanity of our minds and according to our own lusts, but rather lead a godly life, as the children of life, and serve You in due obedience as our King all the days of our life. And since You, O dearest Jesus, so powerfully delivered us from the kingdom of darkness and so mercifully received us into Your kingdom of grace, let us also be and remain blessed citizens of Your kingdom of joy and honor in heaven and heirs of Your eternal glory, for Your exalted name’s sake. Amen.”
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
Excerpt from: Book of Family Prayer, by Nils Laache (1831-1892)
You can read it online here: https://archive.org/details/bookoffamilypray00laac, or you can find it in print here: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Family-Prayer-Meditations-According/dp/B00UDCLAO0
COMING EVENTS:
Family Night – Wednesday, January 11 @ 5:30pm
Elder’s/Council – Thursday, January 12 @ 6 & 7pm
Women’s & Men’s Bible Study – Wednesday, January 18 @ 6 & 8pm