O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah 60.1\u20136<\/p>\n\n\n\n
60 Arise, shine; for your light has\u00a0come, 4<\/sup> Lift up your eyes and look around; Matthew 2.1\u201312<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2<\/sup>asking, \u2018Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.\u2019 3<\/sup>When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4<\/sup>and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5<\/sup>They told him, \u2018In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 7<\/sup> Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8<\/sup>Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, \u2018Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.\u2019 9<\/sup>When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10<\/sup>When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11<\/sup>On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12<\/sup>And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All collects and readings appointed for this day as well as the orders of Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Night Prayer can be found at almanac.oremus.org\/2021-01-03<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sunday 3rd January – The Epiphany Collect O God,who by the leading of a starmanifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:mercifully grant that we,who know you now by faith,may at last behold your glory face to face;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of … <\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2<\/sup> For darkness shall cover the earth,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and his glory will appear over\u00a0you.
3<\/sup> Nations shall come to your light,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and kings to the brightness of your dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses\u2019 arms.
5<\/sup> 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.
6<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGospel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
6<\/sup> \u201cAnd you, Bethlehem, in the land of\u00a0Judah,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0who is to shepherd my people\u00a0Israel.\u201d \u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n