Epiphany, Year B

By Safiyah Fosua

We Suffer from Lack of Light

An Epiphany Prayer, Inspired by Isaiah 60:1-6

Lord, we suffer from lack of light.
We have become too much like creatures found at the bottom of the sea.
Unrecognizable.
We have been deprived of light for too long.
We are not ourselves.
We do not recognize the hollow eyes staring back at us in the mirror.
We are not at our best.
We settle for less than what is righteous.
We are not the people that you created us to be.
We need your light.
Shine your light into our darkness, so that we might again find our way.
Help us to see clearly, to choose wisely, and to walk as People of the Light.
Amen.

We Have Come to Worship Him!

For Matthew 2:1-12

Leader: Wise men came to Jerusalem, looking for Jesus.
People: Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?

Leader: The prospect of a real, God-given, heaven-born king frightened King Herod, who immediately set out to destroy my Jesus.
People: But we found him anyway and laid our gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his feet.

All: For we have seen his star at its rising, and have come to worship him.

Baptism of the Lord, Year B

BY CURRY F. BUTLER

We Come, Repenting

Gathering Words for use with Mark 1:4-11
(*Note: this author’s use of gendered language was intentional.)

We have come together today as the children of God
To praise and worship our Father,
The Creator of heaven and earth.
We gather as people from all walks of life
And when we leave this place, we go back to them,
But while we are together, we have two things in common:
(1) We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and
(2) We all have a Father who specializes in forgiveness.
Let us come repenting of our sins, being baptized
No longer of water,
But of the Holy Spirit.
Here we are God.
We are your beloved children.
Be pleased with our worship today, Father.

We Come, Asking for Your Forgiveness

An Invocation Based on Acts 19:1-7

Lord, we come to you today, exposed,
With the understanding that we have sinned against you.
We have done wrong in your sight
And we asked that you show us your forgiving spirit.
Forgive us of our sins that we may be able to forgive ourselves.
Lord, we want to be pleasing in your sight.
We understand that our baptism was of water.
It was a baptism of repentance.
Today, we ask that you touch us, Lord, and baptize us in your Spirit.
Pour out your Spirit upon us so that your sons and daughters may prophesy,
Your young men may see visions,
Your old men may dream dreams.
Baptize us, Lord, in your Holy Spirit, so that we may do your will.
It’s in your darling Son Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

We Are Witnesses of Your Creativity

A Call to Worship for Genesis 1:1-5

Leader: In the beginning, you created.
People: God, baptize me with your creativity.

Leader: Allow your hands to wash over me like when you created the heavens and the earth.
People: God, baptize me with your creativity.

Leader: Let your mind see into my darkness,
Filling my void, so that I will never be formless again.
People: God, baptize me in your creativity.

Leader. I am your canvas, and you are the master.
Make me the masterpiece that you desire me to be.
People: God, baptize me in your creativity.

All: God, baptize me in your creativity,
So that I might be a witness of your splendor and majesty.

Release Us for Creative Worship

A Prayer Inspired by Genesis 1:1-5

Dear Heavenly Father, we come today to tell you thank you for being our Creator. You creatively gave of yourself when you created the heavens and the earth, the moon, and the stars, and both man and woman. You did not withhold your creative hand from us; let us not withhold our creativity from you. Let our creativity flow with the clapping of our hands and the lifting of our voices. Let our creativity flow with the gestures in our dance and the inflections in our preaching. Let it be a worthy offering to you. It is in your darling son Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.

Lord, Open the Windows of Heaven,

A Prayer Inspired by Acts 19:1-7

Lord, open the windows of heaven and pour out your Spirit upon us. Let it fall like rain on a hot summer’s day. Let every drip and drop be as a refreshing breeze. Let it penetrate our hearts, our minds, and our spirits. Lord, we are your vessels. Let your Holy Spirit wash over us and fill us, so that we may walk as you have called us to walk and talk as you have called us to talk. Let us now have the power to carry your gospel to our neighbors far and wide. It is in your wonderful son, Jesus’ name, we pray, AMEN.

Thank You for the Precious Gift of Baptism

A Prayer for use with Mark 1:4-11

Lord, we love you. We magnify your name because there is none like you. We give your name praise because we understand that you love us and that you care for us as only a father can. You have given us the precious gift of baptism, and we don’t take it for granted. You sent your Son, Jesus, to be baptized with water, so that we in turn could be baptized with your Holy Spirit. Lord, for that, we thank you. It is in Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.

Let the World Marvel at Our Unity

A Sending Inspired by Acts 19:1-7

Let us go out into the world with the understanding that we are in the world, but not of the world. We are indeed pilgrims in this barren land, and we come together being baptized both of water and of the Holy Spirit. Let the world marvel at our unity.

Make the World a Better Place,

A Sending Inspired by Genesis 1:1-5

Now let us go, saturating the world with the same spirit of creativity that created the heavens and the earth, showing them that we are our Father’s children, each equipped with a special uniqueness that makes the world a better place.

Curry F. Butler, Jr. is a certified candidate in the Memphis Annual Conference and an alumnus of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.