Today we are anticipating the Feast of the Epiphany. Matthew’s Gospel completes the Christmas story with the narrative of the visitors from the East. This is a rich narrative that contains many important images. One of these images is the Christmas gifts. According to the tradition the wise men brought three gifts to the infant Jesus. Each of these gifts is associated traditionally with a special meaning. The gift of gold speaks of Jesus’ kingship. The gift of frankincense speaks of Jesus’ priesthood. The gift of myrrh speaks of Jesus’ death.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of Christmas gifts. In today’s picture from his book, Christmas time with Teddy Horsley, Teddy Horsley and Betsy Bear join with the people of God in bringing their gifts to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You accepted the gifts brought by the wise men.
Inspire us by their example,
to acknowledge you as our king,
our high priest, and our saviour;
for you are our God,
now and always.
Amen.
Next Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Christ, with the narrative from Luke’s Gospel. The image to stimulate reflection on Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus is doves. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
Prayer Requests
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Notice Sheet
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Exploring the Sunday Gospel – Christmas Day