
Daily Morning Prayer for Epiphany
from Daily Prayer for All Seasons
Opening
Your word is a lamp to our feet
and a light for our path.
Prayer
Insistent God, by night and day you summon your slumbering people: So stir us with your voice and enlighten our lives with your grace that we give ourselves fully to Christ’s call to mission and ministry. Amen.
Praise
Psalm 27:1, 5-6, 10-11 43
God is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear?
God is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
One thing have I asked of you, O God; one thing I seek:
that I may dwell in your house all the days of my life,
To behold your fair beauty, O God, and to seek you in your temple.
Hearken to my voice, O Most High, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.”
Your face, O God, will I seek.
Scripture
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where 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.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go 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.’ 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Meditation
The eye of the cormorant is emerald. The eye of the eagle is amber. The eye of the grebe is ruby. The eye of the ibis is sapphire. Four gemstones mirror the minds of birds, birds who mediate between heaven and earth. We miss the eyes of the birds, focusing only on feathers.
–Terry Tempest Williams
What are we looking for? Where have we failed to look?
Affirmation
We are not alone;
we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Prayers
Jesus, you are the light of the world:
May your light open our eyes to see those in need.
Jesus, you are the light of the world:
May the works of our lives demonstrate your love.
Jesus, you are the light of the world:
May your wisdom enlighten our decisions.
Jesus, you are the light of the world,
hear the prayers of our hearts:
As you enlighten our lives,
May we be light for others.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer
Open our eyes that we may see. Incline our hearts that we may desire. Order our steps that we may follow the way of your commandments. Amen.
Going Out
Your word is a lamp to our feet
and a light for our path.





