Epiphany 1997: The Appearance of God

 

SEEKERS CHURCH
A Christian Community
In the Tradition of the Church of the Saviour
Epiphany 1997

The Appearance of God

REFLECTION

              the  .            the  .         square, indigo, iridescent      precisely sized so      edges meld      unbetrayed.      yet its essence      fully felt         square, indigo, iridescent            hidden mist           square, blue, sparkling           edged       yet there         square, indigo, iridescent         the word.  

Hollis Vail, January 1981.

PRELUDE

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader:

Arise, shine, for our light has come,
and the glory of God has risen upon us.

People:

Lift up your eyes round about, and see;
the people of God all gather together,
they come to rejoice;
our sons shall come from far away,
and our daughters shall be carried
in our arms.

Unison:

Then God shall see and be radiant,
and our hearts shall thrill and rejoice!

After Isaiah 60:1-6

INVOCATION

HYMN

WORD FOR THE CHILDREN

SILENCE

LITANY OF EPIPHANY

Leader:

The word becomes flesh, and dwells among us.

Voice 1:

Look! God is in our midst —
in the truth shared by little children.
See, God is alive in the challenge of the oppressed.

Voice 2:

Before our eyes,
God transforms the bored and satisfied.
Look for God in the swirling tension
between valued traditions and emerging visions.

Unison:

Come! See God incarnate.
Share the Good News with boldness and delight.

SILENCE

PRAYERS

Confession (Unison)

Leader:

The Light comes into the world:

People:

Our eyes, long used to darkness,
Close tight against the bright light.
We turn away and will not see.

Leader:

The Light comes to reveal the truth.

People:

But we are lost in logic,
and miss the reflections of God’s appearance.
We turn away, and will not see.

Unison:

Forgive us, Light of Life,
when we turn away,
and will not see you in the world around us.

Individual Prayers Of Confession

Assurance

Leader:

You are forgiven,
for the Light has come,
and the Glory of God surrounds us. Amen.

Prayers Of The Community

HYMN

THE WORD

First Lesson

Silence

Gospel Lesson

Sermon

Silent Reflection

The first Sunday of each month we switch to a Communion Liturgy here.

OFFERING

SHARED REFLECTIONS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HYMN

BENEDICTION

Leader:

The Light has splintered our darkness.
God appears, asking us to dance.
Let us go forth to answer with our whole lives.
Amen.