Lectionary Readings Book of Common Prayer - 1979 Sunday, January-06-2013

The Collect

The Epiphany
O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know thee now by faith, to thy presence, where we may behold thy glory face to face; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of the Epiphany

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 60:1-6,9
¹Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. ²For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. ³The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. ⁴" Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. ⁵Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. ⁶The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the LORD. ⁹Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the LORD your God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He has glorified you. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 72

Deus, judicium
1Give the King your justice, O God, *
     and your righteousness to the King's son;
2That he may rule your people righteously *
     and the poor with justice.
3That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
     and the little hills bring righteousness.
4He shall defend the needy among the people; *
     he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
     from one generation to another.
6He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
     like showers that water the earth.
7In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
     there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall
     be no more.
8He shall rule from sea to sea, *
     and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9His foes shall bow down before him, *
     and his enemies lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
     and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.
11All kings shall bow down before him, *
     and all the nations do him service.
12For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
     and the oppressed who has no helper.
13He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
     he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
     and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15Long may he live!
     and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
     may prayer be made for him always,
     and may they bless him all the day long.
16May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
     growing thick even on the hilltops; *
     may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
     and its grain like grass upon the earth.
17May his Name remain for ever
     and be established as long as the sun endures; *
     may all the nations bless themselves in him and
     call him blessed.
18Blessed be the Lord GOD, the God of Israel, *
     who alone does wondrous deeds!
19And blessed be his glorious Name for ever! *
     and may all the earth be filled with his glory.
     Amen. Amen.

- OR -

Psalm 72:1-2,10-17

1Give the King your justice, O God, *
     and your righteousness to the King's son;
2That he may rule your people righteously *
     and the poor with justice.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
     and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.
11All kings shall bow down before him, *
     and all the nations do him service.
12For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
     and the oppressed who has no helper.
13He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
     he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
     and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
15Long may he live!
     and may there be given to him gold from Arabia; *
     may prayer be made for him always,
     and may they bless him all the day long.
16May there be abundance of grain on the earth,
     growing thick even on the hilltops; *
     may its fruit flourish like Lebanon,
     and its grain like grass upon the earth.
17May his Name remain for ever
     and be established as long as the sun endures; *
     may all the nations bless themselves in him and
     call him blessed.

New Testament Reading

Ephesians 3:1-12
¹For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles- ²if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ⁷of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. ⁸To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; ¹⁰to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ¹¹according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Matthew 2:1-12
¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ⁶' But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" ⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." ⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. -- NKJV