Here are worship materials for the 1st Sunday of Epiphany.
Call to Worship Psalm 29 Adapted
One: Ascribe to God, O heavenly beings, All: ascribe to God glory and strength.
One: Ascribe to God the glory of God's name; All: worship God in holy splendor.
One: The voice of the Lord is over the waters!
All: The God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
One: The voice of the Lord is powerful.
All: The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
One: The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
All: The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
One: May the Lord give strength to his people!
All: May the Lord bless his people with peace—
One: —so that we might declare to one another in truth,
“The peace of the Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Prayer of Invocation & Confession (in unison)
God of life and light, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on your armor of light. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that by its presence we might set to flight all that is not of You—your holiness, your goodness, your steadfast love.
This we pray knowing that darkness, confusion and conflict, unrest and unwellness, are not only all around us, but are also within us. Indeed, this we pray confessing our sin—our continued thrall to, and engagement with, that which is not love.
We confess, then, that we have sinned against you: in thought, word, and deed; in what we have done and in what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not prayed truly for our enemies, returned goodness for evil, or forgiveness for offense.
But in our confession is embedded our hope that we might, from this moment, be revived for this good purpose, reawakened to your call and commission. In our confession, we give voice once again to our aim. And in our worship, we repeat this ancient request: dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid.
All this we pray, made bold in your son Jesus Christ, and made powerful by your Holy Spirit, who together guide us to you, our origin and aim, our alpha and omega, our creator and redeemer and also sustainer on the Way. Amen.