for January 11, 2026
We Gather
When Light Breaks In
Light changes what we can see.
Sometimes it reveals beauty.
Sometimes it exposes what we would rather ignore.
Sometimes it draws us forward, even when we are unsure where we are going.
The scriptures today speak again and again of light—
not as comfort for a few,
but as a signal meant to call all people to Christ’s community.
This light does not belong to one people, one place, or one kind of faith.
It spills outward.
It invites movement.
It calls unlikely travelers to follow.
We gather today trusting that the light of God is still breaking into the world—and that it is meant for everyone.
Opening Prayer
God of Revealing Light
Let us pray.
God of light,
you rise in places we do not expect.
You shine where we assumed only darkness lived.
Open our eyes to see what you are doing beyond our borders.
Open our hearts to those we have overlooked or misunderstood.
Lead us, as you led the travelers long ago—
not toward certainty,
but toward trust.
May the light of Christ guide us,
and may we not turn away when it disrupts our comfort.
Amen.
Confession and Assurance
When We Guard the Light
God of truth,
we confess that we often prefer a smaller light.
We draw lines where you draw circles.
We protect what feels familiar.
We resist voices, cultures, and stories that unsettle us.
We have mistaken comfort for faithfulness
and control for wisdom.
Yet even here, your light does not withdraw.
Forgive us when we limit what you freely give.
Forgive us when we forget that your light is meant to be shared.
(Silence is kept.)
Assurance of Grace
Light That Cannot Be Contained
Hear the good news.
God’s light is not diminished by being shared.
God’s mercy is not weakened by reaching farther.
In Jesus Christ, the dividing walls fall.
The strangers are welcomed.
The searching are seen.
We are forgiven.
We are gathered in.
We are sent back into the world changed.
Thanks be to God.
Passing of the Peace
A Sign of God’s Welcome
The Light of Christ shines on you as it shines on all.
The Light of the World shines in your home, and in the home of others.
Therefore, let us celebrate the peace of Christ together.
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
(Share Christ’s peace in ways fitting to your community.)
Scripture
Following the Light
Reading may be shared by multiple voices.
Reflection
What the Light Reveals
The light of God does not simply reassure.
It rearranges.
It reveals who has been left out.
It exposes unjust systems.
It draws unexpected people into the story.
The Magi were not supposed to be there.
They did not belong by tradition or training.
Yet they recognized what others missed.
Epiphany is not just about seeing Jesus clearly.
It is about realizing who else God is already drawing near.
The light is not for a few.
The light is for everyone.
Shared Reflection
Take time to reflect together. Let the conversation unfold.
When the Light Isn’t Where We Expect
The Magi come from outside the Jewish community, from a foreign land with a foreign religion, and they find God’s light outside familiar religious centers, while insiders miss it.
Where do we tend to assume God is most likely to show up? Where and who might that assumption unintentionally exclude—though God is active and moving?
What It Costs to Guard the Light
When faith becomes something we protect rather than something we share, what do we lose—personally, communally, or spiritually?
Who pays the price when the light of Christ is treated as belonging to only a few?
What God Is Already Doing
In these readings, God’s light is already moving outward—to nations, outsiders, and the vulnerable—before anyone approves it.
What does this suggest about God’s priorities, especially when they differ from our own?
Receiving Before Responding
God’s light reaches people before they understand it or earn it.
What would it change if we trusted that God is already at work—
in us, in others, and beyond the church—
before we decide how to respond?
Following the Light Together
We do not follow the light by mastering the whole road.
We follow the light by taking the next faithful step—together.
God’s light goes ahead of us,
often before we understand it,
often through people we did not expect.
Consider these possibilities.
Choose one—or name another that fits your life and your community.
One:
Pay attention this week to where light is already breaking through—
a moment of kindness, courage, or clarity—
and name it aloud as a sign of God’s presence.
Two:
Follow the light toward someone you might normally pass by—
not to fix or instruct,
but to listen, honor their story,
or receive what God may be showing you through them.
Three:
Release one certainty, assumption, or habit
that keeps you from noticing God’s movement—
trusting that the light of Christ is wide enough
to lead without your control.
(Silence may be kept.)
Affirmation of Faith
A Wider Promise (from A Brief Statement of Faith, 1983)
“In life and in death, we belong to God.”
This belonging is not narrow or fragile.
It is wide, resilient, and generous.
Prayers of the People
Light for the World
God of mercy,
we pray for a world in need of light.
For nations divided by fear,
for communities burdened by injustice,
for people displaced, dismissed, or ignored.
We pray for the church,
that it may reflect your light honestly—
not hiding, not dominating, but serving.
We lift before you the prayers of our hearts.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
We pray together, saying:
(The Lord’s Prayer is prayed in the words familiar to the community.)
Communion (Optional)
A Table with Room
This table is not owned by tradition
nor guarded by fear.
It is the table of the Lord.
Here, strangers become companions,
for we are joined to Christ and to one another.
At this table, grace is not earned or measured—
it is received.
All who are baptized into Christ,
and who hunger for hope
and long for belonging,
are invited to share this meal.
And hear this good news, the waters of baptism are always open.
(Communion may be celebrated according to the practice of the community.)
Sending
Go Where the Light Leads
Go now, guided by a light that cannot be contained.
Go toward righteousness, faithfulness, and justice.
Go toward compassion and mercy.
Go toward the places where Christ’s reign is still emerging.
The light of Christ goes before you.
Thanks be to God.
Suggested Songs (Optional)
These songs echo the service’s theme of blessing, belonging, and identity.
Choose what fits your community and context.
Gathering
- As With Gladness Men of Old
- Arise, Your Light Is Come
- Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Response to the Word
- We are Marching in the Light of God
- Christ, Be Our Light
Communion
- Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ
- Taste and See
About This Resource
This worship service is offered for the shared life of Christian communities. It may be used as written or adapted freely to fit the context in which you gather.
The service is designed to be accessible to congregations without a pastor and can be led with minimal preparation. It is also intended to support pastors, elders, and lay leaders as a framework for preaching, teaching, and guiding worship. The goal is not to prescribe a single way of worshiping, but to offer a faithful structure that can be shaped by those who gather.
This site is intentionally designed to be read easily on smartphones and other personal devices. Resources are presented so that individuals and communities can participate fully in worship without relying on printed orders of worship. Whether gathered in a sanctuary, a fellowship hall, a living room, or another shared space, people should be able to access the service simply, clearly, and in real time.
At its heart, this service reflects a conviction that worship is a communal practice. Christian worship is not meant to be an experience created by a few and observed by many, but a shared act through which a community is formed together. God is glorified as people speak, listen, pray, and reflect side by side.
Communities are encouraged to consider their own circumstances and space. Worship may be most faithful when chairs are arranged in a circle or in the round, when people can see one another’s faces, or when leadership is shared across voices. Simple changes in posture or arrangement can help reinforce the truth that the Word of God addresses the whole community, and that the Spirit speaks through many.
We worship to give glory to God, and we worship to be formed together. We are shaped by God’s Word, and we are shaped by one another. This resource exists to support that shared work, trusting that God is already present among the people who gather.
This resource is shared in a spirit of openness and learning. It is offered with the hope that it will serve real communities in real circumstances—and that it will grow stronger through use. Feedback, adaptations, and suggestions are welcome. If something worked well, or if something proved difficult, those insights matter. This work is shaped best when it reflects the lived experience of those who gather for worship, and your voice can help make these resources more faithful, more usable, and more responsive to the needs of the church.
Rights and Use
© Rev. Matthew J. Skolnik. All rights reserved.
These materials may be used and adapted for worship and educational purposes within Christian communities. They may not be sold or redistributed for commercial purposes without permission.
Resource Details
Date: January 11, 2026
Key Celebration: Epiphany Season
Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12
Theme: The Light is for Everyone
Lectionary: RCL Year A