Celebrate Epiphany with brothers and sisters around the world, as together we follow Christ, the light to the nations.
This Epiphany, we're focusing on the importance of being part of a worldwide Church, sharing in mission with our partner dioceses, agencies and parish links across the world.
We're providing four weeks of reflections and collects, as well as liturgy for a short candle lighting service, to be used in parishes from the second Sunday of January onwards, in whatever way best suits you and your congregation. Resources are coming from all corners of the globe via our link dioceses partnerships in Vaxjo, Nandyal, Kimberley & Kururman, and Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
We'll send out the resources via each week's eNews and add them below each Monday, ready to use that Sunday or at another time that works for you.
11 January – Baptism of Christ
Called by baptism into the one, worldwide Body of Christ
Bishop Mary invites you to join us in four weeks of dedicated prayer, fellowship and revelation with our brothers and sisters worldwide, in a short video.
Download the video to show in your church or prayer group.
Over Christmas we focus on revealing Jesus, the Word made flesh, in our particular places - in our parishes, churches, schools and chaplainces. Through Nativity plays, Christingles, carol services, and even carols by the fish and chip van (just ask the vicar of Basildon). Through all these events, through this worship, we say that God has come amongst us, that God is born for us.
At Epiphany, we're asked to shift our focus to widen our horizons. As we think about Jesus being revealed to the nations, we're invited to re-engage with the worldwide church of which we are one small part. And so this Epiphany, to help you do that, we've created some resources.
We'll be posting more videos with perspectives on the worldwide church. And we've created a simple liturgy where you're invited to light a candle, to remember that Jesus is the light of the world, and then to pray one of the collects written by our partners, each speaking into the readings for that Sunday.
If you have partners who work in mission fields across the globe, you might also like to take epiphany as a particular time to renew your commitment to them, to learn more from them. All of this will help us live out what we say we believe when we say the Creed together: 'We believe in the communion of saints', we say, this gathering of God's people across time and space.
This communion of saints is a foretaste of what we read about in Revelation, when we learn that John sees that in heaven people will worship God from every tribe and language and people and nations.
So may Epiphany be a time of revelation for you as you learn from sisters and brothers across the worldwide church. Think a fresh about what you could do to support them and pray for the time that is coming when together we will worship God in heaven. Happy Epiphany.
Collect from the Revd Mattias Östborg, Diocese of Växjö (Link Co-ordinator)
Merciful God,
you showed us who you are at the River Jordan;
keep showing yourself to us wherever we are in the world.
Help us to be like John the Baptist in the wilderness:
to speak up for your will in this hurting world.
Guide us in everything we do to clear the path for you.
Help us Christians all over the world to stick together,
to be that sign of hope and light everyone needs.
Let us work together for a world
where all people love you and each other.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.