1. GUIDANCE Morning Worship
Epiphany
Guided by a Star
6th January 2015
January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany. The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or "to reveal. Epiphany is when the church celebrates the magi (or wise men or kings) visiting Jesus. The magi are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew which says that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Because three gifts were recorded, there are traditionally said to have been three Magi, though Matthew does not specify their number. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are the gifts of the Magi, or the three kings, who came to honour the birth of Jesus (Mt 2:11)
Bishop Justus Church of England School

2. Gather The Lord be with you And also with you
The star brought together philosophers and shepherds, rich and poor, intellectual and illiterate around Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus was heaven’s answer to earth’s dilemma. He wants to guide us in our lives if we choose to listen to him and follow him.
Christians believe that Jesus is the true star.

3. Receive Watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzIESPA_-Uw&feature=related
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod
was king. Soon afterwards, some men who studied the stars came form the east to
Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw
his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.” When King
Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.
He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked
them, “Where will the Messiah be born?” “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,”
they answered. “For this is what the prophet wrote: ‘Bethlehem in the land of
Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you
will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’” So Herod called the visitors
from the east to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star
had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions: “Go and
make a careful search for the child, and when you find him, let me know. So that I
too may go and worship him.” And so they left, and on their way they saw the same
star they had seen in the east. When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy
was theirs! It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child
was. They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary,
they knelt down and worshipped him. They brought out their gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him. Then they returned to their
country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to
Herod Matthew 2: 1-12

4. Engage Guidance What guides you?
Who are the stars who guide your life?
Being a ‘Star’
People as ‘stars’ don’t have to be rich, famous or clever.
The baby Jesus would have appeared to be none of these things,
but his coming into the world has influenced and changed people’s lives ever since.
Discuss ways you can be a ‘star’...
Write these down
or write a prayer about guidance on a star shape
Treasure Hunt
Ask one student to go outside the room then hide a small object
play hotter / colder to help the student find it…
What helped you find the object?
What do we need to guide us in life and help us find the right way?
Wisdom
· Who is wise? Name famous people or school teachers / students
· What are the qualities of wise?
· Why are the magi described as wise?
· What in their story shows wisdom?
Gifts
Consider what gifts you think the world needs today?
The Three gifts
Think about the symbols of gold, frankincense and myrrh
Do you think they are a good representation of Jesus?
What symbols would you use to represent you?
What gift would you bring Jesus?
Music
We three kings
3 kings from Persian lands afar

5. Respond Amen By Joan McMurtry
Radiant God, light for all people and all places,
By the guidance of a star you led the Magi
To worship the Christ Child.
By the light of faith
lead us to worship you in peace and love,
And guide us in your way.
We pray in the name of Christ,
light of the world.
Amen
By Joan McMurtry

6. Go
May the light of Christ our Lord shine
in all our hearts.  
Amen