E-piphany

Eternal God,
by a star you led wise men to the worship of your Son.
Guide by your light the nations of the earth,
that the whole world may know your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen'

Remembering the visit of the Wise Men to the new-born Christ is often added in to the Nativity itself, but their gifts were to be given later, and to mark Epiphany you can look at different gifts from those that have filled the Christmas season. Here are some suggestions for ways to make your Epiphany service different!

A promise to gift
The Wise Men's gifts were an indication of things to come. Use this as a way into asking the congregation, young and old alike, to promise one of their gifts to the Church in the year to come. This could be a reaffirmation of something they already do for the Church, or a new way in which they can serve. For example, someone who was skilled in financial matters could offer this gift to help the Church accounts be completed. It may be that some of the gifts could be incorporated into the service (singing, playing, cake making, reading) and others may want to write them down.

You could have people write their 'Gift promises' on a postcard and tie them to the Christmas tree. Keep them tied on there and do not throw the tree out but store it somewhere dry. When Easter comes around you can then take the tree back out and use it to remind people of the promises they made. At Easter we remember that God carried through his promise to us and it gives us the opportunity to continue with our promise.

Or, you could have the postcards placed inside the manger, a sign of the gifts that God has given us all. These again could be brought back out at Easter - the manger reminding us that the Nativity leads to the cross.

The most important gift
All too often we focus on the gifts that a congregation has to offer we may miss out on the gifts that the children can possess. Making sure all are included is crucial and there are many ways to do this, but how do you follow up on these promises? Perhaps one way to do it is to ask all to make a covenant to offer their gift to the community before Easter. They can make a note of the gift they are offering and these can be displayed in some way in the Church. As the gifts are offered in the months to come they could be celebrated by the whole community.

Gold, Frankin-what?
It can be quite difficult to explain the meanings of the three gifts that the Wise Men brought to Jesus, so a good way to do this is to update the gifts and show all ages what they signify. You could even explain what they meant first and then ask them to create the gifts that would have modern day meanings.

Bring your gift!
Advertise beforehand that this Epiphany service is one that is going to focus on the very practical gifts of the community and have a celebration of receiving and giving thanks for the various gifts around. Enable all ages to give of music, to offer home made food and juice, and to decorate the church for a special start of year celebration!

Stories about gifts - Papa Panov's Special Day by Mig Holder
                            Badger's Parting Gifts - Susan Varley

Songs about gifts - The Best Gift (Come & Praise)
                           He came down that we might have love (Wild Goose)