LOVELY LANE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
EPIPHANY SUNDAY, YEAR A
JANUARY 4, 2026
† Stand as you are able
Organ Prelude
Welcome and Announcements John Strawbridge, Lay Leader
Choral Introit “As With Gladness Men of Old” Kocher
As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Ever more be led to thee.
†Call to Worship
In the beginning was the Word—before our calendars, before our plans, before our worry.
And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The true Light, which enlightens everyone, is coming into the world.
We come to see the Light—clear-eyed, hopeful, and unafraid.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
We receive the blessing—and we bless the Name of the Holy One.
This year begins not with scarcity, but with grace: chosen, claimed, and called in love.
We worship the One who shines in the darkness—and the darkness cannot overcome it.
†Opening Hymn “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies” UMH 173
Invocation
Holy God, as we enter this New Year, quiet our hearts and renew our hope in your steadfast love. Prepare us to receive your Word with openness and joy. Amen
A Reading from the Epistles Ephesians 1:3–14 NRSV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
The word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Congregational Prayer
God of Light and Blessing, on this Epiphany Day—this first Lord’s Day of a new year—shine upon us again. Before we have earned anything, before we have proved anything, you have already spoken mercy over us: chosen in love, gathered by grace, sealed with the Spirit, and invited into your life.
Forgive us for the ways we have preferred dimness—the small safety of resentment, the shadow of fear, the habit of cynicism, the weariness that makes us settle for less than love. Lift our faces toward Christ, the true Light, that we may see what is good, and do what is faithful, and hope with our whole hearts.
As we begin this year, make us a people of holy attention—able to notice how your light finds its way through every color and crack, able to recognize wonder in ordinary days, able to follow your radiance even when the path feels unclear.
Strengthen the weary, comfort the grieving, heal the sick, steady the anxious, and guide the uncertain. Make your church a beacon—warm, honest, and brave—so that neighbors may find in us a welcome, and in you a home.
We offer ourselves anew to you, O God: not only for bright days, but for the whole journey—through darkness and dawn—until your glory is revealed in all things. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, we pray. Amen.
Passing of the Peace “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” UMH 334
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
Choral Response “Holy Spirit, Come to Us” TFWS 2118
†A Reading from the Gospel John 1:1-18 NRSV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
The Gospel of our Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ.
Sermon Reverend. Levon D. Sutton, Pastor
Invitation to Offering
Offertory “Fit For A King” Martin
I travel to Bethlehem’s cradle,
To kneel at the manger tonight,
But what can I bring to honor the King
That’s worthy of Jesus the Christ?
The sages gave gifts of great wonder;
They brought treasure both rich and rare.
Compared to their gold, what gifts could I hold
To give to the Savior there?
A heart full of love for His people,
A voice that is ready to sing,
A life that is willing to give its all,
These are the gifts that are fit for a King.
Do I offer great pearls from the ocean?
Perfect diamonds that sparkle so bright?
A thousand white rams I would bring to the Lamb,
But everything pales in His light.
Then what do I have to offer?
There’s nothing that He does not own;
O show me, my King, a true offering
Which is worthy to lay at Your throne.
Offering Prayer
God of every good gift, you have blessed us in Christ with grace we did not manufacture and mercy we could not purchase. Receive these gifts as signs of our gratitude and as instruments of your light. Use what we bring—our resources, our time, our witness—so that your love may be made visible, your justice practiced with courage, and your welcome embodied with joy. Seal us again with your Spirit for the work ahead, that in this new year we may live “to the praise of your glory.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy Communion “Let Us Break Bread Together” UMH 618
The Great Thanksgiving UMH 13
Lord’s Prayer
†Closing Hymn “Shine, Jesus, Shine” TFWS 2173
†Benediction
†Benediction Response “Glory to God in the Highest” MacFarlane
Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth, good will to all.
Ringing the Bicentennial Bell
Organ Postlude