christianity | prayer & verse

Adoration of the Magi, via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

Blessed are you, O Christ, our God;
you were before time began,
and came to the world to save us.
Blessed are you, Sun of righteousness;
you shine with the Father’s love
and illumine the whole universe.
Blessed are you, Son of Mary;
born a child
you shared our humanity.
Blessed are you, son of David;
born to rule,
you received gifts from the wise men.
Blessed are you, Son of Man;
baptised by John,
you saved us from ourselves.
Blessed are you, heavenly King;
teaching and preaching, healing and comforting,
you proclaimed the kingdom.
With all the voices of heaven
we celebrate the coming of our Saviour.
Let heaven and earth shout their praise.
With all the creatures on earth
we sing and dance at your birth.
Praise and glory to you, O Lord Jesus Christ.

David Beswick, 1933 – , Australian Minister and Professor

source

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Matthew 2:10-11

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house,

they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Then they opened their treasures

and presented him with gifts

of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

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The Christ Pantocrator of St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai, 6th Century via Wikimedia Commons

You are Jesus Christ,

Word of God, Begotten before the light,

creator together with the Father.

You are the fashioner of man, all in all.

Among the patriarchs you are Patriarch;

in the law, the Law.

Among the priests, Chief Priest;

among kings, the Ruler;

among prophets, the Prophet;

among the angels, Archangel.

In the voice of the preacher, you are the Word;

among the spirits, the Spirit;

in the Father, the Son;

in God, God.

You are King forever and ever.

For you were the pilot to Noah,

the guide to Abraham, bound to Isaac,

in exile with Jacob, sold with Joseph.

You were there with Moses.

In David and the prophets

you announced your own sufferings.

You put on bodily form in the Virgin,

were born in Bethlehem,

wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger,

seen by the shepherds, glorified by the angels,

worshipped by the magi.

You were pointed out by John,

gathered together the apostles,

and you preached the kingdom.

You cured the lame,

gave light to the blind,

and raised the dead.

You appeared in the temple,

were not believed on by the people,

betrayed by Judas,

captured by the priests,

and condemned by Pilate.

You were pierced in the flesh, hung on the tree,

and buried in the earth.

You rose from the place of the dead,

appeared to the apostles,

were carried up to heaven,

and are seated at the right hand of the Father.

You are the rest for those that are departed,

the one who recovers the lost,

the light of those who are in darkness,

the deliverer of those who are captive,

the guide of those who go astray,

and the asylum of the afflicted.

You are the bridegroom of the church,

the charioteer of the cherubim,

and captain of the angels.

You are God who is from God,

Son from the Father,

Jesus Christ the King forevermore.

Amen.

Melito of Sardis, d.180, Bishop of Sardis

Fount of Heaven Prayers of the Early Church

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Colossians 1:15-18

The Son is the image of the invisible God,

the firstborn over all creation.

For in him all things were created:

things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;

all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the church;

he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,

so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

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