Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Fear doesn’t stop us
Epiphany – 4 January, 2026 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
During the service we will share Communion so you might like to have the elements ready.
Introit: O God, our help in ages past – (TiS 47)
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.
Before the hills in order stood, or earth received its frame,
from everlasting you are God to endless years the same.
O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
remain our guard while troubles last, and our eternal home.
Lighting the Christ Candle:
On this first Sunday in 2026, we come to worship.
In the beginning was the Word.
We light the Christ candle
knowing that at every point of history you are with us.
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God.
You are the God who created time and space and history,
but through the mystery of incarnation,
chose to live a human life, and dwell with us.
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
This is indeed wonderful and beyond our comprehension.
Help us worship with awe and thanksgiving.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
As we gather for worship today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin nations,
traditional custodians of this land under God.
I pay my respects to their elders past and present,
and to the leaders and generations to come.
Call to Worship:
In the dark of morning,
the stars still shine.
In the heat of the day,
emus continue their journey.
At the start of the year, tender and new,
God is here, God is near.
Do not rest in your fear.
God is here.
So like the stars and the emus,
let us worship our holy God.
We Sing: Morning has broken – (TiS 156)
Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
praise for them springing
fresh from the word.
Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung from completeness where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight; mine is the morning
born of the one light Eden saw play.
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s recreation of the new day.
Call to Prayer:
On this Epiphany Sunday we stand at the start of a new year, and there is nothing better about a new year than the chance to begin again. That is exactly what we do each time we come to God in prayer. When we speak honestly with God, and God surrounds us with grace, we are able to begin again.
So let us start this new year, this new season, this new week with God’s grace.
Let us pray and begin again.
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession:
Maker of all things –
time, space, the universe, the earth, oceans and continents,
mountains and plains, deserts and jungles, plants, animals, and birds.
You have filled our home, the earth, with miracles and marvels.
Help us respond now with wonder and delight,
and worship you with thanksgiving and praise,
as we enter this new year.
May we study your Word,
and learn more from your wisdom,
and seek your guidance as we worship and pray,
and trust in your love and forgiveness.
Ever-loving God,
we have longed for Christmas to usher in a season of peace and joy,
but we know that is not how the world works.
Even just days after Christmas, we still find ourselves facing our fears.
So today we ask your forgiveness –
for the times we allow fear to stop us in our tracks,
for the times our own fear prevents us from following your call,
and for the times when fear is louder than love.
Help us turn our fear into action.
Show us how to live, like the magi,
who searched for you in a fearful world.
With hope we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Family of Faith,
whether you are brave and courageous or fearful and timid,
God’s love for you knows no end.
So join with me as we speak these words of forgiveness to one another.
Whether fear inspires us to action,
or stops us dead in our tracks,
God’s love for us is boundless.
We are seen and surrounded with grace.
Thanks be to God!
Amen.
The Peace:
May the Peace of God dwell with you: and also with you.
Bible Reading: John 1:1-5
– The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
We Sing: Called to Create – (TiS 671)
Made in God’s likeness, moved by the Spirit,
called to create a new world for the Lord,
called to create a new world for the Lord.
Birds in the mountains sing of your praises,
called in the morning to tell of your love;
bellbirds and whipbirds sing of creation,
celebrate always that Christ is the King.
Made in God’s likeness …
Summoned at noontide, come now and follow,
joyfully marching wherever you lead;
roller birds stuntmen, kingfishers’ laughter,
clowns of creation in the circus of God.
Made in God’s likeness …
Called in the nighttime to act in your drama,
to take on the Christ role your script in our hearts;
masked owl and bower-bird teach us to study
the part we must play and the gifts we can share.
Made in God’s likeness …
Called now at all times to wait on the Father,
follow his lead as he partners our dance;
brolga bird dances, retreats, and, returning,
bowing at last to his partner, the Lord.
Made in God’s likeness …
Bible Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
– The Visit of the Magi
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Time for All: Star Words
As we have just heard, the magi followed a star which ultimately led them to Jesus. The use of star words, also called star gifts, is a practice that might help us move closer to Jesus.
Star word are part of a prayer practice connected to Epiphany and the new year which as been growing in popularity in Protestant churches for the last decade. The idea behind it is that one intention word is drawn randomly and reflected on during the year. As you take a star, you are encouraged to trust the word you have drawn, and not replace it. This word can then be placed somewhere you will see it regularly throughout the year which will allow constant reflection of how God is moving through, around or in connection to that word.
God uses multiple ways to guide us and speak to us, but it is often easy to miss God in the everyday. Having an intention words to consider in present days, and reflect on at the end of the year, allows us to see God in ways that we might not have seen God before. I have found this to be a great gift, even when the word I took didn’t seem that exciting at the time, upon reflection it was certainly something God was working on in my life.
Sometimes it is hard to release control. As you receive your star word this year, I hope you might trust that God is present and in control of this moment.
Let us pray …
Loving God,
You are always calling us forward, inviting us to walk in your light.
As we sit with our star words, open our hearts to the wisdom they hold.
Keep our minds nimble and flexible, awake to the meanings we may find.
Let these words be a reminder of your presence with us:
may they give us courage and guidance for the year ahead.
Let them shine in the dark, pointing us towards you,
and at the end of this year,
may we look back on the paths we took and see how,
in every moment, your journeyed with us.
Gratefully we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: We Three Kings – (TAC 91)
We three kings of Orient are; bearing gifts we traverse afar,
field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of light,
star with royal beauty bright,
westward leading, still proceeding,
guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, gold I bring to crown him again,
King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign.
O star of wonder …
Frankincense to offer have I; incense owns a Deity nigh;
prayer and praising, voices raising, worshiping God on high.
O star of wonder …
Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume breathes a life of gathering gloom;
sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
O star of wonder …
Glorious now behold him arise; King and God and sacrifice:
Alleluia, Alleluia, sounds through the earth and skies.
O star of wonder …
Reflection:
Most Epiphany Sunday worship services centre around the mysterious and joyful arrival of the magi. Like the nativity story, the mythology of this narrative in Western imagination has evolved into a tale about three royal kings bringing baby Jesus finely wrapped birthday gifts.
But the reality is something quite different, for Herod looms large in this tale. His presence can’t be ignored and he acts with coercion and control. The magi, however, provide a counterpoint: they don’t let fear or Herod stop them. They persist and persevere, giving honour to a Judean king with insistent hope that his anointing could lead to the restoration of their own Persian customs and culture within the ever-expanding Roman empire. As we come to a close in this worship series, we can’t ignore that the Herods of the world still loom large. And yet, we are called continue insisting on hope so that fear doesn’t have the final word.
As we arrive at the end of the Advent and Christmas journey, we recognise that the world in our time still brims with violence, uncertainty and fear. Only three weeks ago at Bondi Beach we witnessed a violent event which has left many in the community uncertain and fearful. The birth of Jesus, the incoming of the Christ to dwell with us, has not silenced the unjust rulers and powers of the world. Empires continue to rage. Innocent people still suffer. The question then is not whether fear exists, but what we do with it. How do we respond in the face of fear? Do we freeze, do we flee, or do we move forward, as the magi did, refusing to let fear be the end of the story?
Matthew’s account of the magi is often domesticated in popular retellings: some exotic kings bearing gifts, bowing before a glowing infant, at least that’s what the pictures shows us. However, this story is no fairytale, but a political and theological narrative. Just like Luke’s Gospel, Matthew’s Gospel emphasises that the story of Christ’s birth unfolds ‘in the time of King Herod’ (Matthew 2:1a), a puppet ruler of the Roman Empire known for a violent paranoia. Herod represents the worst of power – one who responds to threat not with humility, but tyranny. If we read further in Matthew 2 we are reminded of the massacre of the innocents – the death of male children under two years old – as Herod’s fear mutates into mass violence.
It is into this volatile landscape that the magi make an appearance. They are foreigners, Gentiles, astrologers – marginal figures in Jewish imagination, yet in Matthew’s gospel they are the first to recognise Jesus’ birth as something special. Matthew literally calls them ‘magi from the East’, without specifying their number, gender or religion. Christian tradition has masculinised and royalised them as three kings, but the term comes from Old Persian, and in Zoroastrian tradition both men and women could hold this title. We see this imaged in the artwork by Nic Falson which shows both male and female magi. But whether the magi were male or female, or how many there were, is not that important. What is, however, is the recognition that their journey disrupts not only imperial geography, but also gender, racial and theological boundaries.
An epiphany is a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation. I wonder if the real epiphany for the magi was one of radical inclusion. In seeking and honouring the Christ child, they embody the very logic of Matthew’s Gospel – a divine movement outside expected places and people, away from centres of power.
Matthew’s Gospel consistently places God’s activity on the margins. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. He is hailed by Gentile astrologers, not the religious elite. He is protected not by armies, but by dreams and a refugee father who listens to angels. This is a different kind of kingdom – a subversion of imperial logic. The magi recognize the infant Jesus as King of the Jews, a title that terrifies Herod. Their homage is not merely devotional – it is political. By kneeling before Jesus, they make a bold and embodied declaration: their loyalty lies not with empire, but with the vulnerable child who reveals another way of power.
Fear permeates this story. Herod is afraid. Jerusalem trembles. Yet the magi do not turn back. They travel through uncertainty, seeking truth. They could easily have changed their course many times. Firstly, the fears of the unknown could have kept them from following the star: after all it would have been safer and easier for them to avoid travelling to a foreign territory. Secondly, they could have acquiesced to Herod’s power plan and returned to him with the details of Jesus’ location. Instead the steadfast courage of the magi allow them to cross boundaries, bow in humility and respond to revelation.
After encountering Christ, the magi return home ‘by another way’. We think of this as returning by another route, but maybe in the moment of epiphany, life is transformed and a new pathway of life is begun. The magi become witness to God’s new order, not by heritage or status, but through their bold seeking, and they respond in a way Herod and his allies refuse to do as they seek, kneel and listen.
Epiphanies are not always warm or personal, at times they can be disruptive and dangerous. They can lead to confrontation with empire, ask us to cross borders, and lead us home by another way. Always they ask something of us: will we move the way fear makes us move, or the way that love calls us to?
The journey of the magi becomes an invitation to us as well.
Who are the magi among us today – those willing to cross boarders for truth and love?
Who are the Mary’s, holding the Christ child in fragile arms, waiting for a knock at the door? Who are the Herod’s, terrified their illegitimate power might be exposed by the light?
Who are we?
In the face of fear let us travel together. Let us defy empire not with swords, but with prayer and solidarity. Let us kneel in awe, not before the powerful, but before the powerless Christ, whose birth marks the beginning of God’s peace campaign.
Let us believe, with trembling hope, that fear does not have the last word. For fear doesn’t stop us – love leads us forward.
Amen.
We Sing: We’ve Seen God’s Face – (Tune TiS 292)
Like the magi from the east we travel into the unknown.
Step by step we make the journey, called by God to seek the throne.
Over mountains, through the deserts, seeking Christ we follow ever
‘til at last we reach the place where we hope to see God’s face.
We will trust that star to guide us to the place where we were called.
Finding God embodied in the humblest dwelling place of all.
Though tyrants range and threaten, nothing weakens our profession.
It is God’s voice we have heard. Fear will not have the last word.
When new threats derail our journey from the path we planned to take,
we won’t let fear paralyse us, no we won’t stay locked in place.
Staying nimble, we’ll more forward, keeping safe by crossing borders.
Move around the fear with grace for we know we’ve seen God’s face.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Bryan Long):
You probably know of Oscar Romero, the bishop who was assassinated in 1980 in El Salvador because of his social justice activities. One of his quotes is relevant to our prayers as this New Year begins.
“We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise … We are prophets of a future that is not our own.”
Something to consider as we pray.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
Loving God,
As we come in prayer at the beginning of this New Year we are horrified by the wars that despoil your world and destroy the lives of so many, and we pray for all who are caught up in conflicts and those trying to help them.
We pray that 2026 might be a year when you will raise up peacemakers, that you might speak to the hearts and minds of the leaders of nations, reminding them of your call to peace, justice, and mercy.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
We pray for this coming year and what it might mean for us as a nation.
We pray for our Prime Minister, Premier, politicians and councillors, and all leaders including CEO’s and people of influence, that they will seek to heal the divisions within our society, and promote justice, generosity, kindness to others.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
We pray for your church everywhere. May it be a beacon of light in the darkness of the world. We remember Christians facing discrimination and oppression and pray they may not be forgotten. We pray for ministers, lay leaders and all who proclaim the Gospel in word or deed that they may remain faithful to their calling.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
We pray for those who have struggled over Christmas, for the lonely and isolated, for those with broken relationships, those struggling with addictions, those trapped in debt, those in prison, and those who are desperate for changes in their lives. We pray for our children and the influence of social media. Give them discernment to know what is good and wise to engage with online, and the strength to avoid what is harmful. Teach us how to guide them to be good stewards of technology. We pray too for foster children and their carers, for all who work in welfare, child protection, and family violence. May they know your strength and guidance.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
We name silently before you now, those who are in our hearts, family, friends, neighbours who are ill or in need, for those who have died, and those who mourn. (Silence)
We pray for Heather, our Church Council, teachers and other leaders, and we pray for ourselves, that we will seek your guidance through the coming year – and that when you give us dreams we will have the courage to follow them.
We dream of a world made new … Lead us forward in faith.
Renewing God, at the dawn of a New Year, we seek hope for a new world. Let the darkness lift to welcome a time of renewal. Let the year begin with new energy for the struggle to protect our children and to care for the vulnerable. Let the sun rise on new talks and new resolve to end the bombing and the terror, and the polarisation and division, and to find solutions that will last.
Eternal God, you call us to ventures for which we cannot see the ending, in directions we do not know. Give us faith to go into 2026 with courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us, and your love supporting us.
Amen.
Communion:
Invitation to the Table
It takes courage to come to this Table,
to declare your belonging in God’s banquet.
So often the world tries to keep us away from the grace God so freely offers.
So often the powers that be, tell us that who we are at our core is undeserving.
But our faith tells a different story.
Our faith tells a story of God enfleshed, wiggling in a manger,
whose first visitors were field labourers and foreigners.
Our faith tells a story of a God who beckons us,
over and over, into belonging.
Family of faith, this bread and cup are for you.
No king can dictate otherwise.
No edict can declare you unworthy.
Nothing—no, nothing—can separate you
from the love of God.
So don’t let fear keep you from this Table.
Let us gather for the feast.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Beckoning God,
from every corner we have come looking for you.
We have gone over, around, under, and through our fear.
When we faced fears we couldn’t evade,
we took that fear by the hand and dragged it along with us on the journey,
because we will stop at nothing to follow you.
Your star calls us forward, ever forward
toward our convictions, toward our dreams,
toward a world that reflects your justice, peace, and love,
toward our belonging in the great family of creation.
Your star calls us forward, and the gifts that await are too great to hand over to fear.
In this communion we share, may we find courage and strength for the journey.
When fear threatens to stop us,
may we hold onto all you have given and remember what lies ahead.
When the journey is challenging, lift our heads to see
our companions on the journey and the shining star that lights the way.
You are Emmanuel, God with us.
We now join in the words that Jesus taught us to pray, saying,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
Invocation
Compassionate God, let your Spirit come upon us now.
Bless us, and this bread and wine, that it might renew and sustain us.
Amen.
Distribution
We take this bread and take this cup so that we can all share in the life of Christ.
So in the meal tradition of Jesus we break and share bread, and drink wine,
pledging ourselves to allow the spirit and faith that moved in Jesus,
to move freely in our lives.
As Jesus took the bread, blessed it and broke it,
we share the bread which sustains the life of God in us.
As Jesus did, we take a cup and remember the life that Jesus gave for us.
The bread of life. The cup of hope.
As we eat and drink together, may we know the blessing of your Spirit,
and know that you are the God who calls us forward into new beginnings.
(Eat and drink)
Prayer after Communion
God of love, we give you thanks for satisfying us with this meal.
Send us from here to reveal your love in the world,
and to cross borders where we need to.
Inspire us to use our words to point others to Jesus.
Inspire in us the resolve and the courage, the compassion and passion
to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
We Sing: This is day of new beginnings – (TiS 653)
This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember, and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that’s gone.
For by the life and death of Jesus,
God’s mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference
as faith and hope are born again.
Then let us, with the Spirit’s daring,
step from the past, and leave behind,
our disappointment, guilt, and grieving,
seeking new paths, and sure to find.
In faith we’ve gathered round the table
to taste and see what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.
Blessing:
In a fearful world, may you look for God’s spirit.
May you reach for each other’s hands.
May you choose courage whenever you can.
And in all things, may you remember
that good news is louder than fear.
In the name of the one who calls,
the one who sends,
and the one who journeys with us,
go in peace and do not be afraid.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources: Fig Tree Worship and A Sanctified Art (What do you fear? Insisting on Hope this Advent).
We’ve Seen God’s Face © Anna Strickland, 2025.