Author: Bellshill Central

As our prayer group is still on a festive break our prayers this Monday continue virtually.  Please read the prayers, readings, reflections and think on them as you listen to the songs. Be blessed in our online time together.

Call to worship

Arise and come to worship,
For the light of God has appeared among us.
The star still shines, guiding all who seek truth,
Drawing the nations toward hope made flesh.
Today we gather to behold the mystery revealed in Christ—
Light for the world, grace for all people.
With hearts open and gifts of praise,
Let us worship the Lord,
Whose glory is made known in Jesus. Amen.

Prayer of approach and confession

Holy and gracious God,
We come before you drawn by your light,
The light that shines in the darkness
And leads us to Christ.
Like the Magi, we are seekers—
Looking for meaning, truth, and hope.

We approach you with gratitude,
For you have revealed yourself not in power or spectacle,
But in the humble presence of Jesus,
Emmanuel, God with us.

Yet we confess that we do not always follow your light faithfully.
We are easily distracted by familiar paths
And tempted by the false security of earthly power.

At times we seek Christ half-heartedly,
Or expect him to fit our plans rather than transform them.
We confess that we hesitate to offer our best,
Holding back our time, our trust, and our obedience.

Forgive us, O God,
When we fail to notice the signs of your grace,
When fear keeps us from change,
And when comfort matters more to us than faithfulness.
Turn us again toward your light.

Give us courage to take a new road
When you call us away from what is harmful or unjust.
By your mercy, renew us.
Fill us with joy at the presence of Christ,
And shape us into people who reflect his light in the world.

May our lives become offerings of praise,
And may we leave this place changed—
Ready to walk in your ways,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Epiphany and the New Year from all at Bellshill Central Parish Church

God of light and new beginnings, 
In this Epiphany season— 
and on this first week of a fresh year— 
we come before You with gratitude and hope.

We thank You for the star that led the Magi to Jesus, 
for the light that still guides searching hearts, 
and for the ways You reveal Your presence 
in moments both grand and ordinary.

As we step into this new year, 
shine Your light upon our path. 
Where last year left us weary, renew our strength. 
Where we carry questions, grant us wisdom. 
Where we long for peace, surround us with Your calm.

Lord Jesus, Light of the World, 
be born anew in us today. 
Make us generous in spirit, 
faithful in worship, 
and courageous in sharing Your love.

Holy Spirit, 
open our eyes to the gifts You place before us— 
the gift of community, 
the gift of service, 
the gift of hope that does not fade.

God of revelation and renewal, 
lead us forward with Your guiding star. 
May Your grace shape our days, 
Your love steady our steps, 
and Your presence fill this year with purpose and joy.

We offer our thanks, our praise, and our lives to You, 
in the name of Jesus Christ, 
our Saviour and our guiding light. 
Amen.

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    Are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you will come a ruler
    Who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Reflection

The story of the Magi reminds us that God’s light often appears in unexpected places and draws in unexpected people. These travelers from the East were outsiders—scholars, foreigners, seekers—yet they noticed a star and trusted that it was worth following. Their journey was long, uncertain, and costly, but they were willing to move, to ask questions, and to keep going until they found the child who would change the world.
When the Magi finally reached Jesus, they did not rush past the moment. They stopped, knelt, and worshiped. They offered gifts that reflected both honor and sacrifice, giving not out of obligation but out of reverence and joy. Their response reminds us that true worship involves more than belief; it involves offering our very selves to God.
Perhaps the most important detail in the story comes at the end: after encountering Christ, the Magi returned home by another way. Meeting Jesus altered their direction. They were attentive to God’s guidance, even when it meant avoiding familiar paths and defying the powers of the world.
Matthew’s Epiphany story invites us to consider where we see God’s light today, how willing we are to follow it, and whether we are open to being changed by the journey. Christ still meets those who seek with open hearts—and still calls us to rise, worship, and go forward on a new road.

Jeremiah 31:7-14

This is what the Lord says:

“Sing with joy for Jacob;
    Shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    ‘Lord, save your people,
    The remnant of Israel.’
See, I will bring them from the land of the north
    And gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
    Expectant mothers and women in labor;
    A great throng will return.
They will come with weeping;
    They will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
    On a level path where they will not stumble,
Because I am Israel’s father,
    And Ephraim is my firstborn son.

“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
    Proclaim it in distant coastlands:
‘He who scattered Israel will gather them
    And will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
For the Lord will deliver Jacob
    And redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
    They will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—
The grain, the new wine and the olive oil,
    The young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
    And they will sorrow no more.
Then young women will dance and be glad,
    Young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
    I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
    And my people will be filled with my bounty,”
Declares the Lord

Thoughts to consider from the reading:

• What does it feel like to be isolated and alone?
• Who are the people in our world today who live this experience?
• What does it mean to be ‘brought by God’, ‘gathered by God’, ‘led by God’, and ‘to walk with God’?
• What does it mean to be an ‘exiled community’ and a ‘transformed community’?

Prayer of intercession

O God, interpreting every uttered word and silent thought,
We come to You to seek Your understanding heart.
With prayers we need for daily living,
For courage to face the challenges of these days,
With concerns for family, friends and colleagues,
Hear, Lord God, our prayers.

In recent times the needs and wants of people
Woven into our lives have come to light.
So hear our prayers for those whose grip on life is loosening,
And those whose hope for better times is fading,
And those whose health is far from good,
And those whose frailty brings some new frustration.
Hear, Lord God, our prayers.

As Christmas passes, beneath the glitter and the wrappings,
The poverty and isolation of so many is made plain again.
The hurts and hungers that have not gone away;
The injustices that run like vivid wounds across
The soul of humanity remains raw and sore.

Today, for women and men shut out, shut down, shut up
Through indifference and cruelty, we pray.
For families broken, friendships sundered, communities on edge,
And a world uneasy with itself, we pray.
God bless our King, and all who hold responsibility and governance
In their hands and in their daily work.

We must not pray for things for which we do not work towards.
So, let us work and pray today
For justice addressing exclusion,
For education addressing ignorance,
For open-handed love replacing tight-fisted selfishness,
For common wealth replacing private greed.

Within communities of faith, Your Church,
Let actions match our words,
And willingness to welcome and invite become the hallmarks
Of our living faith,
That every corner of the Church’s life
Might bear the image of the Word made flesh.
Amen.

Benediction

Go now, following the light of Christ.
May God guide your steps,
Fill you with joy in Christ’s presence,
And lead you home by a new way—
To the glory of God and the blessing of the world. Amen.