Living Psalm 72 – Epiphany
Living Psalms Book
Psalms in the form of words and art, reborn in the specific contexts of our world, privileging the voices of historically marginalized communities and those acting in solidarity with them.
Living Psalm 72:1-7; 10-14—for Epiphany
On the 12th day of Christmas
the true bringer of Love says to us:
Put down those packages,
lay aside the petty squabbles
and brightly wrapped baubles.
The holiday tables are empty,
but the feast of Christ’s compassion
has been prepared for you.
The Prince of Peace has come.
Surrender your receipts
and quiet those petty rebukes
so you may rise up to greet the babe,
his radiance reflected
wherever suffering is born.
Our savior has arrived
while we were distracted
by the distant star,
nursing our new year regrets
when we should bend
a knee to the Hope it brings.
On the 12th day of Christmas,
Christ says to me, and to you,
come and adore me –
the outcast, the shivering refugee,
the outraged and the brutalized –
all those deprived of Joy.
For there will be Peace on earth
but only when we deliver it
by our own hand, again
and again, in the face
of endless need, emissaries
of the bringer of Love.
Living Psalm 72:1-7; 10-14—for Epiphanywas written by Maria Mankin.
Living Psalms Book is created by UCC Witness & Worship Artists’ Group, a Network of UCC connected artists, activists and ministers bridging the worship and liturgy of the local church with witness and action in the community. Maren Tirabassi, Editor.
Logo is detail from Living Psalm 80 by Sophia Beardemphl, Redwoods, CA.Recovering from significant bullying, Sophia, age nine, read Psalm 80 and thought of brokenness that needs mending. She drew this broken and mended bowl.
© Copyright 2020 Faith INFO Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.
