5. Prayer on Epiphany.

Most merciful Saviour! Thou didst indeed show Thyself to be the God of the Jews and the Gentiles, and as the true light that desires to enlighten all men who come into this world unto everlasting life, as Thou didst not only by a bright and wonderful 132 star lead unto Thyself the wise men of the east, who were induced to honor and worship Thee as their king, but didst also lead us poor heathen by the enlightening power of Thy holy Word into Thy gracious kingdom and unto the saving knowledge of Thee. O my Saviour! Thy faithfulness and mercy shown unto us are so great, that we can never sufficiently praise Thee. We were without God strangers and excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. But Thou hast made us Thy people, fellow-citizens with the saints and a household of God. On account of our blindness we were not enabled to know Thee and to find the way to everlasting life; but Thou, Lord Jesus! didst enlighten our minds and enrich us in all knowledge. We sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; but Thou didst let Thy glory shine upon us, so that now we walk in Thy light, and finally enter eternal blessedness in heaven. For this we justly worship and praise Thee with thankful hearts and tongues on this holy day, and will sing of Thy grace and goodness all the days of our life. But we pray Thee, O 133 most faithful Saviour! with our whole soul, that Thou wouldst so multiply Thy grace unto us, as to preserve us and our posterity to the end of time in a saving knowledge of Thee, and by Thy Holy Spirit wouldst so lead and direct us as no more to walk like the heathen in the vanity of our minds and our own fleshly lusts, but rather live godly as children of light, and with humble obedience serve Thee all our days as our King. As Thou, most beloved Saviour, didst so gloriously deliver us from the kingdom of darkness and mercifully received us into the kingdom of grace—into Thy Christian church, grant us also to be blessed saints of heaven, and heirs of Thine eternal glory, for the sake and honor of Thy great name. Amen.