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 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 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.