It’s early January. You’ve got a service to plan, a bulletin to finalize, and a worship team expecting direction — and you’re staring at a list of hymn titles with no idea which one belongs on which Sunday. That’s exactly why I built this guide.
The hymns for Epiphany season aren’t just for January 6. The Epiphany season runs from the Feast of the Magi all the way through Transfiguration Sunday — sometimes nine Sundays in all. And the right hymn for one Sunday can feel completely wrong two weeks later. This guide gives you a Sunday-by-Sunday Epiphany Season Hymn Planner matched to the lectionary themes for Years A, B, and C, plus the classic hymns for Epiphany broken down by when and why to use them.
Epiphany — from the Greek epiphaneia (ἐπιφάνεια), meaning “manifestation” or “appearing” — marks the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world. The feast day falls on January 6, commemorating the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. But in most liturgical traditions, Epiphany is also a season — a stretch of weeks between Christmas and Lent during which the church reads stories of Jesus revealing himself: at his baptism, at the wedding in Cana, in his healings, and ultimately in his Transfiguration on the mountain.
The season begins January 6 and ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Depending on when Easter falls, the Epiphany season can last anywhere from four to nine Sundays. That range matters for hymn planning — some Sundays may appear in some years and not others.
The unifying theme is light. The same light the star carried to the Magi is the light Christ manifests throughout the season — in water, in healings, on a mountaintop. Every strong hymns for Epiphany leans into that image.
The Epiphany Season Hymn Planner
This table matches hymn suggestions to each Sunday of the Epiphany season, including notes on Year A, B, and C lectionary themes. Use it to plan the whole season at once.
How to use this table: The “Theme” column notes key differences by lectionary year. If your church follows Year A, B, or C, look for the corresponding note to find the best hymn fit for that reading.
Sunday
Theme (Year A / B / C)
Hymn 1
Hymn 2
Hymn 3
January 6 — Epiphany DayAll years: Matt 2:1-12 — Magi, star, Gentiles welcomed
As with Gladness Men of Old
We Three Kings of Orient Are
Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning
Baptism of the LordA: Matt 3:13-17 · B: Mark 1:4-11 · C: Luke 3:15-22
Holy Spirit descends; God’s voice; water and Spirit
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
Baptized in Water
Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized
2nd Sunday after EpiphanyA: Lamb of God (John 1:29) · B: Disciples called · C: Cana (John 2)
Revelation through calling and miracle
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (Cana stanza)
Jesus Calls Us
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
3rd Sunday after EpiphanyA: Matt 4:12-23, Galilee ministry · B: Fishers of men · C: Anointed to proclaim (Luke 4)
Jesus begins his public mission
Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
The People That in Darkness Sat
4th Sunday after EpiphanyA: Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12) · B: Teaching with authority · C: Rejection at Nazareth
The upside-down kingdom; authority; rejection
Blest Are They
Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies
O Worship the King
5th Sunday after EpiphanyA: Salt and Light (Matt 5:13-20) · B: Healing many · C: Miraculous catch (Luke 5)
Light for the world; healing; call to follow
Arise, Your Light Is Come!
This Little Light of Mine
Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult
6th Sunday after EpiphanyA: Matt 5:21-37, deeper righteousness · B: Healing of leper · C: Blessings and Woes (Luke 6)
Radical obedience; wholeness; blessings
Blest Are They
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
7th Sunday after Epiphany*A: Love your enemies · B: Paralyzed man healed · C: Give generously (Luke 6)
Love, forgiveness, generosity
They’ll Know We Are Christians
O Jesus, I Have Promised
Crown Him with Many Crowns
Transfiguration SundayA: Matt 17:1-9 · B: Mark 9:2-9 · C: Luke 9:28-36
Mountain, glory, dazzling light, God’s voice
O Wondrous Type, O Vision Fair
Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory
Crown Him with Many Crowns
*The 7th–8th Sundays after Epiphany only occur in years when Easter falls late. Check your church’s liturgical calendar.
The Greek Word Behind the Season
The two Greek words below unlock the entire season’s theology — and explain why light is the dominant image in almost every hymn for Epiphany.
ἐπιφάνεια epiphaneia From epi (upon) + phainō (to shine). Means “manifestation,” “appearance,” or “shining forth.” Used in 2 Timothy 1:10 for Christ’s appearing that “abolished death and brought life to light.” This is the season of God showing up in visible, undeniable ways — Magi following a star, a voice from heaven at baptism, a man gleaming white on a mountain.
φῶς phōs Light. The recurring image of the entire season. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2, echoed in Matt 4:16). Every strong Epiphany hymn is, at its core, a light hymn. When you hear the congregation sing about stars, brightness, morning, or radiance — they’re singing epiphaneia theology without knowing the word.
Best Hymns for Epiphany Day (January 6)
January 6 is the Feast of Epiphany — the day the church commemorates the Magi’s visit to the Christ child. The readings are consistent across all lectionary years: Matthew 2:1–12, the star, the wise men (Magi), and the gifts they carry. Your hymn selection should lean into the themes of starlight, the Gentiles welcomed, and worship that transcends every boundary.
As with Gladness Men of Old William C. Dix, 1858
The most commonly sung hymn for Epiphany and the most theologically complete. Each stanza moves the journey of the Magi forward — from the star, to the manger, to lifelong discipleship. The final stanza is a prayer that the congregation’s entire life become an act of Epiphany offering.
Why it works: Covers the whole Epiphany narrative in one hymn. Easy for congregations to learn. Public domain.
We Three Kings of Orient Are John H. Hopkins Jr., 1857
Each of the three middle stanzas is sung by a different Magi, describing their gift — gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This gives the hymn a dramatic, narrative quality that works especially well for children’s programs or dramatic readings woven into worship.
Why it works: Congregation-friendly, tells the story vividly, great for all ages.
Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning Reginald Heber, 1811
Written by the same poet who gave us “Holy, Holy, Holy,” this hymn opens with the star and the Magi’s journey, then turns inward: what gift can we actually bring to Christ? The answer it gives — “vainly we offer each ample oblation” — is theologically striking and worth preaching through.
Why it works: Theologically rich; good match for a sermon on the nature of true worship.
What Star Is This, with Beams So Bright Charles Coffin, 1736
Less well-known but deeply theological, this 18th-century Latin hymn draws directly on the early church’s understanding of the star as the Holy Spirit guiding the nations to Christ. Its subdued, reverent melody fits an early morning Epiphany service well.
Why it works: Excellent for traditional or high-church liturgical settings.
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright Philipp Nicolai, 1599
One of the oldest hymns in this list and one of the most beloved in Lutheran tradition. Johann Sebastian Bach based his cantata BWV 1 on this melody. The hymn addresses Christ directly as the morning star — the image drawn from Revelation 22:16 — and is particularly effective as an opening processional.
The first Sunday after Epiphany is the Baptism of the Lord — the moment in all three synoptic Gospels when the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and God’s voice speaks from heaven. This is a second Epiphany moment: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all present and visible at once.
The hymns that work best here connect water with Spirit, not just ritual. They remind the congregation that their own baptism was not merely a ceremony but an entry into the same family that gathered at the Jordan.
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise Christopher Wordsworth, 1862
This hymn was written to walk through the entire Epiphany season stanza by stanza — and the second stanza covers the Baptism of the Lord directly: “Manifest at Jordan’s stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme.” It’s the only hymn for Epiphany that does this, which makes it uniquely useful in any Epiphany Sunday. More on this below.
Why it works: Built for Epiphany season from the ground up. LSB 394.
Baptized in Water Michael Saward, 1981
A modern hymn set to an ancient Celtic melody (Bunessan — the same tune as “Morning Has Broken”). Its three stanzas cover the Trinitarian nature of baptism — water, Spirit (what older hymn traditions call the Holy Ghost), and the Father’s claim. It’s accessible for contemporary and traditional congregations alike.
Why it works: Contemporary feel with theological substance; easy to teach.
Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized F. Bland Tucker, 1980
Written specifically for the Baptism of the Lord Sunday, this hymn connects Christ’s baptism to the congregation’s own. The final stanza is a prayer that the same Spirit who descended at the Jordan would descend on the worshippers now. LSB 406, ELW 304.
Why it works: The most liturgically precise hymn for this Sunday.
Hymns for Sundays After Epiphany
Once the Baptism of the Lord Sunday passes, the lectionary moves into a sequence some traditions call “Ordinary Time” — though the Epiphany season itself continues. Each Sunday after Epiphany follows a different Gospel reading, and your hymn selection should track with the text your congregation is hearing.
When the Text Is About Calling (Sundays 2–3)
Years A and B both feature Jesus calling his first disciples in the early Sundays after Epiphany — particularly the second Sunday after Epiphany. Year C opens with the wedding at Cana — Christ’s first miracle, his first public revelation. These readings call for hymns about following, mission, and the light of Christ breaking into ordinary life.
Good options: Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult (Cecil Frances Alexander), Hail to the Lord’s Anointed (James Montgomery, 1821), and The People That in Darkness Sat (John Morison). For congregations following the theme of agape love in Year C’s early Sundays, consider pairing the text with the newer congregational hymns about love for others that connect the Cana miracle to self-giving love.
When the Text Is About the Kingdom (Sundays 4–6)
The middle Sundays of Epiphany tend to cover the Beatitudes (Year A), the early healings (Year B), and the blessings-and-woes section of Luke’s Sermon on the Plain (Year C). The common thread is the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom — blessing the poor, healing the sick, welcoming the outcast.
Blest Are They (David Haas) is the natural fit for Years A and C. For Year B’s healing texts, O Christ, the Healer, We Have Come (Fred Pratt Green) works well. And Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun (Isaac Watts, 1719) is a strong choice whenever the text emphasizes the scope of Christ’s lordship — which is most Sundays in this stretch.
When the Text Is About Light (Any Sunday)
For any Sunday in the Epiphany season where the text touches on light, mission, or revelation, these three hymns are strong across all years:
Arise, Your Light Is Come! (Ruth Duck, 1974) — based directly on Isaiah 60:1, this hymn is perfectly calibrated to Epiphany themes and works especially well for Year A’s “Salt and Light” Sunday. Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies (Charles Wesley, 1740) is a morning hymn and light hymn in one — Charles Wesley at his most focused. And This Little Light of Mine, the traditional African American spiritual, grounds the whole season’s theology in simplest form: the light of Epiphany is not just for the nave — it goes with the congregation into the world.
Hymns for Transfiguration Sunday
Transfiguration Sunday is the last Sunday of the Epiphany season — the hinge between Epiphany and Lent. The following Tuesday is Ash Wednesday. Choosing the right hymns for Epiphany’s final Sunday matters because you’re simultaneously celebrating the season’s climactic revelation and preparing the congregation for the descent into Lent.
The reading in all three years is the Transfiguration account: Jesus on the mountain, dazzling white, Moses and Elijah appearing, a cloud overshadowing them, and God’s voice saying “This is my Son.” The disciples fall on their faces. It’s a moment of almost unbearable glory immediately followed by the shadow of the cross.
O Wondrous Type, O Vision Fair Latin, 15th century
Written specifically for the Transfiguration — one of the oldest hymns in the tradition connected to this feast. Its text describes the mountain scene directly and ends with the congregation joining in the witness. LSB 414.
Why it works: The most liturgically precise Transfiguration hymn in the Western canon.
Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory Brian Wren, 1977
A contemporary hymn that brings the disciples off the mountain and into the valley — which is exactly where the congregation is heading as Ash Wednesday approaches. Its final stanza asks God to keep the vision alive as ordinary life resumes.
Why it works: Perfect bridge hymn between Epiphany’s glory and Lent’s discipline.
Crown Him with Many Crowns Matthew Bridges, 1851
Not a Transfiguration hymn per se, but its third stanza — “Crown him the Lord of light, whose eye commands the vast design” — makes it a natural fit for the season’s close. It’s also strong enough to carry a congregation into both Lent and the coming months.
Why it works: Familiar enough to anchor a congregation; theologically broad enough to hold Epiphany’s arc.
Which Hymnals Include These Songs?
Different traditions call the same hymns by the same names but find them at very different page numbers. This table shows which denominations commonly include the core hymns for Epiphany, with approximate hymnal numbers where we’re confident. For exact numbers in your edition, verify at hymnary.org.
Hymn
LSB (Lutheran)
ELW (Lutheran)
UMH (Methodist)
Notes
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
394
310
—
Common in Lutheran & Episcopal traditions; check 1982 Episcopal Hymnal
O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
395
308
247
Bach’s BWV 1 cantata is based on this melody
As with Gladness Men of Old
397
302
247*
Shared tune with other hymns in some hymnals
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
398
311
203
Standard Epiphany 3 hymn across traditions
Brightest and Best
400
303
220
Written by the same author as “Holy, Holy, Holy”
Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized
406
304
—
Specifically composed for Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun
412
359
157
Isaac Watts, 1719 — one of the great missionary hymns
O Wondrous Type, O Vision Fair
414
—
260
Best Transfiguration Sunday hymn in the Western tradition
We Three Kings
395*
303*
254
Public domain; widely included but check your edition
*Verify with your specific edition — numbers vary between printings. The Lutheran Service Book (2006) and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006) are referenced here.
One Hymn That Covers the Whole Season
If you could only keep one hymn in rotation for the entire Epiphany season, it’s “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise” by Christopher Wordsworth (1862). Here’s why: it was written to walk through the Epiphany season stanza by stanza, with each verse tracking a different revelation of Christ.
Stanza 1 covers the Magi and the star — Epiphany Day. Stanza 2 covers the Baptism of the Lord: “Manifest at Jordan’s stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme.” Stanza 3 covers the wedding at Cana (Year C, 2nd Sunday). Stanza 4 addresses the healings and other manifestations of power across the middle Sundays. And stanza 5 covers the Transfiguration.
No other hymn does this. Most Epiphany hymns pick one story. Wordsworth wrote a hymn that is the whole season in miniature. You can sing different stanzas on different Sundays and show your congregation that these readings are all one connected story — God appearing, again and again, in ways they couldn’t have expected.
It’s in the Lutheran Service Book (394) and the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (310). If your hymnal doesn’t include it, the text is public domain — a choir can learn it in a single rehearsal.
The Story Behind “As with Gladness Men of Old”
Hymn Deep Dive
“As with Gladness Men of Old” — William C. Dix, written January 6, 1858
William Chatterton Dix was 29 years old and sick in bed when he wrote this hymn — on the Feast of Epiphany itself. He couldn’t get to church. So he read the Gospel reading, meditated on it, and wrote what became the most-sung Epiphany hymn in the English-speaking world.
What’s remarkable about the text is how it moves. The first stanza describes the Magi with gladness. The second asks the congregation to join that gladness — “as with joyful steps they sped.” The third is a prayer to be guided to Christ just as the star guided the kings. And the last stanza is the most quietly powerful: a prayer that “when the earthly things are past,” the congregation would find itself in the heavenly city where no star is needed because Christ himself is the light.
I’ve watched worship leaders use this hymn as a throwaway opener — the hymn before the real hymn — and I always want to say: slow down. There’s a dying man’s prayer in stanza four. Dix knew he was seriously ill when he wrote it. He recovered, but he didn’t know he would when he picked up his pen. Sing it like it means something.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Epiphany Sunday and the Sundays after Epiphany?
Epiphany Sunday (January 6) is the feast day celebrating the Magi’s visit — the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles. “Sundays after Epiphany” are the ordinary weeks that follow in the liturgical year, when the church continues reading stories of Christ revealing himself. Both belong to the Epiphany season, but they have different lectionary texts and call for different hymns.
How long is the Epiphany season?
It depends on when Easter falls. Because Lent begins 46 days before Easter, and Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the length of the Epiphany season varies from year to year. In some years you’ll get only four Sundays after Epiphany; in others, as many as eight or nine. The season always ends with Transfiguration Sunday.
What hymns for Epiphany work for contemporary worship?
For contemporary settings, Arise, Your Light Is Come! (Ruth Duck), Baptized in Water (set to Bunessan), and This Little Light of Mine all translate well. More recent worship songs like Shine, Jesus, Shine (Graham Kendrick) or Open the Eyes of My Heart also carry Epiphany themes — light, revelation, the Spirit making Jesus visible — even if they weren’t written for the liturgical season specifically.
Are there hymns for Epiphany in the Lutheran Service Book?
Yes — the Lutheran Service Book (LSB) has a dedicated Epiphany section with hymns 394–417. The strongest picks for Epiphany Sunday services are LSB 394 (Songs of Thankfulness and Praise), 395 (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright), 397 (As with Gladness Men of Old), and 400 (Brightest and Best). LSB 412 (Jesus Shall Reign) and 414 (O Wondrous Type) work well for Sundays after Epiphany and Transfiguration respectively.
What comes after Epiphany?
Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. The transition from Transfiguration Sunday to Ash Wednesday is one of the most dramatic in the liturgical calendar — from the brightness of the mountaintop to dust and ashes in a single day. If you’re planning ahead for Palm Sunday sermon ideas or hymns for other seasons, we have dedicated guides for both.
Can I use Christmas hymns during Epiphany?
Technically yes — the Epiphany season is still within the Christmas cycle theologically. “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Joy to the World,” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory” all hold up in early January. But the distinctly Epiphany hymns (star, Magi, light, revelation) serve your congregation better because they track with the lectionary readings rather than the Christmas narrative they’ve already moved through. Save the Christmas hymns for December.
If you’re looking for hymn guides for other seasons, our roundups on hymns for Memorial Day services and hymns for Veterans Day church services use the same approach: matching hymn to moment so your worship team has what they need before Sunday arrives.
George Hendricks is the founder and managing editor of Godsverse.org. He has written and published over 200 skit reviews, church resource guides, and Bible study articles. With a background in data-driven content strategy and digital publishing, George built Godsverse into one of the most comprehensive collections of church skit reviews and printable scripts online. When he's not writing, he's researching what churches actually need and figuring out how to deliver it.
