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Service of Word
and Prayer for festival of the Baptism of the Lord |
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The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all. And also with you. |
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Psalm 29 (today’s Responsorial Psalm) 1 Ascribe
to the Lord, O heavenly beings, 3 The
voice of the Lord is over the waters; 5 The
voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; 7 The
voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. 9 The
voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, 10 The Lord sits
enthroned over the flood; |
Oration for the Baptism of the Lord
Holy God, creator of light and giver of goodness, your
voice moves over the waters. Immerse us in your grace, and transform us by your
Spirit, that we may follow after your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 1:4-11
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism
of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people
from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going
out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their
sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a
leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He
proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not
worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I
have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit.”
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by
John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of
the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove
on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son,
the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Thanks and Offertory
The Prayers of the Church:
(from the Celebrate)
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For continued progress on vaccines and
therapeutics for the virus. Let us pray. Have
mercy, O God.
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For our bishops, Susan and Michael and all in
authority in the church. Let us pray. Have mercy, O God. ·
For the congregation
of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Windsor and their pastor, Pr. Mike
Lees. Let us pray. Have mercy, O God. ·
For all the needs and
prayers we hold in our hearts… (a time of silent prayer)… Let us pray. Hear us, O God. |
·
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The
Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Our
Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against
us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For
thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Acts
19:1-7
(today’s second reading)
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior
regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He
said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They
replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 Then
he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s
baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of
repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,
that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his
hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and
prophesied— 7 altogether there were about twelve of them.
Benediction
and Sending
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face shine on us and
be gracious to us.
The Lord look upon us with favor and
give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace. Share the Good News. Thanks be to God
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First
Reading: Genesis 1:1-5
1 In
the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless
void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from
God swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was
light. 4 And
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day.
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And just as he was coming up out of
the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a
dove on him. § Mark tells
us of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River. After he is washed in the
water, Jesus saw the heavens torn
apart and the Spirit of God coming down like a dove. Whether the Spirit took the form of a
dove or came down in a floaty way as a dove would to alight on him doesn’t
really matter. What matters is the presence of God’s Spirit. § John’s
baptism was a washing as a symbol of a new life after repentance. John’s
message of repentance cannot be separated from his baptism. His calling-out
of people who came to him for the experience or for the sake of being part of
what might be called a fad. John insisted on repentance and called those
people who came out on a whim a “brood of vipers” or something like that.
Rather serious language, I’m sure you’d agree! § We have no
evidence that Jesus ever baptized people. The Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s
letters tell us that baptism has been part of the Church’s experience since
its beginning. However, this baptism is different from John’s. Repentance is included
and it is not necessarily a precondition for baptism as it was for John’s
washing. If we baptize infants, we cannot expect prior repentance. § The
difference is the role of the Spirit. The Spirit comes down on Jesus like a dove at his baptism
by John. John’s baptism was a baptism with water for the sake of repentance.
The baptism of the disciples of Jesus is a baptism with water and the Spirit
for rebirth and new life. The role of the Spirit is central as the giver of
grace. If grace and the free gift of God is central, then the baptism of
infants makes sense. It is the grace of God in the Spirit of God that makes
the difference. § Speaking
for myself, I like the image of the
heavens torn open. This image of things being torn open reflects
power and energy and even permanence. When the Spirit descends from the
fractured heavens, there is no note of repair. Later, the Gospels tell of the
curtain in the Temple that is torn in two when Jesus dies on the cross. This
curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. With the
curtain torn, the presence of God could no longer be restrained in that one
place. With the heavens torn apart, earth and heaven have come together and
there will be no separation. We humans often want our place and want God to
be in God’s place. The Incarnation and, in this case, the baptism of Jesus
ends that idea. The presence of God cannot be restrained from any place even
if we perceive that presence in a stronger way in certain places. That’s on
us because God is just a present anywhere, whether that place is a cathedral
or a farm field, a chapel or a dining room, a convent or a bakery or garage
or shop. § The heavens
remain torn apart and the Spirit is loose in the world. Jesus breathed that
Spirit on his disciples after his resurrection. Christians pass on that
Spirit daily, in baptism, in prayer, and in community fellowship. We have to
keep doing that. With the Spirit of God before us, behind us, and around us,
we will be able to do this. And just as he was coming up out of
the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a
dove on him. |
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