The Baptism of our Lord
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#312 Jesus, Come!
For We Invite You |
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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. Psalm: Psalm 29 Ascribe to
the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to
the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory
of his name; worship the Lord in holy
splendor. The voice
of the Lord is over the waters; the God of
glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is
powerful; the voice of the Lord is full
of majesty. The voice
of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks
the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice
of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes
the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness
of Kadesh. The voice
of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the
forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over
the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as
king forever. May
the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with
peace! |
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The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. Almighty God, you anointed Jesus
at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son.
Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that
we may rejoice to be called children of God, through Jesus Christ, our Savior
and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever. Amen. |
Reading:
Isaiah 43:1-7
A reading from the prophet Isaiah
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who
formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you
by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with
you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk
through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume
you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your
Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because
you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in
return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am
with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will
gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do
not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the
earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
Acts 8:14-17
A reading from the Act of the Apostles
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the
word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and
prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the
Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they
received the Holy Spirit.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia. A voice from
heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Alleluia! (Matt. 3:17)
Gospel Reading: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in
their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John
answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more
powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is
in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his
granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been
baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit
descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#455 Crashing
Waters at Creation
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Remembering your powerful blessings and our
renewal in the Holy Spirit, we offer our prayers for the world, the church, and
for all people according to their needs.
[Short
pause]
Almighty
One, open the heavens again and send your Spirit on us once more. God, in your promised
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Almighty
One, watch over our families and our friends for their safety and for the
joy in your presence among us. God, in your promised mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Almighty
One, mercifully remember all who suffer. Lift up all laid low by
illness, whether physical, mental, or spiritual. Strengthen all who care for
them. God, in your promised mercy, Hear our prayer.
Almighty
One, strengthen first responders, front line health workers, and childhood
educators during these troubled times. God, in your promised mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Almighty
One, strengthen all students and teachers as education is disrupted by the
pandemic. Watch over those who have chosen to work with the youngest of us.
God, in your promised mercy, Hear our prayer.
Almighty
One, look with favor on all who follow your Son. Bless the congregation of Trinity,
Windsor and their pastor, Pr. Mike Lees. God, in your promised mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Almighty
One, we trust in your help. Hear the prayers we keep in our hearts… … God, in
your promised mercy, Hear our prayer.
Into your
hands we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your promise of mercy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hymn #311 Hail to the Lord’s Anointed
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let
us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
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.
Closing prayer
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask
or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the
Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn #310 Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
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. Serve the Lord. Thanks
be to God!
when
Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and
the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
·
Our Gospel reading today does not go into the
negotiations between Jesus and John the Baptizer over who should baptize who.
All that is not the crux of the story.
·
The point of this passage is the revelation of
Jesus as the Son of God. We all know that message is hard to digest for many
although it is part and parcel of all four Gospels.
·
Jesus’ baptism places him in the company of
all those seeking God and who crave a change in their lives. John’s baptism was
a washing for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus was baptized although he had no
need of forgiveness. He just had to be with all those seeking God and looking
for a deeper and more fulfilling way of life.
·
The Spirit descends in bodily form like a dove so this revelation can be
seen by all who are willing to see it. The idea of bodily presence emphasizes
the reality of who Jesus is and who he remains to be, even today.
·
Then comes the voice from heaven: “You are my Son, the
Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
·
The Voice
from heaven declares Jesus to be my
Son. A special relationship is revealed, far beyond that of a
prophet, a disciple, or an apostle. Here is the Son with all that term and
title could mean. It is not made up by followers, or declared by an assembly;
it is spoken by the One whose word makes things happen. In the beginning, God
spoke and it was so.
(Genesis 1:9b) God’s word is creative, sustaining, and powerful, and as John
says the Word became flesh and
lived among us. (John 1:14)
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That Voice
from heaven calls Jesus the Beloved.
That love is not conditional or dependent on any achievement or success. It is
Jesus' identity from the very beginning.
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That Voice
goes on to say with you I am well pleased.
We might be tempted to ask: What? Already?
What’s he done to deserve it? The answer might be: Have you never heard of
grace? Jesus is God’s grace embodied right in front of us and grace is grace.
Jesus is the Beloved from the start and for the Father to say I am well pleased would be
understood. There is also the reality of Jesus’ identity as the incarnate Word.
He does the Father’s will from the beginning of all things and, I suppose,
before the beginning of all things. Jesus was also willing to do the Father’s
will, whatever the cost might be.
·
There is an
odd bit of good news for us all here. After Jesus was baptized and was praying,
the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended. We might remember that
the heavens never closed; they remain open for God’s life and God’s grace to
flow to us. We cannot achieve this for ourselves. We cannot build a stairway to
heaven; God’s place (heaven) and God’s life (grace) continue to be open to us
always as God wishes it to be. That really is good news!
·
Our baptism
was not like Jesus’. First, it means something different. Second, it joins us
to Jesus’ saving life, death, and resurrection. Thirdly, the heavens did not
break open nor did the Spirit descend in the form of a dove… as far as we know.
Well, the heavens were opened at Jesus’ baptism and were not closed up again.
That means they are still open and the Spirit of God is loose in the world and
we might not see it. Let’s look again with the eyes of faith and the eyes of
the Spirit within us. Things may appear different.
when
Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and
the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
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