THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY:
THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
Service and Readings
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Sunday, January 08, 2023 at 10:00Am
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HYMN
Shall We Gather at the River
(#141, The Lift Every Voice And Sing Hymnal)
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Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
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The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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THE FIRST READING
A Reading from the Book of Isaiah.
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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THE PSALM
Psalm 98
Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the Lord *
all are crying, "Glory!"
The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
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THE SECOND READING
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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GOSPEL HYMN
Christ for the World We Sing
(#537, vs. 4; The Hymnal 1982)
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THE GOSPEL READING
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
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THE HOMILY
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THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name
may be united in your truth,
live together in your love,
and reveal your glory in the world.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land,
and of all the nations,
in the ways of justice and peace;
that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly
in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours,
and grant that we may serve Christ in them,
and love one another as he loves us.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer
in body, mind, or spirit;
give them courage and hope in their troubles,
and bring them the joy of your salvation.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died,
that your will for them may be fulfilled;
and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
(The People may add their own petitions.)
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For yours is the majesty,
O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
yours is the kingdom and the power,
and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
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Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
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Almighty God have mercy on you,
forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ,
strengthen you in all goodness,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit
keep you in eternal life. Amen.
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THE PEACE
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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THE HOLY COMMUNION
Let us with gladness present the offerings and oblations
of our life and labor to the Lord.
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HYMN
Baptized in Water
(#294, vs 3; The Hymnal 1982)
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The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect Man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receive power to become your children.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosana in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days, you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, according to his command, O Father,
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
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(A prayer for those who cannot physically be in the Church today.)
My Jesus,
I believe that you are truly present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things,
and long for you in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
come spiritually into my heart.
As you have already come,
I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you;
never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
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O Lamb of God,
that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us. (2x)
O Lamb of God,
that takest away the sins of the world,
grant us thy peace.
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The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
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HYMN
God Is Love and Where True Love Is
(#577, vs. 3; The Hymnal 1982)
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Let us pray.
Eternal God, heavenly Father,
you have graciously accepted us
as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food
in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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THE BLESSING
May Almighty God, who sent his Son to take our nature upon him,
bless you in this holy season, scatter the darkness of sin,
and brighten your heart with the light of his holiness. Amen.
May God, who sent his angels
to proclaim the glad news of the Savior’s birth,
fill you with joy, and make you heralds of the Gospel. Amen.
May God, who in the Word made flesh
joined heaven to earth and earth to heaven,
give you his peace and favor. Amen.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.
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HYMN
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
(#490, vs. 3; The Hymnal 1982)
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