The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, January 8, 2023 — Baptism of the Lord

Baptism of the Lord

The Sunday Lectionary Readings

Sunday, January 8, 2023 — Baptism of the Lord

(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

"In The Beginning ... God Created"

Opening Statement

In the very beginning, God separated the darkness and the light. God called the Light "Day" and the Darkness, God called "Night". We were once people who dwelled in darkness, but God has given us the true Light, Jesus Christ. God has blessed us and adopted us as God’s own beloved children, through the sacrament of Baptism. The water of baptism brings to us healing and reconciliation; it is a symbol of nourishment and cleansing. This day is the day of the remembrance of Jesus’ Baptism. As we hear the words of his baptism, let us be reminded of our own adoption by God and celebrate the joyous connection to the Almighty God.

Opening Prayer

Creator God, when everything first began, water became a symbol of refreshing, of washing away, of renewing. Through the waters of creation, you brought forth abundant life. We have gathered this day to remember Jesus’ baptism, how your Spirit proclaimed that He was your beloved Son in whom you were very well pleased. Our spirits resound with that proclamation. In His baptism, Jesus’ ministry was initiated. He dedicated his life to you completely and without reservation. Help us to dedicate our lives to you, to offer our best for you, to be of service to you by serving in your world. As we have lifted before you the names of people near and dear to us who need your healing touch and your tender mercies, we have also lifted ourselves up as people in need of your grace. In our world, there is war, oppression, hunger, and alienation. We have not been good stewards of the world. We have not cared for one another. Heal us and this world, Lord. Renew us with your life-giving waters and re-affirm our baptisms as your children. Let us go forth to be people of peace and mercy. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Collect (Book of Common Prayers)

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.

Prayer of Confession

We are incredibly stubborn, O Lord. We have entered the season in which Your Light has been given to the world, your blessings have been poured out on the world, and yet all we can think about is our own problems, our own needs, our own desires. Help us to desire you, Lord. Help us to yearn for your presence. Pour your baptismal waters over us again, cleansing us from our self-pity and arrogance. Nourish and heal us so that we may joyfully serve you. Wash away our jealousy, greed, and all negative thoughts and behaviors that stand in the way of our truly being the people you have called us to be. Again let us receive the blessings offered in creation, in the birth and baptism of Jesus, and in the ministry of the saints of light. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Words of Assurance

The love of God is always offered to us, freely, joyfully, for all eternity. Rejoice, dear friends, this is the Good News of our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

O God our Father, at the baptism of Jesus you proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful to their calling to be our daughters and sons, and empower us all with your Spirit, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading

Isaiah 42:1-9

The servant of God brings justice

1  “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
     my chosen one in whom I delight;
   I will put my Spirit on him,
     and he will bring justice to the nations.
2  He will not shout or cry out,
     or raise his voice in the streets.
3  A bruised reed he will not break,
     and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
   In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4    he will not falter or be discouraged
   till he establishes justice on earth.
     In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

5  This is what God the Lord says—
   the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
     who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
     who gives breath to its people,
     and life to those who walk on it:
6  “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
     I will take hold of your hand.
   I will keep you and will make you
     to be a covenant for the people
     and a light for the Gentiles,
7  to open eyes that are blind,
     to free captives from prison
     and to release from the dungeon those who sit in
         darkness.

8  “I am the Lord; that is my name!
     I will not yield my glory to another
     or my praise to idols.
9  See, the former things have taken place,
     and new things I declare;
   before they spring into being
     I announce them to you.”

A Psalm and A Prayer
Responsive Readings from the Psalms and Prayers
for Public Worship and Private Devotions

Psalm 29
Afferte Domino

Leader: Ascribe to the LORD, you gods,
People: ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

Leader: Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his Name;
People: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Leader: The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;
People: the LORD is upon the mighty waters.

Leader: The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice;
People: the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor.

Leader: The voice of the LORD breaks the cedar trees;
People: the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

Leader: He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
People: and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.

Leader: The voice of the LORD splits the flames of fire; the voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
People: the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Leader: The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe
People: and strips the forests bare.

Leader: And in the temple of the LORD
People: all are crying, “Glory!”

Leader: The LORD sits enthroned above the flood;
People: he LORD sits enthroned as King for evermore.

Leader: The LORD shall give strength to his people;
People: the LORD shall give his people the blessing of peace.

O God, You alone are worthy to be praised. You sit enthroned in the beauty of holiness. You reign as King of the universe and our Heavenly Father. Lord Jesus, we praise You; for You gave Your life that we might be freed and cleansed from sin. And now, You reign at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Fill us with the Holy Spirit and empower us to serve You as we pray:

“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.”

Second Reading

Acts 10:34-43

Jesus’ ministry after his baptism

10:34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. A voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased." Alleluia. (Matt. 3:17)

The Gospel

Matthew 3:13-17

Christ revealed as God’s servant

3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Here end the Lessons

Click HERE to read today’s Holy Gospel Lesson message

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.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel lessons are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Sunday Lectionary and Prayers for Sunday, January 8, 2023
Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

“Baptism of Our Lord” The Gospel Message for Sunday, January 8, 2023 — Baptism of Our Lord

Our Gospel message comes to us today from the 3rd chapter of Matthew, beginning with the 13th verse.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, 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, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17)

All mighty God, we thank you for your word and the way that you in it revealed to us who you are and what you’ve done for us in Christ. Now, as we open that word, we pray that your Spirit may be present, that all thoughts of worry or distraction may be removed and that the Spirit will allow us to hear your voice. And so, oh God, fill us with your Spirit through the reading and proclamation of your word this day. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

“Baptism of Our Lord”

♫ “O How I love Jesus

 O how I love Jesus,

 O how I love Jesus,

 Because he first loved me.” ♫

Because he first loved me. Before I could do anything, before I could even think of needing to do something, Jesus loved me. Now, this is dessert first! Imagine getting the good stuff first, before eating the spinach or meat and potatoes. Imagine being loved before we even breathed our first breath! We read in Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

We are conditioned to think that we must earn something like dessert. You know, eat your vegetables and then get the ice cream. Not so with God. We hear the good news that we are “my sons and daughters, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” All this before we do anything. It is merely a fact.

Jesus even gets the dessert first. Here he is being baptized, and only after does he begin his ministry. Before he has done anything, he hears the words from God, spoken for everyone around to hear, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” All of this before he goes into the wilderness to prepare for his ministry, to be tested. Then he returns to heal the sick, comforts the lost, and gives sight to the blind. He has done nothing, yet he is declared “beloved, well-pleasing to God.”

Jesus returns from the wilderness to do as God wishes. Jesus returns to give life and hope to all people, sharing the love of God to all without price or consideration of worth or deserving. Jesus loves all people simply because we are lovable; we have been declared loveable by God.

This is the love Jesus shows to each of us—a love without deserving, without having to do anything. This is the love that God showers upon all of us who are baptized. A love that requires that we do nothing to deserve, that, in fact, we can do nothing to earn it.

Of course, we love Jesus “because he first loved me.” There is nothing we can do that will make God love us; God in Jesus Christ loves us already.

With our identity and worth established, we are free to live as God would have us live. To live by God’s measure and not by anyone else’s. In baptism, we commit ourselves to a life lived in response to this great love. How could we not share God’s love with others once we have experienced it ourselves? Our journey in faith is to learn how to live a life of response to this love. We commit ourselves to teach our children to live in response to this love despite all the messages they may receive to the contrary.

Along with Jesus, our ministry begins with our baptism. As Jesus went into the wilderness to be tested, we, too, are tested. Life as a baptized child of God is not one that is without pain and suffering. In fact, as we baptize our children, we commit ourselves to make their lives more difficult because we seek to teach them to live open to the needs and hurts of others. We are to live with Matthew 25 in mind, looking for those who are hungry, naked, and thirsty because it is in people such as these that we find Jesus. All of this is in response to the love that was first given to us.

Sometimes we take baptism lightly. Sometimes we see it as something to be done, and that’s about it. We do not really hear the words—they become repetitive and lose their impact. We forget that it all begins with a declaration of our worth, ignoring God’s view of the world, one based on love. Baptism becomes the end rather than the beginning.

We begin our funeral service with the words from Romans, “When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). This is the new life that is lived according to the will of God, driven by love. In response to one who first loved us.

Imagine if we actively sought to see Jesus in all whom we met. Imagine how our response to that person would change. We sometimes get a narrow view of ministry, something done by certain people. In baptism, we are all given a ministry. As we seek to live out our baptism, we find all of life to be ministry. With our identity as loved and the delight of God clearly in mind, we can do what God wants without regard to how it makes us look.

Baptism leads to community and commitment. We baptize into the Christian community because we need each other. Living out our baptism is not easy. There will be struggles and pain. We need others with whom to share these struggles. We need to tell each other the stories of how we have grown through suffering. We need to explore what our baptism means to each of us in our varied stages of life. We need the encouragement of one another when we find it hard to live out our ministry.

We also need to celebrate with one another the joy of living a life that is full of purpose and meaning as we live in harmony with the purposes of God. Life as a child of God is not always easy, but it is always right.

We should begin every day by remembering that we are baptized. When we feel the water on our faces in the morning, it should remind us of the waters of baptism. To do so is to enter daily with a renewed sense of ministry. Who will I meet today? How will my activities today be a ministry to others? How can I share the dessert first with others in this community of faith and beyond?

“Oh how I love Jesus,” it’s no wonder, “because he first loved me.”

Let us pray: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your deep love towards me and thank You for sending Your only begotten Son, my Savior Jesus Christ, to suffer on the cross for my sake so that my sins could be forgiven and that I may live with You forever, in heaven. Lord, I know that I do not warrant Your love, and yet You have showered unconditional love and grace towards me through Christ—for which I praise and thank You.

But Lord, You desire all Your children to love others as Christ loved us, but my love is poor and weak and far removed from all You desire of me. Fill me, I pray, with the love of Christ that I may love others in the same way that Christ loved me—so that as Your love pours into my soul, so I may be used as a conduit for Christ’s love to stream out to others with whom I come into contact.

Help me to demonstrate Your love not only to those that are lovable but also to those who lash out at me through pain or anger, disappointment, or loss. May the love of Jesus be manifested in me, and may the love of Jesus be distributed, by grace through faith—to all with whom I come in contact. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

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Scripture is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Sermon contributed by Rev. Roger Haugen.
“Oh How I Love Jesus”  We hear the words spoken to Jesus at his baptism, before his ministry has begun that, “This is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased” and the same is said to us without us having to earn it.

The Morning Prayer for Sunday, January 8, 2023

 

The Morning Prayer
Sunday, January 8, 2023

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
Luke 17:5–6, NIV

Father in heaven, we thank you for the many ways you strengthen us and reveal your life to us. We thank you for all your protection, also for your protection of our faith and hope. Grant that your Spirit may penetrate us more and more, enabling us to be your witnesses in this evil and unhappy world. May your Spirit give us hope for this life and for the life to come. Amen.

Verse of the Day for Sunday, January 8, 2023

 

Verse of the Day
Sunday, January 8, 2023

Amos 5:14-15

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

We find life when we seek the Lord (John 17:3). Christ delivers us from our sins so we can joyfully live the abundant life free of them (John 8:37; 10:10; Rom. 7:24—8:6).

Read all of Amos Chapter 5

Listen to Amos Chapter 5

Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

Travel the World from Home — Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert

 

The Holy Land:
Connecting the Land with Its Stories
Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert
Season 2 — Episode 3

We know that surviving in the wilderness is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical struggle. The Bible shows this reality through countless stories, including the Israelites wandering in the the desert for 40 years and Jesus retreating there for 40 days and nights. The key to both these stories comes from Matthew 4:4 when Jesus responds to satan saying: “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” So what exactly does that mean? Why did God allow His people to wander for so long before entering the Promised Land? And why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be alone?

In Episode 3, Jack Beck will answer these questions amid the rock and rubble of the Judean Wilderness, but first we'll enjoy a plentiful bedouin feast complete with good music and generous friends. His gracious host, Adnan, shares how his family has passed down the secrets to survival from generation to generation. After experiencing the hospitality, safety, and comfort of an evening with friends, Jack gets up the next morning to venture out into the wilderness to experience the harsh conditions and landscape that Jesus experienced when the Spirit called Him into the desert. Jesus was alone, hungry, and exposed to the elements where the wilderness makes the rules. It was similar to the Israelites' time when Moses led them into wilderness, but with one major difference—they faltered and failed many times while Jesus remained steadfast.

Before we judge the Israelites too harshly as we read Scriptures from our easy chair, we need to understand that everything boils down to one question that God is asking each of us: "Do you trust me?" Watch and decide for yourself.

Season 2 — Episode 3 | Where Jesus Was Tempted In The Desert