THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY—January 9, 2020

		JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN THE INAGUARATION OF JESUS MINISTRY A LITURGY FOR MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION Use As Much Or As Little As You Choose
		You Are My Beloved One In Whom I Am Well Pleased CENTERING IN PREPARATION The Spirit dances in the water, waiting in baptism to join us in the fire of God’s love. Come to the waters. Come to the Spirit. Come to the journey of a lifetime—a journey through death to life everlasting. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2022. OPENING WORDS Our God is a God of power and strength! God has created each of us with tender care. Our God is a God of majesty and awe! God walks with each of us every step of the way. Our God is a God of glory and wonder! God loves each of us with tenderness and passion. Our God calls us each by name. God calls each of us to unite in worship together. PRAYER FOR WORSHIP Divine Spirit, descend upon us this day, as you descended upon Jesus on the day of his baptism. In the midst of our brokenness, we long to touch the healing of your Spirit, as you touch us with your love. In the presence of evil all around us, we yearn to be protected by the holy fire of your sustaining Spirit. As we remember, with gratitude, our baptism this day, remind us that we are a people of the water— a pople emade one and whole, through the Spirit made known in Christ Jesus. Amen. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2022. TRISAGION You speak, O God, and the world reverberates in your love. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One: speak your love to us. You claim a people, O God, and they become your Beloved, heirs of your Kin-Dom. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One: make us your people claimed by your love. You name what you choose and call it beloved; in pleasure you delight in your choosing. Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One: named by your love may we bring you delight. PRAYER OF THE DAY O God of all creation, You came into the world that we might know love and new life. Pour your Spirit on your church, that it may fulfill Christ’s command to live the gospel everywhere; that the proclamation of the good news might be heard throughout the earth. Reassure us, that we are your beloved people. Defend us against all evil and temptation. Give us grace to bear faithful witness to you. Endue us with love, keep us constant in prayer, empower us for the service of love. Amen. —The Abingdon Women’s Preaching Annual, Series 2, Year C. GLORIA Glory be to God on high. God's glory be the light in which we live. Peace to God's people on earth, Peace is the good will we share in common. Thanks be to God. PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION Come to the word, seeking the presence of the living God. We come seeking life with Christ in the promise of our baptism. Come to the word, seeking forgiveness for the hurts you have caused others. We come to offer our very selves as a living sacrifice. Come to the word, seeking acceptance, with hearts ready to be born anew. We come to receive God’s Spirit. Listen for the word of God. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2022. FIRST READING Isaiah 43:1-7 1 But now thus says the God of Hosts, the One who created you, O Jacob, the One who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 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. 3 For I am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4 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. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my daughters and sons from far away and from the end of the earth— 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” PSALMODY Psalm 29 1 Ascribe to God, O heavenly beings, ascribe to God glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to God's name the glory it is due, worship God in holy splendor. 3 The voice of God is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, God, over mighty waters. 4 The voice of God is powerful; the voice of God is full of majesty. 5 The voice of the God breaks the cedars; God breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6 God makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of God flashes forth flames of fire. 8 The voice of God shakes the wilderness; God shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of God causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in God's temple all say, “Glory!” 10 God sits enthroned over the flood; God sits enthroned as sovereign forever. 11 God give strength to the people, O God! Bless your people with peace! SECOND READING Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, the Anointed One Chosen of God 16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; whose sandals I am not fit to untie! That One will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 Winnowing fork in hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff will burn with unquenchable fire." 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are mine, the Beloved One; in whom I am well pleased." CALL TO RECONCILIATION As the baptized of God, let us seek to bring to fulfillment the redemption and reconciliation that is ours in God's love. PRAYER FOR REDEMPTION AND HEALING Holy One, we confess that we live at times as if You are far away. We live at times as if You are above us, distant in a cloud. We have forgotten the humanness of Your life, that You were born as vulnerable and messy as us. You were baptized as we were baptized, in water from this earth You created. You called forth followers who were Your friends. You celebrated at weddings and had family members tell you what to do. Remind us to invite You into the mess of our lives, O God, for You have lived it and experienced it. You know what it is like to be rejected by family, to be feared, to be forgotten, and to be loved and accepted and cared for. Remind us that You are very near to us, not only in Spirit, but in experience. You know us. You know our hearts. You know our lives. May we rejoice and celebrate that You are dear to us, and we are dear to You. Amen. —Rev. Mindi @ http://rev-o-lution.org/ WORDS OF ASSURANCE Do not worry, sisters and brothers, for God has redeemed you and called you by name. Do not worry, children of the promise, for God is with us even now, gathering the lost into the light of everlasting love and faithfulness. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J.. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2022. PRAYER OF INTERCESSION Glorious God, as Jesus prayed at his baptism, your mothering Spirit brooded over him, providing sustenance and strength. So brood over us today as we offer our prayers for the church and world saying, Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for your church: may your word spark our lives with truth and joy as we serve one another to the glory of your name. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for all leaders and people around the globe: may your justice provoke us to shape a peaceful world where all work for the common good. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for the well-being of your creation: may your goodness startle us to the horror of our exploitation and abuse. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for all who suffer grief or sickness of any kind: may your tender presence abide with us and hasten our healing. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for all who lack the essentials of life: may your righteousness raise us up to walk together with respect and dignity for all. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. We pray for those who have died, that your steadfast love may shelter them in the peace of your eternal light. Mothering Spirit, stir us with your power. O God, you have made us, formed us, and called us by name, and you have redeemed us in Christ. Receive our prayers this day, for your life-giving Spirit is powerful to save. Amen. —Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 1. THE PRAYER OF JESUS Our God, in whom we are named and blessed and beloved, is enthroned in the heavens. Holy is your name above all names. May your realm come, your will be done; here and now as it is in heaven. Provide us with our daily measure. Forgive us when we forget we are yours and that you have claimed us, as we forgive those who do likewise. Test not our faith and love for we are still learning how to be your people, but keep us from all evil. For yours is the Kin-Dom, the Power, and the Glory. Amen. PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION Wellspring of Life, we ne,water and air to live. By our breath we know Your Spirit; by the waters we know death and life. We are birthed into this world in the water of the womb, and born into You by the breath of the Spirit. In our baptism, we remember that we are both fully born of You and of this earth. As Jesus came to us, may we understand our unity in You. May we grow in understanding of our connection to the earth and all of creation. May we do our part to clean our water and air, to remember these gifts from You, gifts through the earth, that are part of us. In the name of Christ, who was born of Mary and brings us into new life now on Your beautiful earth, we pray. Amen. —Rev. Mindi @ http://rev-o-lution.org/ SENDING FORTH We have been with Jesus to the River of Jordan, river of life, river of promise. Go forth in the joy of life, — to live as children of promise. —Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 1. DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING May the grace of Jesus Christ, who stood with sinners on the river bank, uphold you. May the voice of God resound in your heart—you are my Beloved, in whom I am well pleased. May the remembrance of your baptism keep you in the way of God's justice and peace. Amen.