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January 8, 2023, 10:30
a.m.
The Baptism of Our Lord
THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
Today the Church celebrates a ‘theophany’ (an
appearance or revelation of God). When John baptizes Jesus, not only is Jesus
shown forth as the Son of God, but the Holy Trinity is revealed – the Father in
the Voice; the Spirit in the Dove; the Son standing in the river.
FIRST
READING:
Jesus is revealed as the One who fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah: the
suffering servant, full of the divine spirit, who will bring God’s justice to
the nations.
PSALMODY: Psalm 29 is appointed for the day for the water
imagery, together with the voice of God: ‘The voice of the LORD is upon the
waters.’ Such a scene also harks back to the creation narrative of Genesis 1.
SECOND
READING:
After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter proclaims him to Cornelius and his household
as Lord of all, telling the story of his life in brief: how he was anointed
with the Holy Spirit and with power, his ministry of word and deed, his
crucifixion and his resurrection, and his command that the apostles preach
faith in him to all people, concluding with the promise that those who believe
in him are given new life. This life is the baptismal life, the life that grasps
by faith the grace which is given in Christ Jesus.
GOSPEL: When we are baptized, we stand in
the water in the place of Christ. The Father makes a covenant with us, making
each of us a brother or sister of Jesus – a son or daughter of God. He anoints
each of us with the Holy Spirit to do as Jesus did; to praise and serve Him, to
do good and be an agent of healing in the world. He promises that those who believe
in Christ will receive forgiveness of sins in his name, and that the eternal
life he shares with the Father will be ours.
OPENING MUSIC
O Morning Star, How
Fair and Bright
– Philip Gehring
Let All Things Now
Living
–
I.
John
Eggert
II.
David
Cherwien
Stand and face the procession.
In the
name of the Father,
and of
the ☩ Son,
and of the
Holy Spirit.
Amen
Joined to
Christ in the waters of baptism,
we are
clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness.
Let us give
thanks for the gift of baptism.
Holy God,
mighty Lord, gracious Father,
in the
beginning your Spirit moved over the waters
and by
your Word you created the world,
calling
forth life in which you took delight.
Through
the waters of the flood
you condemned
the wicked
and saved
those whom you had chosen.
Through
the sea
you led
your people Israel from slavery into freedom.
In the
waters of the Jordan
your Son
was baptized by John
and anointed
with the Holy Spirit.
By water
and the Word you claim us as daughters and sons,
making us
heirs of your promise and servants of all.
We
praise you for the gift of water that sustains life,
and
above all we praise you
for the
gift of new life in Jesus Christ.
Shower
us with your Spirit,
and
renew our lives with your forgiveness, grace, and love.
To you be
given honor and praise
through
Jesus Christ our Lord
in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen
WHymn Green LBW 557 Let All Things Now Living
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. 2 Corinthians 13:13
KYRIE
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
HYMN OF PRAISE
Amen
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things God now declares.
Let us hear the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 42:9
Sit
FIRST READING: Isaiah 42:1-9
1Here 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.
2He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5Thus 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:
6I 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,
7to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8I am the Lord, that
is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9See, 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.
PSALM
29
Antiphon
1 Ascribe to the | Lord, you gods,*
ascribe
to the Lord glo- | ry and
strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the
glory | due his name;*
worship the Lord in the beau- | ty of holiness.
3 The voice of
the Lord is upon the waters; the
God of | glory thunders;*
the
Lord is upon the | mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is a
pow- | erful voice;*
the voice of the Lord is a | voice of splendor.
5 The voice of
the Lord breaks the | cedar
trees;*
the
Lord breaks the ce- | dars of
Lebanon;
6 he makes Lebanon skip | like a calf,*
and Mount Hermon
like a | young wild ox.
7 The voice of
the Lord splits the flames of
fire;
the voice of the
Lord | shakes the wilderness;*
the
Lord shakes the wilder- | ness of
Kadesh.
8 The voice of the Lord
makes the | oak trees writhe*
and strips the |
forests bare.
9 And in the temple | of the Lord*
all
are | crying, "Glory!"
10 The Lord sits enthroned a-
| bove the flood;*
the Lord sits enthroned as | king
forevermore.
11 The Lord shall give strength | to his
people;*
the Lord shall give his people the bless- |
ing of peace. Antiphon
SECOND READING
Acts
10:34-43
34Peter began to speak to [Cornelius
and his household]: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but
in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to
him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel,
preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message
spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John
announced: 38how 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. 39We are witnesses to all that
he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on
a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to
appear, 41not 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. 42He
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. 43All 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.
Stand
VERSE Mark 1:11 Setting
by Robert Wetzler
Alleluia. You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with
you. Alleluia.
Gospel Matthew 3:13-17
The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to
John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have
prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But
Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to
fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And 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. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the
Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Sit
Sermon
WHYMN OF THE DAY
Green LBW 76 O
Morning Star, How Fair and Bright
CONFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed
X At the words ‘For us and for our salvation,’ and
continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a solemn bow is appropriate to praise
the incarnation of our Lord.
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.
X 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. X
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
PRAYERS
OF THE CHURCH
Through Christ, in whom we are baptized, let us
pray in the Spirit to the Father.
Silence is kept.
God our Father, renew us and all the baptized in
the life of the Spirit. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Fill all bishops and pastors with the Spirit, and
raise up men and women to preach your saving Word to those who long for it. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
By the power of the Spirit, restore to faith all
who have neglected the covenant of their baptism. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Inspire all who make, administer, and judge our
laws to love justice and peace. Lord, in
your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Comfort all who mourn; uphold those who live in
poverty and fear; guard and protect those who are threatened by violence and
terror; heal those who suffer illness of body, mind or spirit, and be with all in
any need, especially these whom we name before you:
The People may offer silent or spoken intercessions and thanksgivings.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Keep us in communion with all the baptized in heaven and on earth. Receive
those who have died into eternal peace. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Hear our prayers, Father, for the sake of him who was baptized for us,
your beloved Son, with whom you are well pleased: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.
The People exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY Psalm 29:2-4 Setting by Robert Wetzler
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the
Lord in holy array. The voice of the
Lord is upon the waters; the Lord is upon the mighty waters; the voice of the
Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
Open the heavens, Lord our
God,
and send your transforming Spirit
upon us and upon these gifts.
May we, who are baptized into Christ,
be ready to share his cup of suffering
and strengthened to serve him forever.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
It is
indeed right and salutary that we should at all times
and in all
places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and ever-living
God. You celebrated your new gift of baptism in signs and wonders at the
Jordan. Your voice was heard from heaven to awaken faith in the presence among
us of your Word made flesh. Your Spirit was seen as a dove, revealing Jesus as
your servant, and anointing him with the oil of gladness to preach the good news
to the poor.
And so,
with the Church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join
their unending hymn:
The
pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
Holy God,
mighty Lord, gracious Father:
Endless is your mercy and
eternal your reign.
You have
filled all creation with light and life;
heaven and earth are full of
your glory.
Through
Abraham you promised to bless all nations.
You rescued Israel, your chosen
people.
Through the
prophets you renewed your promise;
and, at this end of all the
ages, you sent your Son,
who in words and deeds
proclaimed your kingdom
and was obedient to your will,
even to giving his life.
In the
night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and
gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying:
Take
and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink,
saying:
This
cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as
often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup
we proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will
come again.
Therefore,
gracious Father, with this bread and cup
we remember the life our Lord
offered for us.
And,
believing the witness of his resurrection,
we await
his coming in power
to share with us the great and
promised feast.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Send now,
we pray, your Holy Spirit,
the spirit of our Lord and of
his resurrection,
that we who receive the Lord's
body and blood
may live to the praise of your
glory
and receive our inheritance with
all your saints in light.
Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
Join our
prayers with those of your servants
of every
time and every place,
and unite
them with the ceaseless petitions
of our
great high priest until he comes as victorious Lord of all.
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father using the words he gave
us.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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
Matthew 6:9-15
Holy gifts for the holy people.
One is holy, one is Lord:
Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.
We adore Christ, present in bread and wine.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
WDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Choir
Carol
of the Baptism
Text/ Anonymous; based on Heb. 10:7;
Ps.
40:7; Matt. 3:13-17;
Music/The JUBILEE, arr. George Brandon
“I come,” the great Redeemer cries, “to
do thy will, O Lord!”
At Jordan’s flood, behold! he seals the sure
prophetic word.
“Thus
it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness,” he said,
Then, faithful to the Lord’s commands, through
Jordan’s stream was led.
Hark,
a glad voice! The Father speaks from heaven’s exalted height:
“This
is my Son, my well-beloved, in whom I do delight.”
The
Savior, Jesus, well-beloved! His name we will profess,
Like him, desirous to fulfill God’s will in righteousness.
No
more we’ll count ourselves our own but his in bonds of love.
Oh,
may such bonds forever draw our souls to things above.
When all have received, the People stand at the direction of the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in
his grace.
Amen
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
Lord of
all time and eternity,
you
opened the heavens and revealed yourself as Father
in the
baptism of Jesus your beloved Son:
by the
power of your Spirit
complete
the heavenly work of our rebirth
through
the waters of the new creation;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sit
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOR THE FAITH FAMILY
Stand
Acclamation
The Father’s voice bears witness to
the Son.
God has revealed himself to us.
The Son bows his head beneath the waters
of baptism.
God has revealed himself to us.
The Spirit as a dove descends from
heaven.
God has revealed himself to us.
Submitting to John’s baptism, Christ
delivers us from bondage.
God has revealed himself to us.
The Sending Gospel (John
1:32-34)
The Holy Gospel according to St. John. Glory to you, O Lord.
John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not
know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom
you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to
you, O Christ.
Benediction and Dismissal
May God, who in Christ gives us a
spring of water
welling up to eternal life,
perfect in you the image of his
glory.
Amen
Almighty God,
Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now
and forever.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
Blue WOV 652
Arise, Your Light Has
Come!
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be
to God!
Lutheran Book of Worship Daily Scripture Readings
Monday, January 9: Isaiah
40:12-24; Ephesians 1:1-14; Mark 1:1-13
Tuesday, January 10: Isaiah 40:25-31;
Ephesians 1:15-23; Mark 1:14-28
Wednesday, January 11: Isaiah 41:1-16;
Ephesians 2:1-10; Mark 1:29-45
Thursday, January 12: Isaiah
41:17-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 2:1-12
Friday, January 13: Isaiah 42:1-17;
Ephesians 3:1-13; Mark 2:13-22
Saturday, January 14: Isaiah (42:18-25) 43:1-13; Ephesians
3:14-21; Mark 2:23-3:6
Sunday,
January 15: Isaiah 43:14-44:5; Hebrews 6:17-7:10; John 4:27-42
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New Revised
Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Additional
liturgical material from Common Worship: Times and Seasons, copyright the
Church of England.
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
St Stephen Lutheran Church
55 Forsythe Road
Pittsburgh PA 15220
(412) 279-5868
office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday Evening Worship –
6:30 pm
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30
am
