09B – Baptism of Jesus

08B - Epiphany — 10B - Epiphany 2B
 
See also my posts from 2012, 2018, 2021, 2024

 
Palm 29
Give glory and honour and power and authority
to the name of the LORD,
all you children of God!
Worship the LORD in holy awe;
bow down in the overwhelming presence of our God.
Listen to the presence of the LORD over the waters;
hear the majesty of the name of the LORD;
its power and authority above the roar of the flood.
Cedar panels in the Temple splinter at the voice of the LORD,
lightning flashes rip open the sky;
animals give birth before their time, and the earth trembles.
A shout of “Glory!” rises to the LORD enthroned in splendour.
May the LORD give protection and blessing and life for ever 

PRAYER OF INVOCATION AND CONFESSION
Gracious and eternal God,
whose voice comes to us
in the storms and wilderness of daily living;
in whispers,
in the rustling leaves,
in the sound of the rain
soaking the dry land,
in the cry of a new-born child;
speak you word of truth to us,
that we may hear it deep within us.
Forgive us O God, for what is past,
and call us again to new life.
The good news in Jesus
is that we may celebrate the year that is past
and enter the new year unburdened.
A new day is ours
and we may claim it with hope and courage.
Amen. Thanks be to God.

OFFERING
Gracious God, we bring our gifts,
an offering of thanksgiving;
bless these gifts and our lives
that they may be an offering to the world
and all that we do give you praise. Amen.

For use in worship, with acknowledgement. © Jeff Shrowder 2017.

A CREATIVE MOMENT – Either Genesis 1:1-5 or Mark 1:4-11
Materials: 
(a) Shallow trays or dishes of water set out at or near the communion table;
(b) a supply of small candles, suitable for floating on the water, sufficient for the whole congregation;
(c) a large central candle from which the floating candles may be lit.
(d) as a precaution, it may be appropriate to have a fire-blanket on hand.

During of immediately following the reading of either lection, each member of the congregation is invited to come forward light a candle, and float it in the dish of water, and then return to their seat.
If the lighting in the church can be reduced for this reading, so much the better; the increasing “candle-power” symbolising either the separation of light and dark (Genesis), or the revelatory tearing open of the heavens (Mark) and the dramatic beginning to the relationship between God and the one who is “the light of the world” (to borrow an image from John’s gospel). The water on which the candles float has connection with the waters of the Jordan and of baptism.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession with connection to the lections for the day. Sometimes this prayer will borrow lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)

Compassionate God,
In the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body,
a body which is one
but which has many members;
some who today grieve,
others who are thankful,
and yet others who experience joy.
By your living Word be a sustaining presence to each
and by the one Spirit in which we were baptised into one body
comfort those whom we name on our lips
and in the silence of our hearts,
those whose trouble is known only to you,
and those who have no-one…

Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate

HYMN SUGGESTIONS: BAPTISM OF THE LORD
  
Be thou my vision TIS 547
Breathe on me,breath of God TIS 407
Christ be my leader by night as by day TIS 624
Christ whose glory fills the skies TIS 212
Far beyond the mind’s grasp and our tongue’s TIS 542
God has spoken by his prophets TIS 158
God of mercy, God of grace TIS 452
Let him to whom we know belong TIS 563
This is the day the Lord has made TIS 368
Genesis 1:1-5
At the dawning of salvation TIS 392
Colourful Creator, God of mystery TIS 190
Come, Spirit blest, our hearts inspire TIS 425
Give to our God immortal praise TIS 84
God, who stretched the spangled heavens TIS 163
Hail, gladdening light, of his pure glory TIS 191
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling TIS 410
Morning has broken TIS 156
O Laughing Light, O first born of creation TIS 255
O breath of life, come sweeping through TIS 409
Praise our God, the great creator TIS 165
Praise the Spirit in creation TIS 415
Pull back the veil on the dawn of creation TIS 326
Sing a new song, sing a new song TIS 166
Thanks to God whose word was spoken TIS 431
Psalm 29
I greet you, my Redeemer sure, who lives TIS 198
O give the Lord, you children of God TIS 17
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness TIS 454
You are holy, you are whole TIS 753
Acts 19:1-7
Breathe on me, breath of God TIS 407
Come gracious Spirit, heavenly dove TIS 402
O breath of life, come sweeping through us TIS 409
Praise and thanksgiving let everyone bring TIS 743
Mark 1:4-11
Christ, when for us you were baptised TIS 250
Christians, lift up your hearts TIS 423
Forty days and forty nights TIS 591
Like the murmur of the dove’s song TIS 419
Lord, your almighty word TIS 447
O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr TIS 253
O bless the God of Israel TIS 284
O let the Son of God enfold you TIS 655
O love, how deep, how broad, how high TIS 194
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry TIS 270
When he was baptized in Jordan TIS 252

4 thoughts on “09B – Baptism of Jesus”

  1. The really helpful part of your site has been to give a template. All of us can improve, we hope, on what we did last time. To have some material to orient myself doesn’t stop me being creative, I hope, it just gives me a context. I thought the Australian rural labourers should understand baptism in all its symbolism, coming home exhausted and sometimes stressed, unable to get on top of their tasks. The feeling of stepping out of the cool shower after a day over 40 degrees beggars description, except we are deeply refreshed by the presence of the Spirit in worship.

    1. Thanks, Brad, for your comments. Yes, a big part of my motivation for this website is to provide material which not only can be used ‘as is’ but which hopefully provides a spring-board for, or helps to kick-start, the creativity that lies within each of us.

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