COCU9C.Baptism of ChristC

Photo by Sunguk Kim on Unsplash

(See also Baptism on this site and COCU9B)

Isaiah 43:1-7: God’s people have no reason to fear, for God has redeemed them, and they will not be harmed when passing through water or flame. God will bring the children of God’s people from the four corners of the earth, and will bring together blind people who can see and deaf people who can hear to bear witness to how God has saved and liberated God’s people.
Psalm 29: A song in praise of God and of God’s mighty voice which is strong and majestic, and which shakes the earth. Yet, God gives strength and peace to God’s people.
(music and lyric video of Psalm 29 by the Psalms Project – ‘The Voice of the Lord“)
Acts 8:14-17: The apostles, having heard the news that the Samaritans had accepted God’s word, laid hands on the Samaritan believers and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit, which they did.
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22: The people wonder whether John the Baptiser is the Christ, but he denies it and proclaims that another is coming who is more powerful than he is, and who will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Then Jesus is baptised by John along with the other people, and the Spirit descends on him and he hears God’s voice affirming him.
(Bible summary by John van de Laar, Sacredise)

RCL readings for Baptism of Christ – Year C RCLreadings

Geraldine Vytilingam on the Baptism of Jesus – 12 January 2025
(on the Australian Women Preach website, and also on Spotify)

Components of worship
(Scroll down for resources for this particular Sunday)
Acknowledgement of Land
Gathering
Prayer of thanksgiving
Prayer of confession/prayers of who we are
Words of Assurance
Prayer for Illumination
Readings
Prayers for others
Lord’s Prayer
Prayer of Dedication
Benediction and sending out
(Communion)
(Communion Hymns)
(Music)

Baptism of Jesus
Isaiah 43:1-7
But now thus says God, 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.
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.
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. 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.
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Prayer
Holy One, creating and saving,
you form and liberate us.
We are, indeed, passing through troubled waters, and
drowning in polarities and paralysis.
We are walking through the fires of have and have-not inequity,
and burning with anger and angst.
We need to hear the prophet’s hopeful and comforting promises once again,
that we would not be overwhelmed,
that we would not be afraid,
that we would not be indifferent.
Holy One, creating and saving,
you form and liberate us.
In all our faults and failings,
call us by name once more –
that we would hear in a new way,
that we are known and valued,
loved and treasured.
Holy One, creating and saving,
you form and liberate us.
We are a ragtag people.
Reassure us that we are yours.
Remind us who we are and whose we are.
Bring your offspring from east and west.
Speak to your children from north and south.
Gather your people from the ends of the earth, and
reveal your presence,
disclose your way,
offer your love, in ways that
startle us, open us, and embolden us.
(Source: Diaconal Minister Ted Dodd, United Church of Canada, 2022)

BAPTISM OF JESUS
The Baptiser called people to change,
to turn around,
away from old ways
and mark that turning
in baptism.
When Jesus had been baptised
his identity was established
and the nature of his ministry
marked out.
But some still ask,
“What was Jesus doing there?
Why should he be baptised
for the forgiveness of sin?”
In baptism
Jesus identifies with humanity
while his one-ness with God
is also declared.
This epiphany,
this surprising, shocking, self-revelation by God
is not self-revelation for its own sake,
but revelation of God’s continuing faithfulness.
(Source: Jeff Shrowder)

Jeff Shrowder writes:
As a young child I almost drowned during a family outing to the beach.
I remember frantically struggling in the water and glimpsing, amidst my struggles,
my father wading through the water towards me.
He lifted me out of the water, clear of the danger, clasped me to himself
and carried me to the sandy beach.
I was safe … and given new life.
The firm, warm hug of my father and my mother re-assured me,
and expressed the inexpressible, “You are my child, whom I love,
and in whom I delight.”
In baptism we are both plunged
into mission of Jesus
and lifted up, embraced, affirmed, loved …
and given new life.
(Source: Jeff Shrowder)

Baptism is a personal and corporate experience;
both the individual and the community of faith
are changed.
Baptism is an epiphany, a sign of God’s grace
and while the voice of the LORD is powerful,
full of majesty, flashes forth flames of fire,
shakes the wilderness, and strips the forest bare
with the energy of dust-storm, bushfire, flood or cyclone;
the voice of the LORD also says
I have called you by name, you are mine …
(Source: Jeff Shrowder, 2015)

Gathering/ Call to Worship
Come, all who seek a deeper understanding of God’s presence in our world.
We come with open hearts, seeking the Spirit that moves among us.
As Jesus was baptised in the Jordan, He stood alongside all humanity.
Let us seek to live lives of compassion, justice, and love. 
Let us worship the God of love, who calls us all beloved.
(Source: Church of Scotland)

Prayer of approach and prayer of confession
Gracious God, we come before You.
We come to sit a while, to be in your presence.
We come just as we are, knowing that we can
open our hearts to You expectantly,
just as those who gathered by the Jordan
waited with longing for the One who would bring new life.
Like them, we too look for Your presence among us.
Loving God, You are the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit.
Cleanse us and renew us, may we come to You with sincerity,
humility, and a readiness to be transformed.
As You revealed Jesus as Your beloved Son,
help us to see His light more clearly and to follow in His way more closely.
We bring our hopes, our fears, our doubts,
and our joys into Your holy presence,
knowing that You receive us with love.
Fill us with Your Spirit, just as You filled Jesus,
empowering us to live as Your beloved children in this world.
You are the source of all life, who reveals
Your Spirit to us and calls us into a deeper love for one another.
Yet we confess that we often fall short of this calling.
Too often, we have allowed fear to limit our compassion,
judgment to cloud our kindness
and indifference to turn us away from those in need.
We confess that we are slow to change,
holding onto what is comfortable instead of reaching out in love, as Jesus taught us.
Forgive us, O God.
Renew us in Your Spirit,
help us to let go of pride and selfishness,
embracing instead the humility and grace that Jesus lived.
Fill us with a heart for justice, a spirit of peace,
and a love that reflects Yours
as we remember Jesus’ baptism.
May we also hear Your voice, calling each of us beloved.
Help us to carry that love into the world,
to live with courage, compassion,
and a commitment to justice. Amen.
(Source: Church of Scotland)

Baptism of Jesus

Epiphany collect
God, we hear your voice:
“You are my child, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.”
May we stand up now with confidence, and notice all else you value,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever.  Amen
(Source: Bob Eldan, adapted)

The Prayers of who we are
(it’s a ‘truth telling’ reflection – would be excellent read out dramatically, drawing it to a conclusion with compassion as it turns towards hope)

Sky’s been smashed, earth trampled thin.
There’s a hole in the sun, light oozes out,
a split tomato. Weather your enemy now,
you’ve earned it. Alliances have that
white stuff that leaks out of batteries.
Our shadows splattered all over each other.
Politics after the kids put the car back together,
sort of. Think of great grandchildren breathing plastic.

But that’s all the cosmic stuff. No matter.
The real pain is, shepherd on the hillside,
you stink. All your smallnesses add up to
a whimper. Your guilts, who could count,
pile up like compost you haven’t decided
to compost, can’t stand, can’t part with.
Worse, your shames and your fears. Two
intruders come in opposite windows. Crap.
Trying so hard, but your life is still
a dead frog dissected with a rock.
Though it’s not your fault.

In this splintered, wrinkled, twisted mess,
not from above, not shining in like a clever sunbeam
(No. No atmospheric effects. Please.)
but from way down dark inside
a hope infuses the whole thing, an embryo moves,
a presence the presence of things,
a light breathes, doesn’t have to speak,
meaning, I am here. Composes a silence
meaning, There is no translation. You are
me. If God were an artist you would be
the gleam in her eye when the light is just right.
The wreckage is not a ruin, merely the backside
of something beautiful. Behold, God in her pajamas
in you. Blessed is she who believes it is possible
to be redeemed, possible because, in fact, fact.
Numinous delight, inclusive of galaxies, offers you.
Receive yourself, fresh and promising, and – listen: beloved.
(Source: Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light)

Children’s sermon ideas – check out this new blog with ideas using things from the ‘dollar store’. Keep an eye on the blog for forward planning, http://dskidsermons.wordpress.com

Prayers for others/Intercession
Loving God,
as we reflect on Jesus’ baptism and the blessing of Your Spirit,
we lift up our prayers for the world,
trusting that You are with us in our hopes, needs, and challenges.
We pray for Your Church across the world,
that it may be a source of hope, compassion, and justice.
May we, as Your people, remember our baptismal calling to be a light in the world,
sharing Your love with humility and courage.
Empower us to follow Jesus’ example of radical compassion,
reaching out to those in need and advocating for justice in our communities.
We pray for leaders of all nations,
that they may seek wisdom, integrity, and a commitment to peace.
May they govern with justice,
and may their decisions bring life, safety, and hope to all people.
Strengthen them to care for the vulnerable,
the poor, and those who seek refuge and freedom.
God of Comfort, we lift up all who suffer today –
those who are burdened by illness, loss, or isolation.
We pray for those facing oppression or hardship,
that they may feel Your strength beside them.
Grant healing to the sick, peace to the grieving,
and community to the lonely.
Help us to be Your hands and feet,
bringing comfort and love wherever there is pain.
Creator God, we pray for the earth,
Your beautiful creation.
Guide us to be responsible caretakers,
tending to the planet with respect and wisdom.
May we work together to protect it,
ensuring a future for generations to come.
Finally, Lord, we lift up our own lives,
asking that You would renew our faith and open our hearts to Your Spirit.
Help us to live as Your beloved children,
caring for others, standing up for what is right,
and offering compassion to all we meet.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus, our Saviour, our teacher, and our Friend.
Saying together the words that Jesus taught us,
Our Father …
[The Lord’s Prayer can be said according to your tradition]
(Source: Church of Scotland)

Blessing/Closing prayer.
May you go forth with the assurance
that you are deeply loved and cherished by God.
May you find your true identity in God’s unending love,
just as Jesus was called the beloved Son at His baptism.
May the Holy Spirit rest upon you,
filling you with peace, joy, and a sense of belonging.
Go now, with the blessing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
guiding and strengthening you in all you do, as you live out your calling.
Amen.
(Source: Church of Scotland)

Sermon by Bill Peddie for Baptism of Jesus, Year C

Together to Celebrate – David MacGregor

Singing from the Lectionary

YouTube playlist here with many of the songs suggested for COCU9C Baptism of Jesus

Don’t be afraid (John Bell) – video by Sojourners United Church of Christ (relates to Isaiah reading)
“Don’t be afraid; my love is stronger, my love is stronger than your fear,
Don’t be afraid; my love is stronger, and I have promised, promised to be always near.”

About admin

Rev Sandy Boyce is a Uniting Church in Australia Minister (Deacon). This blog may be a help to people planning worship services.
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