12 Jan BULLETIN – SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 2025
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Baptism of Our Lord
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
PROFESSION OF BAPTISM
I ask you to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, reject sin, and confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we baptize.
Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil, and all his empty promises?
I do.
Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried. He descended to the land of the dead and on the third day, he rose. Ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father. From there he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
PEACE
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, our creator, our protector, our wellspring of life. Amen.
Trusting that God receives our words and the meditations of our hearts, let us confess our sin. Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God, you speak blessing and compassion into the world. Forgive us for the ways we act with judgment, cruelty, or indiffer-ence: ignoring the needs of our neighbors; resisting your call to oppose injustice. We give in to scarcity and fear; we assume the worst about one another. Cleanse us from our faults and release us from their grasp. Show us your lovingkindness. Restore our hearts and repair your world, that we may live in Christ’s ways. Amen.
God proclaims these words of assurance: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.” In ☩ Christ, you are forgiven. In the Spirit, you are made free. Refreshed by the waters of mercy, live anew as beloved children of God. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise #90
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son. Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that we may rejoice to be called children of God, 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 43:1-7
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he 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 the Lord 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.”
PSALM 29
Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
the Lord makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord bursts forth in lightning flashes.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare. And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forevermore.
O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
SECOND READING ACTS 8:14-17
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
🎶Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, the 3rd chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
Baptized in Water #693 (WOV)
RECOGNITION OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE
INSTALLATION OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
With the Spirit of Christ shining upon us, let us boldly pray for the church, the world, and all of creation. A brief silence.
You call us by name and form us. We give thanks for the gift of baptism. Nurture the baptized and equip us to proclaim the good news. O Lord, give strength to your church; give it, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Your voice sounds over the waters. Speak words of healing over rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. Heeding your voice, lead us to care for water, land and the creatures they nourish. O Lord, give strength to your creation; give it, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
You give strength to your people. Uphold all who serve the common good. Guide federal and state legislators, city and county officials, judges and juries. Strengthen our resolve to serve all in need. O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
You are with us in challenging times. Draw near to all who are ill, undergoing treatment, or recovering from surgery (especially those on our prayer list). Accompany individuals and families affected by addiction or mental health challenges. Uphold each person as your beloved. O Lord, give strength to your people; give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace
You draw us into community. Embolden ministries of reconciliation; nurture work on behalf of neighbors near and far. O Lord, give strength to your people; give us, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
You grant us peace. Comfort all who grieve. Thank you for dwelling with us in this life and, at the last, for joining us with the saints whom you have created, formed, and named. O Lord, give strength to your people; give everyone, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
We entrust our prayers to you, O God, in sure and certain hope that your promise of strength and your blessings of peace will be revealed among all people. Amen.
EXCHANGE OF PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERATORY
🎶Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
LORD’S PRAYER
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 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.
BENEDICTION
CLOSING HYMN
Go, My Children, with My Blessing #721 (WOV)
DISMISSAL Page 74
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE