Baptism of our Lord | Sunday 11 Jan 2026
+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Eternal Father,
at the baptism of Jesus
you revealed him to be your Son,
and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove:
Grant that we,
who are born again by water and the Spirit,
may be faithful as your adopted children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God,
now and for ever. Amen.
“This is my dearly loved Son,
who brings me great joy.”
(Matthew 3:17)
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On Jordan’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry | Trinity Church Swarthmore, PA
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OT Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9 (NLT)
The Lord’s Chosen Servant
42:1 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
+ He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
+ He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
+ He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”
42:5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.
He created the earth and everything in it.
He gives breath to everyone,
life to everyone who walks the earth.
And it is he who says,
+ “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
+ You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to anyone else,
nor share my praise with carved idols.
+ Everything I prophesied has come true,
and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.”
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From Psalms: Psalm 29 – “The Lord Will Bless His People With Peace” | Francesca LaRosa
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NT Reading: Acts 10:34-43 (NLT)
The Gentiles Hear the Good News
10:34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
10:39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear, not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
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Behold Him (Live from Glasgow Scotland) – Paul Baloche w/ 500-Voice Choir & Orchestra
He who was before there was light
Walked across the pages of time
He who made every living thing
Behold Him
He who heard humanity’s cry
Left His throne to wake as a child
He became like the least of us
Behold Him
Jesus
Son of God, Messiah
The Lamb, the roaring Lion
Oh, be still and behold Him
Jesus
Alpha and Omega
Our God, the Risen Savior
Oh, be still and behold Him
He who dined with sinners and saints
Healed the blind, the lost and the lame
Even now He is in our midst
Behold Him
He who chose a criminal’s end
Paid with blood to settle our debt
Buried death as He rose to life
Behold Him
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Worthy, worthy, worthy
To receive all praise
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Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17 (NLT)
The Baptism of Jesus
3:13 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
3:15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
3:16 After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
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Trinity Song | Sandra McCracken
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Affirmation of Faith: ACNA | BCP 2019 The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten 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.
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- For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
- 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],† who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who 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.
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O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing: FaithandWorship.com | John Birch
May Christ, who sends us to the nations,
give us the power of his Spirit.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
The Baptism of Jesus
N.T. Gospel Reading: Mark 1:4-11 (ESV)
19 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
The Peanut Gallery 