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January 8, 2023

Baptism of Our Lord

PRELUDE “Wie Schoen Leuchet der Morgenstern” J.C. Bach

Gathering Song “O Come All Ye Faithful” ELW 283

Announcements

Candle Dedication

O God, you are like a refiner’s fire, and your Spirit kindles the hearts of your faithful people. Bless this flame and those who moved by it radiance to turn their hearts to you that, burning with desire for life with you, they may be brought into perpetual new life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus Christ, yesterday and today, the beginning and the ending, Alpha and Omega; all time belongs to him, and all ages; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

The Paschal Candle is lighted.

Almighty God, pour out your abundant blessing on this lighted candle, so that all who share in your holy mysteries may be filled with your grace and spiritual blessings. Help us to live as people who belong to your luminescence, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Confession and Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Gracious God,
have mercy on us. We confess that we have turned from you and given ourselves into the power of sin. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things we have done and things we have failed to do. Turn us again to you, and uphold us by your Spirit, so that we may live and serve you in newness of life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith.
Amen.

Gathering Song

“Christ, When for Us You Were Baptized” ELW 304

Greeting

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.

Canticle of Praise

Word

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.

Psalm: Psalm 29

¹Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
²Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name;
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
³The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
⁴The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor. R
⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
⁶the Lord makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
⁷The voice of the Lord
bursts forth in lightning flashes.
⁸The voice of the Lord^| shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. R
⁹The 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!”
¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forevermore.
¹¹O Lord, give strength to your people;
give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace. R

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

A reading from Acts.

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.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

The holy gospel according to Matthew.Glory to you, O Lord.

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. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Hymn of the Day “When Jesus Came to Jordan” ELW 305

Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Called together to follow Jesus, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need.
Response after each prayer: Merciful God, receive our prayer.
We bring to you our needs and hopes, O God, trusting your wisdom and power revealed in Christ crucified. Amen.

Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Meal

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.

Anthem “Walk in the Light” arr. Andre Thomas

We’ll walk in the light, beautiful light,
come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright.
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.

Hark! The herald angels sing,
Jesus, the Light of the world;
“Glory to the new-born King,”
Jesus, the Light of the world.

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Jesus, the Light of the world;
Christ, the everlasting Lord!
Jesus, the Light of the world.

Walk in the light, beautiful light,
come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright.
Shine all around us by day and by night,
Jesus, the Light of the world.

OFFERTORY

Offering Prayer

Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Preface

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ;
who on this day overcame death and the grave,
and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Thanksgiving at the Table

You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God.
You are most holy,
and great is the majesty of your glory.

You so loved the world that you gave your only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but have eternal life.

We give you thanks for his coming into the world
to fulfill for us your holy will
and to accomplish all things for our salvation.

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.

Remembering, therefore, his salutary command,
his life-giving passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension,
and the promise of his coming again,
we give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty.
May we and all who share in the body and blood of Christ
be filled with heavenly blessing and grace,
and, receiving the forgiveness of sin,
may be formed to live as your holy people.

To you, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.
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.

Invitation to Communion

Come, those of you who have great faith, and those of you who wish you had more. Come, those of you who depend on this meal for your lives, and those of you for whom it is a strange thing. Come and see the presence of Christ. This meal is the gift of God, a gift given freely.
Thanks be to God.

Communion Song

Communion Song “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright!” ELW 308

Communion Song “Spirit of Gentleness” ELW 396

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray. Gracious God, in this meal you have drawn us to your heart, and nourished us at your table with food and drink, the body and blood of Christ. Now send us forth to be your people in the world, and to proclaim your truth this day and evermore, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Sending

God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.

Blessing

May the Spirit of God, which filled John and Jesus,
fill your hearts, souls and minds;
and may the love of God which directed their every action
be your shining star, both now and forevermore. Amen

Sending Song “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise” ELW 310

Dismissal

Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.