January 13th, 2013
1st after Epiphany—Baptism of Jesus Sunday
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Flu Season Special Greeting
One: The peace of Christ be with you. All: And with your spirit.
Introit Responsive reading from A Song of Faith
Sung Response: Out of Deep... VU 453 Refrain only
There is water in the river
bringing life to tree and plant.
Let creation praise its giver:
there is water in the font.
To point to the presence of the holy in the world,
the church receives, consecrates, and shares
visible signs of the grace of God.
In company with the churches
of the Reformed and Methodist traditions,
we celebrate two sacraments as gifts of Christ:
baptism and holy communion.
In these sacraments the ordinary things of life
—water, bread, wine—
point beyond themselves to God and God’s love,
teaching us to be alert
to the sacred in the midst of life.
Before conscious thought or action on our part,
we are born into the brokenness of this world.
Before conscious thought or action on our part,
we are surrounded by God’s redeeming love.
Baptism by water in the name of the Holy Trinity
is the means by which we are received, at any age,
into the covenanted community of the church.
It is the ritual that signifies our rebirth in faith
and cleansing by the power of God.
Baptism signifies the nurturing, sustaining,
and transforming power of God’s love
and our grateful response to that grace.
Responsive Reading excerpted from A Song of Faith:
A Statement of Faith of the United Church of Canada
Sung Response: There is water in the river
bringing life to tree and plant.
Let creation praise its giver:
there is water in the font.
* Call to Worship
One: The Spirit of God danced over the waters of creation,
All: shaping love from chaos.
One: The Spirit of God parted the waters of the sea,
All: revealing love’s power to free us.
One: The Spirit of God hovered over Jordan’s waters,
All: declaring a love that has no limits.
One: The Spirit of God comes to us in the gift of water,
All: proclaiming, “You are my beloved.”
One: The Spirit of God asks this day, and always, that you would simply allow yourself to be loved.
*Hymn Breathe on Me, Breath of God VU 382
Opening Prayer Back of bulletin
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
Isaiah 43:1–7 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.
Psalm 29 God’s voice is over the waters. VU 756
* Hymn Be Not Afraid
Opening the Word/Children's Time & The Lord’s Prayer
Gospel Acclamation
Luke 3:15–17, 21–22 Jesus is baptized by John.
Water of Baptism Meditation
Voice 1: Our earth is a water planet, and life on this earth depends on water. (Pour water into bowl.)
Voice 2: We are mostly made up of water. We need water to live. (Pour water into bowl.)
Voice 3: Water nourishes, cleanses, cools and warms us. (Pour water into bowl.)
Voice 4: Water is powerful. It can wash away mountains and wear down rocks. It can be harnessed to generate electricity or cause a desert to bloom. (Pour water into bowl.)
Voice 5: Water is a symbol of life and transformation. In baptism we use water to show how God offers us new life as people born to love and be loved. (Pour water into bowl.)
All: Thanks be to God for water.
*The community is invited to come up to the bowl, dip fingers into the water and offer their own silent prayers of thanks for the gift of water.
WE RESPOND IN FAITH
*Affirmation of Faith A New Creed VU 918
* Hymn Spirit of the Living God VU 376
Minute for Mission & Offering Our Gifts to God
* Offering Song/Doxology VU 540
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
One: O God. All: Bless all people with peace.
WE GO TO SERVE GOD
* Hymn She Comes Sailing on the Wind VU 380
* Commissioning and Benediction
One: Beloved of God, go into this world that God loves.
Bless it with your imagination;
transform it with your courage;
renew it with your compassion.
All: And may the Spirit’s presence fill us all
with abundant hope and everlasting joy.
* Choral Amen
January 18–25 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was introduced in 1908 by the Rev. Paul Wattson, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement-Graymoor, to promote Christian unity throughout the world. The dates were originally chosen to reflect the feast days of St. Peter’s Chair (January 18) and the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25). In Canada, the week always includes two Sundays, beginning the Sunday prior to January 25. To mark its centenary, the Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) was invited to prepare the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) 2013 and they involved the All India Catholic University Federation and the National Council of Churches in India. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2013 theme is “What does God require of us?” and the text is Micah 6: 6-8.
