ST ANDREW’S CHURCH

January 9th   2022    The Baptism of Jesus

 

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank you to Rev. Shirley Cochrane for leading our worship today, this Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Next week Rev. Wendy Adams will be leading our Worship Service
We are very thankful that Rev. Ena van Zoeren has returned home after her surgery in Vancouver. We continue to pray for Ena as she continues in the healing and recovery process that lies ahead.
Please remember the Shuswap Volunteer Search and Rescue group, our January Loonie Offering recipients. May God bless and keep them al safe as they go about their duties in these extreme winter conditions. (for more info on SVSAR go to the “recent posts” to the right of your screen)

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

Beloved, God chooses us and calls us by name.

We belong to God. Alleluia!

Our lives have purpose because we belong to God.

We are called to be like Christ and follow him.

We will find joy, peace, and restoration through God’s amazing grace.   Let us worship God who claims us and loves us! Praise be to God!

 

HYMN                174

 

 

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down in reverence, God’s glory proclaim;
gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
bring now, adoring the Lord’s holy name.
Low at his feet lay thy burden of carefulness;
high on his heart Jesus bears it for thee,
comforts thy sorrows and answers thy prayerfulness,
guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
Fear not to enter God’s courts in the slenderness
of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine;
truth in its beauty and love in its tenderness:
these are the offerings to lay on his shrine.
These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness,
God will accept for the name that is dear;
mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness,
trust for our trembling and hope for our fear.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
bow down in reverence, God’s glory proclaim;
gold of obedience and incense of lowliness
bring now, adoring the Lord’s holy name.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Creator of the sun and moon and stars, you stir in our midst to reveal your light. By the work of your Spirit, you lead us in new directions. Your beloved Son has called us to new life and by his grace, reconciles the divisions among us. Holy One, we praise you for the blessings you give us in our baptism into Christ, and through your love that surrounds us day by day. To you we give all praise, glory and honor, through Jesus Christ, who is one with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and always.  Lord we humbly come before you now in confession together

 

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God, in baptism you promise forgiveness and new life,

but we confess that we prefer our old, familiar ways.

We cling to destructive habits, we harbor grudges,

and we are reluctant to welcome a stranger or forgive one another.

Nostalgia for the past prevents us from exploring new possibilities.

In your loving kindness, forgive us.

Have mercy upon us and move among us

so that we might pursue new life in Christ together.

 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Do not be afraid, for Christ has redeemed you. Baptized in the deep waters of death, he has washed away your sins. Risen from death, he invites you to be washed in the cleansing tide of God’s mercy. Your sins are forgiven; be at peace with God, with yourself, and with each other.

 

 

THE PEACE

 

HYMN                18 Through all the changing scenes of life

 

Through all the changing scenes of life,
in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still
my heart and tongue employ.
Oh magnify the Lord with me;
with me exalt God’s name;
when in distress and fear I called,
God to my rescue came.
The hosts of God encamp around
the dwellings of the just;
deliverance God affords to all
who seek and hope and trust.
Oh taste and see that God is good:
experience will decide
how blest are they, and only they,
who in God’s truth confide.
O saints, fear God, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make holy service your delight;
your wants shall be God’s care.
The Lord preserves the souls of those
who on God’s truth depend;
to them and their posterity
God’s blessing shall descend.

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 29            A psalm of David.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,     Sirion[b] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes   with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;     the Lord blesses his people with peace.

 

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

 

SERMON

Holy Spirit, you blessed Jesus in his baptism, proclaiming him beloved of God. As we give our attention to God’s holy Word, descend on us, we pray. Speak to us of God’s love for us and renew our faith and commitment to follow Jesus, God’s living Word. Amen.

 

John is the biggest news to hit Palestine for a long time.  He stirs up the people like no one else has done in a long time. Although he is viewed as a little odd, it would not be an overstatement to say that John is a huge sensation. Thousands of people come to hear John preach and he baptizes large numbers of individuals who respond to his call for repentance.

 

It is a common ritual that when an “unclean “gentile wants to be incorporated into the Jewish faith, there is a time to go through a period of teaching Then they take part in an elaborate ritual of ceremonial washing to wash away all their pagan impurities.

 

Now John is addressing the Jewish folks as if it is they who are the pagans He tells them that they are not to assume they are the offspring of Abraham.  Abraham, if he so desired, can create his children from the very stones under their feet. They need to know the kingdom of God has only one door – a low and narrow one and that is the sincere repentance of one’s sins. His preaching is not designed to set people at ease. Still many people begin wondering whether John might be the Christ

 

At the beginning of the first century, not all as well in the land. The Romans hold the power over the folks. John is rather harsh in his evaluation of the folks and his preaching is focused on coming before God in repentance Clean up your act” – prepare the way of the Lord! Ask God to forgive your wicked heart and deeds and become model citizens.   Don’t just say you are sorry!   Remember “the ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not  produce good fruit  will be cut down and thrown in the fire  !

 

John’s baptism goes to the heart.  John goes to great pains to explain  that he is not the prophesied  Messiah, he is simply the messenger   His baptismal rite  is the universal symbol of forgiveness of sins. But the first step is for the people to repent before God.

 

John recognizes that his calling is to testify to one who is more powerful than he is. However is ministry of preaching and baptism plays an important role in the lead up to Jesus’ own ministry,

 

In Luke’s gospel, the action of waiting and expecting is frequently depicted as the posture of a general group, like the unnamed crowds or unnamed disciples. They are not passive observers. Rather, they are active participants in the stories in which they are featured. They often advance the storyline with their own questions and musings. Their waiting expectation marks the passing of time in the story.

Questions in the Gospel of Luke are not a sign of doubt, faithlessness, or even ignorance. Rather, it represents a collective interest in the current moment of God’s revelation and action. Luke highlights the important role of our faith communities’ questions. It is a tool for discerning the movements and messages of Spirit and faith in our contemporary time.

Then, one day Jesus comes to John to be baptized by him. We must not think that Jesus is standing at the back of the line waiting for his turn to be baptized. Luke clearly indicated that Jesus’ baptism is unique. That is why he separates Jesus’ baptism from the baptism of the people. Nevertheless, this is not a private baptism. There are other people who witness the baptism of Jesus by John.

Today’s text is a major transitional point.  Jesus is about to begin his public ministry. Interestingly, John does not describe the baptism as the other Gospel writers do, but focuses on what happens after the baptism. Luke wants his readers to note the action of each Person of the Trinity at the baptism of Jesus.

The question that naturally arises is this: why did Jesus need to be baptized? John, in fact, has the same question. John knows that Jesus does not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of his own sins because Jesus ha no sins. Jesus tells John the reason why he needs to be baptized, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  (Matthew 3:15), Having heard Jesus’ reason for need to be baptized, John consents and baptizes Jesus. Whatever God requires the righteous to do, Jesus does -even things he does not personally need to do. His righteousness might be passed to us and our sinfulness might be passed to him.

Luke says that the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus in bodily form (3:22a). This does not mean that Jesus does not have the Holy Spirit already. Jesus always enjoys unbroken communion with the Holy Spirit as well with the Father. The visible presence and descent of the Holy Spirit symbolically represents his empowerment for Jesus’ public life and ministry, which is about to begin.

The Father speaks a word of approval to the Son. He says “With you I am well pleased.” Jesus is pleasing to the Father simply because he is The Son. God is also pleased with his Son’s obedience. Jesus is agreeing to carry out the great task that is given to him: eventually to suffer and die for sinners.

Luke deploys a series of pictorial contrasts to depict the distinct roles, 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.

First  a baptism of tangible water contrasts to an intangible baptism of Spirit and fire; some understand the fire as an image for the purifying work of God’s spirit

Second , the agricultural context, places us at a harvest moment. Wheat, sustains the lives of both the rich and poor, making the image accessible to an economically diverse audience. “Chaff” refers to the husk of the grain, which is the superfluous material remaining after harvest. It can not be eaten, and thus can not sustain life  Imagine a farmer with a pitchfork in her hand throwing the grain up in the air, letting the wind assist in the sifting process. The wind blows the lighter fibers from the pile of grain, which drops, because of its weightiness, to the floor. This  process creates two separate piles. The first, the grain, is a useful food and textile resource. The second is composed of the lightweight fibers blown all over and in need of collection. In today’s passage, this sorting technique has already occurred.

Third a series of minor images that include a winnowing fork, threshing floor, and a granary. The end of days marks the great separation or decoupling of repentant people -those purified by God’s fire- from unrepentant people -those unrefined by God’s fire-. The implication of this agricultural image is that Jesus’ ministry will act resolutely—sometimes even destructively—in service of those things that preserve and sustain life

Perhaps one of the most important things to know about dramatic arrivals of the Spirit happen when the gospel breaks through a new geographical or sociological barrier.  The ends of the earth are Gentile territory, the people who never worshipped the God of Abraham

Baptism is about belonging to a community. Spirit and baptism are markers of a people. Not just persons. but the family of God. Maybe this is why it was so important for the apostles to come and participate in the ingathering of Samaria. Not because of their authority. Not because they control the Spirit. On the contrary, in every case, bestowing the Spirit is the free act of God. The disciples did not control it on their own but prayed to God for the Holy Spirit to be given.

The disciples come and mediate the gift of the Spirit because it needs to be clear that those who were formerly the “other” are now part of “us.” The old divisions that kept Samaritans and Jews at odds would be undone in the family of God baptized into Jesus.

The questions of our congregations, families, friends, and institutions can contribute to our spiritual encounters and faithful work in the world.

Perhaps one of the most important things to know about dramatic arrivals of the Spirit happens when the gospel breaks through a new geographical or sociological barrier

Baptism is the witness of the grace of God  uniting us with Christ and embracing  us in the membership of  his kingdom. While Baptism is a once-for-all gift,  it takes a lifetime to unravel  the total experience  Sometimes we may feel like our faith is being severely tried and we are in a spiritual wilderness.  Other times  we may  feel a overwhelming  sense of  joy and blessing.

 

It is the same Spirit  who  descended on Jesus on the day  of his baptism.  It is the same Spirit  who led  Jesus immediately afterwards into the dessert  for forty days of temptation. Times of darkness can  be  painful and bewildering. However the Working of the Spirit in  darkness and in light are likely just both alike to the Spirit  It is  perfectly obvious that vast numbers of people who are baptized  show no signs of  new life. For some, they my go on for years with little experience  of God’s gifts  and little expectancy of His power Yet one baptism is more than enough  for  any person

 

It is no use to rely on our baptism if we have never repented and put our faith in Christ. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is always working in our lives.  We need to remember that God has blessed us with spiritual gifts We will never fully understand God’s action for us because we have been given something so profound we will never  exhaust  this richest blessing. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism – the gift of the Holy Spirit and the seal of belonging Remember your Baptism and rejoice   AMEN

 

HYMN                515  Out of deep unordered water

 

Out of deep, unordered water

God created land and life,

world of bird and beast, and later

two-some people, husband, wife.

Chorus:

There is water in the river

bringing life to tree and plant.

Let creation praise its giver:

there is water in the font.

 

Water on the human forehead,

birthmark of the love of God,

is the sign of death and rising;

through the sea there runs a road.

Chorus

 

Standing round the font remind us

of the Hebrews’ climb ashore.

Life is hallowed by the knowledge:

God has been this way before.

Chorus

 

OFFERING

In the season of Epiphany, God’s gift to us in Christ is revealed to the world. Our gifts to God in Christ’s name reveal our commitment to the love and mercy, the forgiveness and hope we have received. Our gifts proclaim that we are beloved to God and God is beloved to us.

 

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heavenly host.

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

 

OFFERTORY PRAYER

God our Maker, we bring our gifts to you in thanksgiving for your gifts to us in Christ and in creation. Bless what we bring and who we are, so that our gifts will bless the world you love in Christ’s name. Amen.

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

God of time and eternity: As this new year stretches before us, we thank you for the time you give us and for all those things that are still possible and precious in this gift. We thank you for each new day and its possibilities; for each night, its rest and reflection. We thank you for words of forgiveness and the chance to make a new start, for word of invitation to explore new opportunities. Give us the courage to try something new and the conviction to finish things leftover from last year. Make time spent this year your time, O God. Bless our time with you.

 

God of moments and memories we remember before you people facing hard times in the months ahead. We pray for those struggling with illness, and for those facing treatment or surgery with uncertain results….

A silence.

We pray for those who are grieving the loss of dear ones and for all who remember what used to be but can no longer be…

A silence

 

God of hopefulness and helpfulness, we remember those who are seeking new opportunities this year: Those training for new employments and those looking for work;

Those developing new businesses and seeking the right employees;

And those who provide services to improve life in our communities

amid the uncertainties around us…

A time of silence

Give us wisdom and perseverance in what we undertake as a congregation in the face of all the changes in our community.

 

We lift before you all the people who make up the government of our Country – the Prime minister – Members of Parliament, the Premiers of  the provinces , members of Legislature . staff  and families of  all as they work for peace and justice in the care of Canada.

 

Let us remember our baptism and pray that we will live in ways that fulfil the promises made on our behalf, and may we boldly confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

 

As we work together with the vision of your kingdom before us this year, fill us with love and generosity that can change the world because of your blessing.  We pray we can make a difference in even the most challenging situations because we are the people of your beloved Son who taught us to pray together:

 

THE  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.  Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

HYMN                #400 Spirit of the living God

 

Spirit of the Living God,

Fall afresh on me,
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me. Use me .
Spirit of the Living God,
Fall afresh on me.

 

 

 

BENEDICTION

We carry  God’s peace into a troubled world seeking to be peacemakers  wherever  we go. We carry God’s blessing into our daily lives and dare to share the riches entrusted to us. Remember your baptism and be at peace. May the grace of God, the love of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit  be with you always

CLOSING SONG