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The Baptism of Jesus
Welcome, as we celebrate this joyous feast of the Baptism of Jesus!
As we listen and pray, let us consider the life and story that Jesus was being baptized into. And let us remember with joy that we are baptized into that same life, that same story which continually evolves as we live it.
Opening Prayer
Holy One, we stand as your beloved children, each holding deep within us an ember of your creative fire of love. Fan us today with your Spirit, igniting those embers until they envelop the world in holy flame.
Opening Song and First Reading: Jan Phillips, Think of Yourself https://youtu.be/Rv9zAwi11F8
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJUGospel: A reading from the anonymous author known as Matthew (Mt. 3:13-17)
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan river, to be baptized by him. John tried to dissuade Jesus with the words, “It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Allow this. This way, we do the right thing, fulfilling all righteousness.” John allowed it. No sooner had Jesus been baptized and emerged from the water than the skies opened and the Spirit of God was seen, descending like a dove, coming upon Jesus. A voice came from the heavens, “This is my Beloved, my Own, in whom I delight.”
These are the words of the person who gives us the Gospel of Matthew, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter:
In today’s gospel we hear Matthew’s story about two young men. John, the son of the priest Zechariah, would have grown up among priests and scholars, probably somewhere near Jerusalem. Despite his priestly birthright, John’s ministry led him to the desert, where he preached his impassioned calls for repentance. The Hebrew word for repentance is teshuva (te-shoo-vah’), which is derived from the verb that means “to return.” In Greek the word is metanoeo, (met-an-oyo) meaning a change of mind or thought so powerful that it changes a person’s very life. John wasn’t simply calling people to contrition for one particular sin or another. His call was much deeper. It was a call to change course, to turn around, to live a way of life that opens the door to the kin-dom of God here on earth. John’s was a baptism of remembrance; a call for people to remember who they are, to once again see themselves as part of a living story, and to begin living that story anew. And to symbolically mark this entrance into new life, John’s followers were baptized by him, not in still temple pools, but in the flowing waters of the Jordan River.
We hear too about another young man, one who heard John’s fiery call and followed it to the river. We don’t know much about the life of Jesus prior to his baptism in the Jordan. It’s likely that he grew up listening to the story of his people and his God at the feet of his parents. But in the story that has been passed down to us, we hear that immediately following his baptism Jesus is called to the desert, where he spends a considerable amount of time in deep thought and prayer about how his life should proceed. And after that time of prayer and contemplation, he would begin his ministry. Like John, Jesus would call people to return. To become the light they are meant to be. To remember that they are part of an ongoing story, and that the Love of the Holy One is at the center of that story. As I read the account of Jesus’s baptism I imagine the crowds of people, Jesus included, each taking a turn one-on-one with the Baptist. I imagine the excitement, the joy, as each person emerges from the water. And I like to think that each one of those people saw the clouds part for them and heard the voice of the Divine calling them beloved. Because every person is welcomed into this life with the same Love that creates all life. We are all baptized in one fashion or another into an ongoing story stretching back to that moment when the universe was born. And at the center of that story is the Beloved, who welcomes each and every part of this vast, evolving creation with the words “This is my Beloved, my Own, in whom I delight.”
What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your wisdom and insights.
Shared Homily
Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
Prayers of the Community
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
(Intentions are brought forth)
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth.
In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Peter Mayer shortened
Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power. You have called each of us into this unfolding story and given us our own gifts with which to enrich that story.
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Your Spirit, and your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We see in the bread and wine on our table, the Spirit of our Beloved. They are gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives,
As we share communion, we will become communion, both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
Please receive communion with the words, “You are the beloved child of God.”
Communion Meditation: Hallelujah, Ma Muse
https://youtu.be/OqDav__31nw
Post Communion Prayer
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
May we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. Amen.
Let us pray the prayer Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen
(Miriam Therese Winter)
BLESSING
Please raise your hands as we pray together our blessing:
As the story of creation continues to unfold, let us see ourselves clearly within it. Let us hear our names called by our Beloved as we are recognized and valued for the holy people that we are. And let us respond in kind, with fervent love and care for every other creature that shares this amazing story with us. Let us rise from the river with the blessed assurance that we are citizens of the Kin-dom. Amen.
Closing Song: Feeling Good, Nina Simone https://youtu.be/oHRNrgDIJfo?si=usnm4esmISq-3HlR
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