The First Sunday after the Epiphany
The Baptism of the Lord
Sunday, January 7, 2024
The Collect:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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Holy God, creator of light and herald of goodness, at the waters of his baptism you proclaimed Jesus your beloved Son. With the baptized of every time and generation, may we say yes to your call to repentance and be led to the life of abundance we experience in your kinship and your love. Amen.
The Old Testament Lesson:
Genesis 1:1-5 KJV
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The Psalm:
Psalm 29 KJV
Afferte Domino
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty,*
give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;*
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:*
the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;*
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars;*
yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf;*
Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the Lord*
divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness;*
the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests:*
and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10 The Lord sitteth upon the flood;*
yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.
11 The Lord will give strength unto his people;*
the Lord will bless his people with peace.
The Second Reading:
Acts 19:1-7 KJV
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
The Gospel:
Mark 1:4-11 KJV
4 John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
7 And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
8 I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.