Baptism of Our Lord C

From Saint John's Wiki

Contents 1 Isaiah 43:1-7 2 Psalm 29 3 Acts 8:14-17 4 ALTERNATE: Romans 6:1–11 5 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Isaiah 43:1-7

The Old Testament reading is from Isaiah, chapter forty-three.

But now, this is what the Lord says—

He who created you, Jacob,

He who formed you, Israel:

"Do not fear,

for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name;

you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

Cush [KUSH ("oo" sound like "book"] and Seba [SEE-buh] in your stead.

Since you are precious and honored in My sight,

and because I love you,

I will give nations in exchange for you,

and peoples in exchange for your life.

Do not be afraid,

for I am with you;

I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

I will say to the north,

'Give them up!'

and to the south,

'Do not hold them back.'

Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth—

everyone who is called by My name,

whom I created for My glory,

whom I formed and made."

This is the Word of the Lord.

Psalm 29

Psalm Twenty-Nine.

Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon []. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion [] like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh []. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, "Glory!" The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Acts 8:14-17

The Epistle reading is from Acts, chapter eight.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria [] had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

This is the Word of the Lord.

ALTERNATE: Romans 6:1–11

The Epistle reading is from Romans, chapter six.

What shall we say, then?
Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
By no means!
We are those who have died to sin;

how can we live in it any longer?

Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that,

just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with Him in a death like His,

we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves to sin—

because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we died with Christ,

we believe that we will also live with Him.

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead,

He cannot die again;

death no longer has mastery over Him.

The death He died,

He died to sin once for all;

but the life He lives,

He lives to God.

In the same way,

count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the third chapter.

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. 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 barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened 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."

This is the Gospel of our Lord.