Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, our creator, our protector, our wellspring of life.
Amen.
Trusting that God receives our words and the meditations of our hearts, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God,
you speak blessing and compassion into the world.
Forgive us for the ways we act with judgment, cruelty, or indifference.
We ignore the needs of our neighbors.
We resist your call to oppose injustice.
We give in to scarcity and fear.
We assume the worst about one another.
Cleanse us from our faults and release us from their grasp.
Show us your lovingkindness.
Restore our hearts and repair your world, that we may live in Christ’s ways.
Amen.
God proclaims these words of assurance:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name. You are mine.”
In ☩ Christ, we are forgiven.
In the Spirit, we are made free.
Refreshed by the waters of mercy,
live anew as beloved children of God.
Amen.
Gathering Song:
Shall We Gather at the River
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, you anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son. Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that we may rejoice to be called children of God, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7
1 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name;
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders;
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6 the Lord makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord
bursts forth in lightning flashes.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forevermore.
11 O Lord, give strength to your people;
give them, O Lord, the blessings of peace.
Second Reading: Acts 8:14-17
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Alleluia. (Matt. 3:17)
The Holy Gospel according to Luke
Glory to you O Lord
Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “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. 17 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.”
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ
Our daughter…Jennine…was baptized a couple of months following her birth…
- She was baptized by my boyhood pastor and mentor…Elsworth Fryer.
- We wanted the event to be jubilant…so Susan and I ordered a sheet cake.
- A carrot cake to be exact…with a dove on it.
- We wanted to festively mark Jennine’s entry into the body of Christ.
- So…after the service we stood in the narthex filled with joy and serving cake.
- The narthex…it’s what Christians call a lobby…
- But as a kid I would laugh when someone said narthex…
- Because it sounded to me like a Dr Suess character.
- Anyway…Jennine’s baptism was great…with all her grandparents present and the sheet cake in the narthex.
The Lord be with you.
Well…some amazing stuff happened at Jesus’ baptism too.
- After all…there at The River that day the heavens were torn open.
- And the Spirit descended like a dove and God called him beloved.
- You must admit…that is a cool baptism.
- But here’s the thing…after Jesus’ baptism there was no sheet cake in the narthex.
Instead…the Holy Spirit…who moments ago seemed like a nice and fluffy peaceful little dove…
- That same Spirit immediately cast Jesus out into the wilderness to be with Satan…wild beasts and angels.
- Given the choice…I would prefer the sheet cake.
- Even if it does get on the new carpet and makes the church ladies cranky.
But that is not what we see in the life of Jesus.
- And really…that is not what we see in our lives either.
- Like Jesus…we experience both The River and The Wilderness.
- At The River…we are surrounded by community and given new life and called beloved.
- God is near…and it is beautiful.
- And we need it…but that is not the whole picture.
I know for myself…when I am facing challenges or struggling with life issues…
- Or I am in a period of hardship where nothing seems to be working…
- Then I tend to think about those times as unwelcome and unpleasant.
- And then…often…I am regretful because after 50 years of ordained ministry should I not really have it all together?
But here’s the thing:
- As much as I need to hear that I am beloved and surrounded by community and being made new…
- And we all need that…
- But as much as I need that…
- I never gained much wisdom from things going well at The River.
- You see…the River might fill the heart and that is important…
- But it is The Wilderness that brings wisdom.
I would love it if spiritual wisdom was distributed in the Personal Growth section at Barnes and Noble.
- But that is not the way it goes.
- It is always found in The Wilderness.
- Because if we look at the order of things…
- At The River Jesus is baptized and called by God beloved…
- After which he is cast into The Wilderness.
- And it is only THEN that he begins preaching and teaching and healing.
OK then…Jesus does not begin preaching and teaching and healing until after he has gone through 40 days of the devil…
- Wild beasts and angels.
- So why do I think my Wilderness to be unwelcome and unpleasant…
- If Jesus’ Wilderness gave him what was needed to heal and to teach?
I think because we have an anemic view of God.
- That God is only found at The River times in life.
- Only found in the moments of renewal and elation and blessedness.
That is…God is only close to us when we feel close to God.
- But that is not true.
- Our feelings about God have precious little to do with God’s nearness to us.
- Because God’s nearness to us…is also found in the way that God creates wisdom…out of our wilderness experiences.
- God’s nearness to us…is just as real in the blessings of The River…
- As it is in the struggles of The Wilderness.
- How we feel does not really matter.
- Not in this case.
Maybe…right now…we are in The Wilderness of wild beasts and angels.
- But wisdom is coming.
- And after that…The River…so that our hearts might again be filled.
- This is the life of the baptized.
- The River…then The Wilderness…then The River.
- What I am saying is this:
- Our baptismal life is about daily death and resurrection.
Or maybe this morning we feel as though we are at The River experiencing community and God and new birth.
- That is wonderfully great.
- And The Wilderness is surely coming.
- And when it does…God will be just as near us.
So…this is the baptismal life of angels and wild beasts.
- Where we get to experience the Holy…
- The transcendent and the heart filling at the River.
- And we also experience the Wilderness of isolation and fear and uncertainty…
- Through which we gain wisdom and perhaps…
- Like Jesus…even the ability to teach and to heal.
- But regardless of how it all feels…
- God is present and wants to be known in all of it.
- The sheet-cake and the Wild beasts.
Song of the Day:
This Little light of mine
Prayers of Intercession
With the Spirit of Christ shining upon us, let us boldly pray for the church, the world, and all of creation.
A brief silence.
You call us by name and form us. We give thanks for the gift of baptism. Nurture the baptized and equip people sent to proclaim the good news, especially Young Adults in Global Mission and international congregations. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Your voice sounds over the waters. Speak words of healing over the rivers and lakes, seas and oceans. Heeding your voice, lead us to care for water, and the land and creatures it nourishes. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
You give strength to your people. Uphold all who serve the common good. Guide federal and state legislators, city and county officials, judges and juries. Strengthen our resolve to serve all in need. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
You are with us in challenging times. Draw near to all who are ill, undergoing treatment, or recovering from surgery especially: John & Lisa Mountain, Terry Vernon, David & Carol Beazley, Margaret Miller, Bill Treichler, Shirley Treichler, Hope Garrett, Julia Busby-Morgan, Lisa (Bob & Doris’s daughter. Chad Rudzik, June Gust, Ellen Cuoco, Vicki Salzgeber, John Satino (June’s son’s dad), David Wilfong (Esther Gustason’s son-in-law), Clinton Nelson, Clementine, Annie Clapper, Stacey Bryant, Pam Hendry, Betty Hurley, Erin Shayota, Michael Bender, the family of Andrea Shultz, Don Bevers. Accompany individuals and families affected by addiction or mental health challenges. Uphold each person as your beloved. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of community, your Spirit holds us together. Sustain our care for one another especially: Church of God – Pastor Troy…SDA – Pastor Ralph…Bay Point Christian – Pastor Randall…St. Barts – Father Ethan… Blessed Trinity…DayStar Life Center…Canguros Day School. Inspire us to seek new ways to live together and to embrace the diversity of thought and identity in our communities. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
You grant us peace. Comfort all who grieve. Dwell with us in this life and, at the last, join us with the saints whom you have created, formed, and named. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
We entrust our prayers to you, O God, in the sure and certain hope that your promise is revealed among the people.
Amen.
Pray with me:
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.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
The Spirit of the triune God
☩ bless us with joy,
Anoint us with compassion,
and send us in love.
Amen.
Sending Song:
Go, My Children, With My Blessing
Dismissal
Go in peace. Live in hope.
Thanks be to God.