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Daily Anglican Prayer – Sunday Holy Eucharist at home – 12th January 2025 Readings. Isaiah 43. 1-7 Psalm 29; Acts 8. 14-17; Luke 3. 15 -16. Led by Felicity Scott, an Anglican lay minister in Queensland, Australia. The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website. https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com   Welcome to Sunday Holy Eucharist for you at home from the Anglican a prayer book for Australia.   Preparing for this Eucharist: During this service you can minister Eucharist to yourself and your gathered family members. Place on your table if you have them, a Bible, a small glass of red wine or grape juice, pieces of bread or wafers, one piece for each participant, a lighted candle and a cross. Gather all who are to partake in the Eucharist around the table.   The majority of the words of this eucharist are available from page 119 in the Anglican a prayer book for Australia or use the episode link to view the words.   We gather together to celebrate God. The Good News We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ: GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA With faithfulness we respond to the good news: We acknowledge Christ as our saviour and accept with gratitude, that we are forgiven for all wrong doings, past and present. To honour the gift of forgiveness, we release our burden of guilt and rise up to live in the glory of God forever more. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever. Let us Pray.   The greeting The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. And also with you. The Sentence if required The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus 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 prayer of preparation. Let us pray. Almighty God, To whom all hearts are open, All desires known, And from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.  Amen   Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus said: ‘This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbour as yourself.' The Confession Our Lord Jesus Christ said: Lord, have mercy on us, and write your law in our hearts by your Holy Spirit. Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith confident in God's forgiveness.   Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed; And in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart, we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry for all our sins. Father, forgive us. Strengthen us to love and obey you  in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. The Assurance of Forgiveness Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Lord have mercy Christ have mercy God have mercy The Gloria, we say together Glory to God in the highest and peace to God's people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks,  we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:  have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One; you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.     The Collect of the Day – Year C - Luke The Collect of the day. Eternal God, at the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan,  you proclaimed him your beloved son, and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: grant that all who are baptised into his name  may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and saviour; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Prayer of the Week First Sunday after Epiphany Almighty God who anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved son: inspire us, your children, who are born again of water and the spirit, to surrender our lives to your service, that we may rejoice to be called your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Old Testament, Scripture Reading 1 Isaiah 43:1-7. 1But 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. 2When 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. 3For 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. 4Because 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. 5Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6I 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— 7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”   Hear the word of the Lord Thanks be to God. The Psalm Psalm 29   The New Testament, Scripture Reading 2 The Second Reading, is from the New Testament, Acts 8:14-17. 14Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15The 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). 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.    The lord be with you. And also with you.       The Gospel reading. We welcome the gospel: Alleluia, Alleluia. We welcome the gospel, Alleluia.   The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke 3:15-22   As you make a small cross signs on your own forehead, left cheek and upper chest, we say together ‘Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ'.   Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.   15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John 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. 17His 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.” 18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20added to them all by shutting up John in prison. The Baptism of Jesus 21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and 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.”   This is the gospel of the Lord, Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ.           A short homily on todays gospel. Luke 3:15-22   When Jesus was baptised, the heavens opened, yet for others, heaven remained closed. Jesus up until that point had not yet openly started his ministry, had not started to carryout God's intentions through him. So what had Jesus done at the point of being baptised that He was treated differently by God? Belief and faith were the difference, Jesus was already deeply committed to being one with God.   From a small child, Jesus had shown commitment and steadfast obligation to remain in God's presence in all he did. Little wonder then that at that baptism moment, the scales tipped, and the heavens opened, because Jesus had done something he didn't need to do.   Because despite Jesus', already accrued knowledge and pledge in God, he then lowered himself to be the same as everyone else and he went to John for baptism. Jesus was already fully dedicated in serving God and so in that moment, God announces his intention for him by naming him ‘The beloved Son of God'.   While ascending the dizzying heights of faith in God, we can sometimes forget that God needs us on the ground with the people. Then God's intention for us through our commitment to Him becomes clear.   Let us pause for a moment to reflect.   The belief and principle is said I believe in God, creator of heaven and earth, whose love and merciful forgiveness endures everlasting. I believe in Christ the saviour, whose example of love and compassion, taught us a restored way to live, in collaborative unity with all people. I believe in the Holy Spirit, whose divine guidance brings us together to be one with the Holy Trinity. The Nicene Creed We believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, God from God, Light from Light, of one Being with the Father. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who has spoken through the Prophets. We acknowledge the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world to come. Amen. The Prayers Let us pray for the world and for the church. God, we give you thanks for opening our eyes to witness your hand at work in the gifts that surround us. Thank you for your continued love and blessings in abundance throughout our lives. Bless us with your generous nature good Lord, as we answer your call to minister to your will. Guide us to walk before you in faithfulness, in righteousness and in upright honour towards you. God of Love we ask you.      Hear our Prayer   God, we offer thanks for your blessing of peace across all countries and continents. Give all your servants an understanding mind, able to recognise between good and evil. Give us all wise and discerning minds, that we might know how to honour God in our life. God of Love we ask you.      Hear our Prayer   God, we thank you for the church leaders in Australia, teach them to refresh us through their leadership. Guide our bishops, ministers and lay people and renew our courage to proclaim the good news of Christ in our schools, workplaces, and homes. God of Love we ask you.      Hear our Prayer   God, we pray thanks that with your guidance we live in your light and go out in your name to help others who are less fortunate. We pray that through our reverence in the name of Christ, we become new and maintain our light even when surrounded by darkness. God of Love we ask you.      Hear our Prayer   Heavenly Father, we thank you that through your Son Jesus Christ, you have shown us the way to live and breathe in your righteousness. Give us the strength to remain in your presence in all we do. Help us to be willing advocates of your work, guiding our actions to a better life for all. God of Love we ask you.      Hear our Prayer   We pause for a moment for you to pray for your own petitions.     Almighty God you have promised to hear our prayers. Grant that what we have asked in faith  we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen   The greeting of peace: We are the body of Christ. His spirit is with us.   The peace of the lord be always with you And also, with you.   Let us all exchange a sign of peace. The Preparation for the Lord's Supper We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he is us. Amen. The thanksgiving: Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give Him thanks and praise. All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere mighty creator ever living God. We give you thanks and praise for our saviour Jesus Christ who by the power of your spirit was born of Mary and lived as one of us. By his death on the cross and rising to new life he offered the one true sacrifice for sin and obtained an eternal deliverance for his people. Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with the whole company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, forever praising you, and saying: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the LORD. Hosanna in the highest. Merciful God we thank you for these gifts of your creation, this bread and wine, and we pray that by your word and Holy Spirit we who eat and drink them may be partakers of Christ body and blood. On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread and when he had given you thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying ‘take eat. This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me.' After supper he took the cup and again giving you thanks he gave it to his disciples saying drink from this all of you this is my blood of the new covenant shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. The memorial acclamation: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Therefore, we do as our saviour has commanded proclaiming his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension and looking for his coming again we celebrate with this bread and this cup his one perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.   Renew us by your Holy Spirit, unite us in the body of your son and bring us with all your people into the joy of your eternal Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord with whom and in whom, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we worship you father in songs of never ending praise. Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever.  Amen. The Lord's Prayer As our saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen. We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread. Jesus Lamb of God, have mercy on us. Jesus bearer of our sins, have mercy on us. Jesus redeemer of the world, grant us your peace. The gifts of God for the people of God. Come, let us take this holy sacrament of the body and blood of Christ in remembrance that He died for us, and feed on Him in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving. As we minister the bread to each of the people gathered, we say: ‘The body of Christ, keep you in eternal life', and they respond with: ‘Amen'. As we minister the cup to each of the people gathered, we say: ‘The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation, keep you in eternal life'; and they respond with: ‘Amen'. Please pause the recording while you minister the gifts and offer personal prayers of gratitude. On Continuing: Living God, in this holy meal you fill us with NewHope. May the power of your love, which we have known in word and sacrament, continue your saving work among us, give us courage for our pilgrimage, and bring us to the joys, you promise.   We say together: Most loving God, you send us into the world you love. Give us grace to go thankfully and with courage, in the power of your holy spirit. The Final Blessing The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. The Dismissal We have today proclaimed the message of Christ in our homes, go forth and proclaim the message of Christ in your streets, towns, cities and countries, that all are saved by the death and resurrection of our saviour. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ, Amen.  Music by John Keys – Anglican Chant Canticle organ accompaniments. A reminder disclaimer to the listener. The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today's modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.  

This morning's rant is to remind us that while we are on this Earth we will have tribulations and hardship.John 16:33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”2 Timothy 3:12Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,Romans 12:12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.Psalm 34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.Isaiah 43:1-3Now this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your placeJames 1:12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.Acts 14:22Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.James 1:2-4Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.Psalm 91:14-16The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”Isaiah 41:13For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”Isaiah 41:10Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Jeremiah 17:14Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/622a9079e8fb640012cb94f3. I pray that God would "give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18I, pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance" https://plus.acast.com/s/blueprint-of-faith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First Sunday after the Epiphany The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Click here for link to Sermon Handout 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. Old Testament: Isaiah 43:1-7 1But 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. 2When 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. 3For 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. 4Because 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. 5Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6I 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— 7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Psalm: Psalm 29 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his 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 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare. 9 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 for evermore. 11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. New Testament: Acts 8:14-17 14Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15The 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). 17Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John 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. 17His 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.” 21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and 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.”

Scripture:Genesis 12:10-20 (NRSV)Abram and Sarai in Egypt10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to reside there as an alien, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know well that you are a woman beautiful in appearance; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 When the officials of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels.17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram, and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.” 20 And Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.Romans 4:3 (NRSV)3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”Isaiah 43:1-3a (NRSV)Restoration and Protection Promised43 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.Revelation 19:6-8 (NRSV)6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out,“Hallelujah!For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready;8 to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.Worship Set:“Unstoppable God” - Elevation Worship“Give Me Faith” - Elevation Worship“Oceans” - Hillsong“Doxology” - Traditional“What A Beautiful Name” - Hillsong

"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." (Isaiah 43:1)

Scripture for the day: Isaiah 43:1-7 Thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.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.For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.For you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.Do not fear, for I am with you;I will bring your scattered children from the east, and from the west I will gather you;I will say to the north, "Give back those you have taken away," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away, my daughters from the end of the earth,every child that was taken from me--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."   Luke 3:1-17,21-22 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah while he was in the wilderness. He traveled through all the region around the Jordan River, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord,make God’s paths straight.Every valley shall be filled,and every mountain and hill shall be made low,and the crooked shall be made level,and the rough ways made smooth;and all people shall see the salvation of God.’” John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We are safe, for we have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God could raise up children of Abraham from these river stones. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “Then what should we do?” He answered, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” The people’s hearts were full of expectation, wondering if John might be the Messiah. John answered all of them, 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. 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.” Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him, in a physical form that looked like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” ------ You can support Grace Lutheran online at gracenempls.org/donate.

Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church from the prophet Isaiah: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.”And from the Gospel of Luke: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.”This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God

Isaiah 43:1-7 43:1 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. 43:2 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. 43:3 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. 43:4 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. 43:5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 43:6 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-- 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."