Join us in person or live-streamed at 10AM or find our recorded service at your convenience. Details on our Worship page. Service words are below.
Prelude: RC instrumental
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Song: 95 CP O Come, Divine Messiah
The Gathering (Website: Lectionary Liturgies)
Baptized to begin lives of faith,
we would witness to all you do in our communities, in our midst, in our world.
Baptized to serve,
we would speak up for the voiceless, we would bring justice to those who have none.
Baptized to speak,
we would heal, and not hurt; we would bless, and not curse.
Baptized to do what is right, we would not play favorites, but treat each as your Beloved.
Prayer of the day together: Your voice thunders in the night, and sings love songs in the morning. Your voice tumbles raging rapids, and ripples pools of peace.Your voice snaps trees in two, and can mend broken hearts with a sigh. We give glory to your name, God of our lives. Guided by grace, you became the champion of justice. Beloved of the sightless, you release those we would shackle. Broken for our sake, you shape our souls into silhouettes hanging in the Hall of Servants. We give glory to your grace, Child of the waters. You cup your hands around our flickering faith, breathing us to new life. You call us to work for justice, teaching us intentional acts of service. You immerse us in courage, daring us to speak words of hope. We give glory to your love, Spirit of wonder. We give you the glory now and always,
Collect of the Day together: Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus revealed him to be your Son, anointing him with the Holy Spirit, keep your children, born of water and the Spirit, faithful to their calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Proclamation of the Word
A reading from the prophet Isaiah 42:1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God
Psalm 29 Refrain: The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due the divine name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon, and makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. 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. The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare. The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as sovereign for evermore. The Lord shall give strength to this people; the Lord shall give this people the blessing of peace.
The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’ Listen for the Leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God Gradual Hymn: 635 CP Like the Murmur of the Dove's Song
The Lord be with you And also with you The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 3:13-17 Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
The Gospel of Christ R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
The Homily
The Renewal of Baptismal Vows (New Zealand Prayer Book and BAS) God is love; God gives us life. We love because God first loves us. In baptism God declares that love; in Christ God calls us to respond. Welcome as you come to reaffirm your faith. At your baptism you were made a disciple of Christ, and we signed you with the cross. Come now for prayer, to strengthen you for the work of God’s kingdom. The Affirmation Praise to God who has given us life. Blessed be God for the gift of love. Praise to God who forgives our sin. Blessed be God who sets us free.
Praise to God who kindles our faith. Blessed be God, our strength, our hope. Let us, the baptised, affirm that we renounce evil and commit our lives to Christ. Blessed be God, JESUS IS LORD! What is your faith? I believe and trust in God the Creator, maker and sustainer of all things; and in God the Son, my Saviour Jesus Christ; and in God the Holy Spirit, giver of life and truth. This is my faith. Those who are baptised are called to worship and serve God. From the beginning, believers have continued in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers. Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will, with God’s help. Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will, with God’s help. Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ? I will, with God’s help. Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself? I will, with God’s help. Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will, with God’s help. Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth? I will, with God’s help. Let us rejoice, commit ourselves to Christ, and celebrate the faith of our baptism. Do you believe in God the Father? I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the woman Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Creator Spirit, rekindle in us your gifts of grace, renew our lives in Christ and bring to completion all that your calling has begun. Amen. Living God, empower your disciples to bring life to the world Amen! May we and they together be found in Christ and Christ in us.
Offertory Hymn: 45 CP Down Galilee's Slow Roadways
Prayer over the Gifts God of life and freedom, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the Christ who makes all creation new. Accept all we offer you this day and make us new in him, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen The Great Thanksgiving (A Wee Worship Book (Wild Goose Worship Group) The Invitation He was always the guest. In the homes of Peter and Jarius, Martha and Mary, Joanna and Susanna, he was always the guest. At the meal tables of the wealthy where he pled the case of the poor, he was always the guest. Upsetting polite company, befriending isolated people, welcoming the stranger, he was always the guest. But here, at our tables, he is the host. Those who wish to serve him must first be served by him, those who want to follow him must first be fed by him, those who would wash his feet must first let him make them clean. For this is the table where God intends us to be nourished; this is the time when Christ can make us new. So come, you who hunger and thirst for a deeper faith, for a better life, for a fairer world. Jesus Christ sits at our tables Song:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Christ:
Alleluia, alleluia! Give Praise to God's name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
First born of all creation.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Christ:
Alleluia, alleluia! Give Praise to God's name.
The Story
What we do here, we do in imitation of what Christ did. To his followers in every age Jesus gave us an example and command rooted in the experience he shared with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem.
Reader:
On the night on which we he was betrayed, and as they were sitting at a meal, Jesus took a piece of bread and broke it. He gave it to his disciples saying, “This is my body. It is broken for you. Do this to remember me.” Later, after they had eaten, he took a cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new relationship with God made possible because of my death. Drink this all of you, to remember me.”
So, now we do as Jesus did. We take this bread and this wine, the produce of the earth and fruit of human labour.
In these, Jesus has promised to be present; through these, Christ can make us whole.
Eucharistic Prayer Let us Pray… The Lord be with you And also with you Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to give our thanks and praise It is indeed right, for you made us, and before us, you made the world we inhabit, and before the world, you made the eternal home in which, through Christ, we have a place. All that is spectacular, all that is plain have their origin in you; all that is lovely, all who are loving point to you as their fulfillment. And grateful as we are for the world we know and the universe beyond our ken, we particularly praise you, whom eternity cannot contain, for coming to earth and entering time in Jesus. For his life which informs our living, for his compassion which changes our hearts, for his clear speaking which contradicts our harmless generalities, for his disturbing presence, his innocent suffering, his fearless dying, his rising to life breathing forgiveness. We praise you and we worship him. Here too our gratitude rises for the promise of the Holy Spirit, who even yet, even now, confronts us with your claims and attracts us to your goodness. Therefore we gladly join our voices to the son of the church on earth and in heaven:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth of your glory are full.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth of your glory are full.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
And now, lest we believe that our praise alone fulfils your purpose we fall silent and remember him who came because words weren’t enough.
Setting our wisdom, our will, our words aside, emptying our hearts, and bringing nothing in our hands, we yearn for the healing, the holding, the accepting, the forgiving which Christ alone can offer
Silence
Merciful God, send now, in kindness, your Holy Spirit to settle on this bread and wine and fill them with the fullness of Jesus. And let that same Spirit rest on us, converting us from the patterns of this passing world, until we conform to the shape of him whose food we now share. Amen
Among friends gathered around a table, Jesus took bread, and broke it, and said, “This is my body – broken for you.”
Later he took a cup of wine and said “This is the new relationship with God made possible because of my death. Take it, all of you, to remember me.”
Jesus, firstborn of Mary
Have mercy on us
Jesus Saviour of the world
Have mercy on us
Jesus, monarch of heaven
Have mercy on us
He who has suffered for our injustices is now present in this bread. He whose body was hung on a cross is now offered to us in this cup. So take this bread and this wine. In them God comes to us so that we may come to God. The sharing of the bread and the wine
Communion
Music during distribution:
Mary, Did you know? (solo: Trish Steadman)
The Promise
The Peace
Christ who has nourished us, is our peace.
Strangers and friends, male and female, old and young, he has broken down the barriers to bind us to him and to each other. Having tasted his goodness, let us share his peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you
Concluding Prayer
Let us pray
In gratitude, in deep gratitude for this moment, this meal, these people, we give ourselves to you. Take us out to live as changed people because we have shared the Living Bread and cannot remain the same.
Ask much of us, expect much from us, enable much by us, encourage many through us.
So, Lord, may we live to your glory, both as inhabitants of earth and citizens of the commonwealth of heaven. Amen
The Blessing
May God’s wisdom guide you wherever you walk in this world.
May God’s wisdom encourage you in your daily work.
May God’s wisdom work in you like yeast, and rise in you like hope!
May you taste and see God’s goodness and may God’s wisdom be your delight now, this day, and for evermore. Amen.
Announcements
Closing Hymn: 148 CP See Amid the Winter's Snow
Words of Mission Time has now come for us to leave this sacred place. As we do, may we embrace the challenges of our lives and our world... As we prepare to leave this sacred place of celebration, may we live lives of hope, be nurturers of a vision of wholeness, and serve as healers in a wounded world. Grant us wisdom. Grant us courage.
Grant us peace. (Adapt. Leland-Mayer UUA worship web)
Postlude: No Room (Bruce Carlson)