Login / Signup

Free Access

Baptism Of Our Lord

Worship
Genesis 1:1-5
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B
James R. Wilson
Lectionary Worship Aids
Cycle B, Series IV
First Lesson: Genesis 1:1-5
Theme: Meeting the God of Eternity

Call To Worship
Leader: Trust in the Lord your God who is now and who has always been!
People: For we are limited and our lives span only a moment in eternity.
Leader: But God was before the Creation and will be forever!
People: Our faith is well placed when we rest upon the word of the Lord.
Leader: Then let us give praise that God has reached through time to call us!
All: Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Collect

O God, You were before the winds blew or the sun shone, and You will be when the days of time run out, yet You delight in reaching out to each one who would hear Your voice. We praise You, Lord. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

Lord, so often as we live life day by day we let our focus drop to only the time at hand and we forget that all of eternity awaits us if we will but place our faith and trust in Your leadership for our lives. Too often we would even compromise what we know to be Your will for the comforts of the moment. Forgive us, Lord, and lead us to keep our focus upon You. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Hymns

"Higher Ground"

"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"

"Dear Lord, Lead Me Day By Day"

* * * * *

Second Lesson: Acts 19:1-7
Theme: Unified by our Baptism in Christ

Call To Worship
Leader: We celebrate together this day the Christ, our Lord and Savior!
People: For we were once wandering in a world of uncertainty and despair.
Leader: But Christ has given us eternal hope and a life of true joy!
People: And in our Baptism we are united as one with the risen Christ.
Leader: Let our hearts sing with joy and our voices praise our beloved God!
All: Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Collect

All-wise and merciful God, through Christ You have made it possible for each and every one of us to walk again with hope and dignity in our hearts and lives! We praise You, O Lord. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

Lord, as we are called again to remember our Baptism, we also remember those times when we have taken it and You for granted and lived our lives not as You have called us to live, but focused on our own desires. Forgive us, Lord, and help us keep our eyes upon our commitment to You that You might one day tell us we have been good and faithful followers. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Hymns

"Christ For The World We Sing"

"Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above"

"We've A Story To Tell To The Nations"

* * * * *

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11
Theme: Commitment before the Lord

Call To Worship
Leader: Let the heavens declare the glory of the Lord!
People: Let us give unto the Lord all glory and praise!
Leader: Let our lives declare the glory due to our merciful God!
People: For the voice of God fills our ears with its beauty and strength.
Leader: Let us lift our voices in praise for God's kindness and mercy!
All: Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Collect

Almighty and merciful God, in Jesus we saw a life of perfect commitment. Even when faced with danger, from His baptism to the cross, Jesus never strayed from Your will. Help us to be faithful, Lord. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

Lord, when we first placed ourselves into Your loving care we knew Your Spirit's power to remake us and claim us for Your own. We promised then to love and follow You, but we have found the way hard. We have often been slow to take our stand for You and at times slow even to accept Your help. Forgive us, Lord, and remake our hearts with love. In Christ we pray. Amen.

Hymns

"Higher Ground"

"More Like The Master"

"More Love To Thee"




UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Advent 3
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Advent 4
32 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
18 – Children's Sermons / Resources
10 – Worship Resources
18 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Christmas!
24 – Sermons
100+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For December 14, 2025:

CSSPlus

Mary Kay Eichelman
Today I have rolled out the red carpet for you.  We are not famous people, movie stars or royalty, so maybe you have not had this kind of fancy treatment. But often for very important people, red carpet is actually put down for them to walk on.

You would think Jesus, the Son of God, would have had the red carpet prepare the way before Him. Do you know what He had instead? He had a man named John the Baptist. It says in Mathew 11:19,

I will send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you.

Good morning, boys and girls. What am I holding? (Let them answer.) That's right, a loaf of bread. Did any of you eat toast for breakfast this morning? Or did any of you have wheat cereal? (Let them answer.) Bread and (name a wheat cereal) are made from wheat.

Let me ask you another question. Are any of you anxious to see what might be in some of your Christmas presents under your tree? (Let them answer.) You must have great patience to wait until Christmas when you may open them.

That's why I brought this loaf of bread this morning. I want
Leah Thompson
Object: a department store magazine/catalog (or clothing store magazine/catalog)

What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. (v. 8)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
There wasn't much that Adrian was good at, except swimming. He learned to swim when he was little more than a baby, and he loved it. When he was seven he joined a swimming club. It was there that he first met Mr Stevens, the swimming coach.

StoryShare

C. David Mckirachan
Frank Ramirez
Contents
"Truckin'" by C. David McKirachan
"Heretic or Saint?" by Frank Ramirez


* * * * * * * * *


Truckin'
C. David McKirachan
Isaiah 35:1-10

SermonStudio

Elizabeth Achtemeier
This passage has many affinities with the prophecies of Second Isaiah (Isaiah 40-55), and it has often been attributed to him. But there are differences. In Isaiah 40:3, the "way" is for the Lord, here it is for the redeemed and ransomed (vv. 9-10). In Isaiah 51:11, the reference is to the return from Babylonian exile. Here in verse 10, that context is missing, and those who are returning to Zion are the members of Israel dispersed throughout the ancient Near East. Thus, this text is probably from a time after Second Isaiah and sometime after 538 B.C.
Russell F. Anderson
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS

Lesson 1: Isaiah 35:1--10 (C, E, L); Isaiah 35:1--6, 10 (RC)
Paul E. Robinson
Christmas has a way of bringing back memories. One that came to my mind as I was preparing this message was when my family would be driving home at night in the car and my father would lead us in singing a song. To all of us family members who remember those fun, cozy journeys toward home, there are many layers of meaning to the words. The song goes like this:

There's a long, long trail awinding,
Into the land of my dreams,
Where the nightingales are singing
And the white moon beams.
There's a long, long night of waiting
Dallas A. Brauninger
E-mail
From: KDM
To: God
Subject: Be Patient
Message: In the meantime, God.... Lauds, KDM

E-mail from KDM to God. Subject: Be patient. Message: In the meantime, God.... Lauds, KDM.
Susan R. Andrews
It was a painful experience for both of us. Jane was a young mother about my age. She had been on the pastor nominating committee that called us to New Jersey. And we had shared much laughter and friendship through the years. She also was on the session - and that cold November night she seemed edgy and distant. I soon found out why. Following the meeting, she waited for me out in the parking lot. And after I locked the church door, she simply lit into me. "How dare you!" she said. "How dare you push your own political viewpoints down our throats, and abuse your privilege as a pastor!
H. Burnham Kirkland
Theme: Prepare The Way

Call To Worship
Leader: To those wandering in darkness,
People: Christ came as the Light of the World.
Leader: To those who are at odds with others and themselves,
People: Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Leader: To those who seek the presence of the divine,
People: Christ is Emmanuel, God with us.
All: Come, let us anticipate the advent of our Lord.

Invocation
Robert S. Jarboe
(Distribute this sheet to the readers.)

Date:

Reader A:

Reader B:

Introit
(As the introit is being sung, Readers A and B come forward and stand by the Advent wreath until the music is finished.)

Litany
Reader A: Please turn to the Advent litany in your bulletins.
(Pause as they do so.)
Let all who take refuge in God be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
O God, spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Inevitably it happens to any adult or any church leader toward the end of the year, or the time their driver's license expires. Despite the well-intended efforts to try to settle it through the mail, we end up in a long line at the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. Typically there is a little box with numbers one is supposed to take so they may be identified when the clerk calls for that number's turn in line. The wait can be very tedious. The workers and customers are both tired and anxious with each unique personal vehicle issue.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL