Prayers of the People: Being Beloved ~ 1st Sunday after Epiphany, Baptism of Our Lord, Yr C

For Sunday, January 9, 2022; Readings:  Isaiah 43:1-7, Ps 29, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

         Thus says the Lord, he who created you...Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. [Isaiah 43:1] 

        Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness…The voice of the LORD is a powerful voice; the voice of the LORD is a voice of splendor. [Ps 29: 2, 4]

        [Peter and John] went down and prayed for them…laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. [Acts 8:15a, 17]

       "...one who is more powerful than I is coming...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand...to gather the wheat into his granary...and when Jesus had been baptized...a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'" [Luke 3:16b-17a, 21b, 22b]

     We’re only a few days after the Epiphany and the arrival and departure of Royal Visitors with their extravagant gifts. So much has happened to this Child Jesus and his family in two short chapters in Luke, and even more in the first two chapters of Matthew. And, as things happen, suddenly the grown man Jesus is meeting his cousin, John the Baptizer, son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and asking John to baptize him. The life of Jesus will move on quickly from here but let’s slow down a bit and look at the meaning of Baptism.

    The word Baptism is derived from the Greek and Latin words for washing, dipping, or plunging. There are a variety of meanings, protocols, requirements, and reasons for such rituals, for example, initiation into a community of faith or spiritual regeneration. Whether by aspersion (sprinkling with water), immersion (plunging into water), or affusion (pouring water on), Baptism is a sacrament, ceremony, a rite, that hearkens back to the Jewish heritage of Jesus. Ancient and modern Jewish rituals of ablution (washing) for cleansing and/or purification were established millennia before John poured water over his cousin's head or submerged him in the Jordan River. Some Christian denominations believe that Baptism is necessary for Salvation, others do not. Some baptize infants and children; some require one to be older to make one’s own decision. Not all schools of Judaism practice purification/cleansing rituals and neither do all Christians. But for most Christians, this Gospel moment marks the very beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Jesus was led by the Spirit to the desert immediately afterward to prepare himself further. 

    If you haven't been baptized, christened, or dedicated, many of us believe that it’s not a salvation deal-breaker. And if you want to be baptized but don’t quite know how to go about it, some believe that just wanting to be baptized is enough and you become baptized through desire. And while anyone of us can be a baptizer with water, Jesus brings the fire of the Holy Spirit to set our faith ablaze.

   One important part of baptism, whether by water or desire, is to grow into the willingness to live faithfully. As we hear in the readings for today, God calls us each by our names and claims us. God promises to be with us, to honor us, and to love us always. God gives us strength and the blessing of peace. God also gives us Jesus, who willingly and gladly accepted the role and responsibility of faith ~ and God proclaimed Jesus as Beloved. The most important message in the combined readings for me, is that as God calls us by our names and we are precious in God's sight, we need not fear because we are also God's Beloved. Let us, then, with confidence and courage, give God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit the honor due their names, as we would for those we love. Let us by our every thought, word, and action of a faith-filled life, try to be a reflection of God's Divine Love as we, in turn, reflect on the promise, the joy, and the role and responsibility of being beloved by God. 

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, You call us each by name and we are Your own. Gather us as wheat into Your granary and burn off the chaff within us that turns us from You. Baptize us in the fire of faith that we may discover the beauty of holiness in each day of our earthly lives.
 
                                                    O Lord of Glory
        RESPONSE:                 Bless us with Your strength and peace
 
~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, fill us with the splendor of Your powerful voice to proclaim to all who govern or hold authority with evil intent, that Your boundless love and eternal presence removes our fear and saves us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace
 
~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, cradle the hearts of the sick, the poor, and the lonely, and fortify the hearts of all who give of themselves to help. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace
 
~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, carry the sorrowful through the waters of grief, as those You have called Home now live again, forever joyful in Your infinite love and grace. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace
 
~  Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace
             
~ Creator God~Beloved Messiah~Holy Spirit, enlighten and excite Your anointed disciples of our own day, who pray with and for us, baptize and confirm us, and instruct, encourage, and travel with us through our earthly sojourn. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                                       O Lord of Glory
                                                       Bless us with your strength and peace
             
The Celebrant adds: O Lord our God, Eternal and Almighty, grant our souls the confidence and courage to give the glory due Your name by our every thought, word, and action, striving to be among those with whom You are well pleased. We ask through Jesus, Your Beloved Son; and the Holy Spirit, the Fire of our Faith; who together live and reign with You as One God, now and forever. Amen.

 

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