Prayers of Approach
Loving God, we come to worship. You have called each of us by name, we belong to you. Pour out your Spirit on us, we pray, that we may know your love and our belovedness today.
We come to worship, because we are called and chosen. We come because of your power and love and devotion to us. We come to share in your blessings and to receive more. We come to stand with you and with each other. God of creation, the wilderness belongs to you, we seek you as did those who sought John by the Jordan.
We are God’s people, chosen and marked by love. We rejoice to share in God’s family name, and delight to be created for glory. We are baptised by water and the Spirit, and released into the fullness of life.
We come to worship.
Amen.
Hymn Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (R&S 187)
Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7
Luke 3:15-22
Introduction
This week’s passage from Isaiah, written when the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon, is very powerful. His message to the people from God is stunning: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’
Our gospel reading tells us who Jesus is through the witness of John the Baptist and an Old Testament-style theophany as the voice of God identifies Jesus as his Son. This is the first time in Luke’s Gospel that we meet the adult Jesus, as he comes forward for baptism. When Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit comes on him and God’s voice names him as beloved – a true sign of who Jesus is. We too have been called by name, we too belong to God and we too are his beloved children.
Hymn Do not be afraid for I have redeemed you (R&S 591)
Sermon
This week’s readings are rich in imagery. In both Isaiah and the gospel reading we encounter water and fire and in both too, we hear the voice of God. Moreover, in Luke’s gospel we perceive the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. Water and fire are used as signs of struggle and of blessing – in Isaiah as troubles through which God will support and guide his people, bringing them to safety overcoming all danger, and in Luke as blessings showing God’s power and forgiveness. Water and fire are agents of cleansing, washing away or destroying sin so that people may come close to God signified by being baptized not only by water but by the Holy Spirit and fire.
This past week however it is Isaiah’s imagery that has really hit home, ‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you’. (43:2). On Sunday morning we woke up to a world of white, with deep snow drifts and I had to clear several inches of snow from the car before I could set off for Fleetwood where I was preaching that morning. As the snow began to melt later many roads were flooded and news stories showed people being evacuated from their homes, Tewksbury Abbey completely surrounded, and a caravan site under several feet of water.
Driving through Staining shortly after lunch on Monday the road vanished into a huge sheet of water with a car stranded in the middle of it. Some drivers were performing tricky manoeuvres to turn around and go back the way they had come. As I watched I noted how far up the water came on the stranded car and thought my car is much higher could I make it? Two vans coming in the opposite direction decided they could and watching their speed and the bow wave they made as they successfully negotiated the flood I concluded that if I went slowly enough I could too. So off I went and with a prayer of thanks was soon safely through the waters.
It may have been a foolhardy thing to do but I did carefully observe and weigh up all the risks first. I put my trust in the size of my car and its ground clearance, the evidence I could see of the depth of the water and the example of the two vehicles that came through in the other direction. The people of Isaiah’s time were called to put their trust in God who had redeemed them, ‘I have called you by name, you are mine.’ (43:1).
In the home service two weeks ago I wrote about the importance of names, their meanings and how they identify us and say something about us. I might have asked do you like your name, what does it mean to you, or have you ever thought about changing it? Some of us may like our names, and some of us, perhaps, don’t. But they are ours and they belong to us. Sometimes our names may be said with care, delight and love. Sometimes they may be said with hatred, sadness or disappointment. Some of us will be used to using shortened forms of our names; when we were children, we knew we were in trouble if our full names were used! Names however express our relationships with our families, our friends and even with strangers.
We can perhaps imagine the warmth and sincerity of God’s voice, the voice from heaven, when Jesus came up from of the water and received the Holy Spirt. ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ What had Jesus done to merit this praise from God at this point, his first appearance in the gospel as an adult where he presents himself for baptism and prays? In the following verse he receives God’s loving approval. It seems as if he is being applauded for just being there and for being who he is. The baptism scene marks the beginning of Jesus’ public profile. Perhaps as he embarks on his ministry he needs the public affirmation of his father’s love and approval – he is human after all.
We all know the strength we can draw from positive comments – especially those that value us just for being who we are. In a world that values achievement, it can be an enormous relief and encouragement to be told that we are loved for who we are – not for how we look, our exam results, how much we’re paid, or what designer clothes we can afford. Jesus starts his new ministry with the confirmation, the assurance, that God is with him. Like Jesus we, each and every one of us, are God’s beloved, and God wants us to know and receive that love.
Hymn On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (R&S 134)
Prayers of Intercession
Thankful that we are called to be God’s people we pray for the needs and cares of our church, our community, our land, and our world.
We pray for the community of believers to which we belong, for those who are gathered to worship you today, and for those who lead our church… Give us expectant hearts, looking for signs of your Holy Spirit working among us.
We pray for our country, for this land in which we live; for those who lead our nation, and those who protect it, for those with prophetic vision to see how it can be better. Give us minds that can imagine the kingdom of God coming among us.
We pray for our world, east and west, north and south; for those longing for peace, who live at war with their neighbours, and for those with the power to bring peace to the nations. Give us ears to hear the cry of the oppressed, and lips that speak the words they cannot.
We remember those who have gone before us from this time and place.
We pray for all who are called by name, and by the name of Christ – Christians.
We pray for the very young and the very old, for the bereaved, and for those who are ill. Give us hands that bring Jesus into the lives of those in need. Amen.
Hymn Will you come and follow me if I but call your name (R&S 558)
Blessing
Holy Spirit, go with us into the world. Re-source us with your power and your presence. Father God, help us to know your love, and that we are your beloved sons and daughters. Lord Jesus Christ, help us to learn from you, and to follow your example, that we may share belovedness with everyone we meet. Amen.
Prayers and other material (adapted) © Roots for Churches Ltd. Used by permission.
