A talk to help us understand God's Word.

Welcome to our Service of Worship as God's family.

Welcome and introduction

God's Family Gathers

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

All: and also with you.

Saying sorry to God before we begin worship is really important.

We admit that we sometimes say terrible things. We use words to hurt others.

We twist our words to avoid telling the truth.

We grumble and moan.

All: Father, forgive us.

We do foolish and silly things.

We take what we want without thought for others. We insist on our own way.

We cheat and find shortcuts.

All: Father, forgive us.

God's Family Listens

We hear God's Word in a reading from the Bible.

The Bible is the most important book. It tells us how God wants his people to live and how he wants his world to be. It also tells us about God himself.

At the end of the reading you will hear the words:

This is the Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God!

God's Family Prays

Praying together is really important. Prayer is about telling God how we feel and also listen to how he feels too.

During the prayers you will hear the words:

Lord in your mercy

All: Hear Us

We end our prayers by saying together the family prayer

Our Father who art in heaven

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory Forever and ever. Amen

God's Family Goes

Before we go, we say what we believe:

All: We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sunday Readings

First reading

Genesis 1.1–5

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Psalm

Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you powers of heaven,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name;

worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

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 mighty in operation;

the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The Baptism of Christ First Sunday of Epiphany

The voice of the Lord splits the flash of lightning;

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;

in his temple all cry, 'Glory!'

The Lord sits enthroned above the water flood;

the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.

The Lord shall give strength to his people;

the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

Second reading

Acts 19.1–7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the inland regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?' They replied, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' Then he said, 'Into what then were you baptized?' They answered, 'Into John's baptism.' Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.' On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in

tongues and prophesied— altogether there were about twelve of them.

Gospel

Mark 1.4–11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, 'The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'