First Sunday after the Epiphany

Occasion: The Baptism of our Lord

The Collect:

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Old Testament: Genesis 1:1-5

¹In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the 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.

³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Psalm: Psalm 29

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
       ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
       worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
³ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
       the God of glory thunders; *
       the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
       the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
       the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
⁶ He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
       and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
⁷ 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.
⁸ The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
       and strips the forests bare.
⁹ And in the temple of the Lord *
       all are crying, “Glory!”
¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
       the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
¹¹ The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
       the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

New Testament: Acts 19:1-7

¹While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. ²He 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.” ³Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴Paul 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.” ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—⁷altogether there were about twelve of them.

Gospel: Mark 1:4-11

⁴John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵And 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.⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷He 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. ⁸I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰And 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.¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

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