14 January 2024
10:00 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
This morning at 10 am we had a Parish Eucharist. The Celebrant was Father Chris and in his Sermon he told us of the background to the period of Epiphany we are now in. It doesnt seem logical that we celebrate the Magi, then the Baptism of Christ when he was and adult, then go back at Candlemas to his presentation in the temple as a baby. But all these events link together as part of the revelation of his divide nature to the world. We believe that he came from God to save us all.
The Choir sang 'The Lamb' by John Tavener as the anthem.
At the end of the service, when the children had returned to us from Sunday School, Scarlet was inducted into the Junior Choir as a full member. She joined Annabelle and Bella as are three most recent members. Welcome Scarlet!!
Genesis 1:1-5
A reading from the book of Genesis.
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.
Acts 19:1-7
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
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.
Mark 1:4-11
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
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.’
