It's the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in which we celebrate the creative power of God to bring life out of chaos, and how we receive this within ourselves as we say “Yes” in our Baptisms to sharing the life of the One who in his Baptism said "Yes" to sharing ours. Throughout the Service, in word and song, we’re basking in the Lord’s light, which shines forth and overcomes the darkness, and allowing it to penetrate into our souls. Our Virtual Choir is leading us in the Hymns, “Come. See This Glorious Light,” “The Light of Christ,” and “Wind upon the Waters.” Were also listening to “Sing of God Made Manifest” played on the organ from a 12th century church in Wales during our Offertory. In our Children’s Time, we’re remembering how we and the whole world are in God’s Hands. The First Reading from Holy Scripture, shared on video by John, is the famous beginning of Genesis, in which God says, “let there be light, and there was light.” The Gospel shares about the Baptism of Jesus by John in the River Jordan, and what transpired when this took place. The Sermon reflects on all of the themes mentioned above. After the Sermon, we have the opportunity to renew our Baptismal Covenant, saying “Yes” to the One who has said “Yes” to us. Stacy is then leading us in the Prayers of the People, with the Incarnation Litany from the BAS, and a Prayer in Response to COVID-19 penned by the President of the Methodist Church in Great Britain. And we’re having the awesome privilege of receiving our Lord, the Light of the world, into our hearts with thanksgiving, as we share Spiritual Communion together. Then, our Liturgy ends, and the service begins, as we go forth to spread the light wherever there is darkness, through what we say and what we do.
Today’s Service of Holy Eucharist will be livestreamed on our main Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/stpaulscalgary) at 9:30 am. Following the service, the video will be posted on our YouTube Channel, and a link to the service will be added here. Please download the Order of Service if you would like to follow along.
Permission to reprint, podcast, and/or stream the music in this service obtained from:
(a) ONE LICENSE with license # A-713985, and/or
(b) CCLI with Streaming License # 20351479.
All rights reserved.