Sunday, January 12, 2025 The Baptism of our Lord

 This Sunday is also the second Sunday of the Epiphany, when we are invited to reflect on how we see, hear, and know God’s presence with us and love for us, as revealed in Jesus the Christ. 

Hymn       Praise to the Lord the Almighty #220VU

Scripture Lessons:     Isaiah 43:1-7

                                   Psalm 29 p.756VU

                                   Luke 3:15-17, 21,22

Message

Prayer:  O Christ, you humbled yourself and received baptism at your servant’s hands, showing us the way of humility:  help us to serve humbly all the days of our life. 

O Christ, by your baptism you washed away every impurity, making us children of God:  grant the grace of adoption to all who are searching for you. 

O Christ, by your baptism you sanctified creation and opened the way of repentance to all your believers: make us instruments of your gospel in the world. 

O Christ, by your baptism you revealed the holy Trinity, God who calls you his beloved Son, through the Holy Spirit descending on you: renew our hearts and minds and prepare us to follow you, the light of all the world. Amen. ( a prayer based on the Chaldean Rite, printed in the World Council of Churches’ With All God’s People, adapted.) 

Hymn      All Beautiful the March of Days #530VU

This Sunday’s services will be Howick at 9:30 and Ormstown at 11:00. 

I have heard recently of the death of Burton Lang this past week. We hold the Lang family and Burton’s friends and neighbours in our thoughts and prayers. 

We are now collecting reports for our annual report for 2024. Reports for Howick should go to Wilene and the reports for Franklin and Ormstown can go to Barbara. Please try to have them in by the end of the month. 

St Paul’s Session will meet on Wednesday, January 15th at 1:00 in the hall. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30 at the hall. 

We have heard from the Philanthropy Department of the United Church of Canada, that the current catalogue of Gifts with Vision will continue until the end of January. A new catalogue for the church’s centennial is being prepared. We have also received thanks from the church for the gifts that were given, despite the post office strike, which helped to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to comfort refugees, and to make a difference in our communities and the world. 

The Moderator of the United Church will be offering a New Year’s address on Monday, January 13th from 6-8:00 EST. This will be online and interactive. It will be a kickoff for our centennial celebrations and its theme will be Visions and Dreams and will be focussed on hope and growth for the church as we prepare for our second century as the United Church. Registration for this event is available on the united church website, united-church.ca under webinars and events or through church’s.ca.