Isaiah 42:1-9

 

"Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations. 2He will be gentle—he will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged. 4He will not stop until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction."  5God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. And it is he who says, 6"I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you to my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide all nations to me. 7You will open the eyes of the blind and free the captives from prison. You will release those who sit in dark dungeons.  8"I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else. I will not share my praise with carved idols. 9Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens."

(NLT)

 

Psalm 29

 

L.  Give honor to the Lord, you angels;give honor to the Lord for his glory and strength.

C.  Give honor to the Lord for the glory of his name.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

L.  The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.

The God of glory thunders. The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.

C.  The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

L.  The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

C.  He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf

and Mount Hermon to leap like a young bull.

L.  The voice of the Lord strikes with lightning bolts.

C.  The voice of the Lord makes the desert quake; the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.

L.  The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks and strips the forests bare.

In his Temple everyone shouts, "Glory!"

C.  The Lord rules over the floodwaters. The Lord reigns as king forever.

L.  The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.  (NLT)

 

The second lesson

 

Acts 10:34-43

 

Then Peter replied, "I see very clearly that God doesn't show partiality. 35In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right. 36I'm sure you have heard about the Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know what happened all through Judea, beginning in Galilee after John the Baptist began preaching. 38And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him.  39"And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by crucifying him, 40but God raised him to life three days later. Then God allowed him to appear, 41not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen beforehand to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is ordained of God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. 43He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name."  (NLT)

 

The Gospel Lesson

 

Matthew 3:13-17

 

13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.  16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  17                And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  (NIV)