First Sunday of Epiphany

Collect

Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove: Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Isaiah 42:1–9

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
     my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
     I have put my Spirit upon him;
     he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
     or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
     and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
     he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
     till he has established justice in the earth;
     and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
     who created the heavens and stretched them out,
     who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
     who gives breath to the people on it
     and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
     I will take you by the hand and keep you;
     I will give you as a covenant for the people,
     a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
     to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
     from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
     my glory I give to no other,
     nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
     and new things I now declare;
     before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”

Psalm 89:20–29

I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
     so that my hand shall be established with him;
     my arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked shall not humble him.
     I will crush his foes before him
     and strike down those who hate him.
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
     I will set his hand on the sea
     and his right hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
     And I will make him the firstborn,
     the highest of the kings of the earth.
My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
     I will establish his offspring forever
    and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Acts 10:34–38

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Matthew 3:13–17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Photo by David Bumgardner on Unsplash

Collect and Readings for January 11, 2026

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