Walk With me on Our Journey: Cousins in the water! Do you know who they are? I invite you to come in and find out!

Good Evening Beloved Community!

I know that Cousins in the Water seems like a crazy title for a blog but when this blog is about the Baptsim of our Lord all bets are off. Remember we started Advent with John the Baptist? Well here we are again in the season of Epiphany where we see Jesus being made manifest to many members of the family who don't usually fit the mold. Yesterday on Epiphany while he was only a baby, we see him being worshiped by the Magi who were what were called in those days Gentiles. Gentiles were those who were not of the Jewish faith. Today we meet the cousins at the Jordan river where John the Baptist is baptizing and Jesus comes to him to receive this special rite. John's parent's were Elizabeth and Zechariah and where Mary's cousins. I would suspect Jesus and John are first cousins once removed. I like to call cousins, cousins so that I don't get confused. It must have been an extraordinary family reunion when Jesus asked to be baptized. This was another special epiphany when God anounces Jesus is is Son once again! God is one proud papa when he called out and said "this is My beloved Son". Back to John the Baptist and his ministry of baptising his cousin; How would you feel if you had a family member who was a minister and do these things? I was my mother's Lay Eucharistic Minister when she was a shut in. It was an awesome time for us both. Tonight we meditate and make vigil on the lessons from both the evening prayer and eucharistic lectionaries concerning the Baptism of our Lord and those Cousins in the Water. Remember when we are baptized we become Family Members in the Water of Life and are forever cleansed and made whole. Water is a holy and precious substance for us all. Let us make vigil and pray.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.

I am the God that healeth thee.
I am the God that healeth thee.
I am the God that healeth thee.

In thee, O God, I put my trust.
In thee, O God, I put my trust.
In thee, O God, I put my trust.

Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60:3

I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

Isaiah 49:6b

From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering; for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 1:11

My people, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.’

Isaiah 41:8,9

Hail, gladdening Light, of God’s pure glory poured,
Who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
Holiest of holies, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest,
The lights of evening round us shine,
We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.

Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung,
With undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, Giver of life, alone!
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.

Psalm 134

Ecce nunc

1	Behold now, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, *
	you that stand by night in the house of the Lord.

2	Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the Lord; *
	the Lordwho made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of Our Lord, Rite Two

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Psalms 111, 112, 113

Confitebor tibi

1	Hallelujah!
	I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, *
	in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2	Great are the deeds of the Lord! *
	they are studied by all who delight in them.

3	His work is full of majesty and splendor, *
	and his righteousness endures for ever.

4	He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *
	the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

5	He gives food to those who fear him; *
	he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6	He has shown his people the power of his works *
	in giving them the lands of the nations.

7	The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *
	all his commandments are sure.

8	They stand fast for ever and ever, *
	because they are done in truth and equity.

9	He sent redemption to his people;
	he commanded his covenant for ever; *
	holy and awesome is his Name.

10	The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; *
	those who act accordingly have a good understanding;
	his praise endures for ever.

Psalm 112

Beatus vir

1	Hallelujah!
	Happy are they who fear the Lord *
	and have great delight in his commandments!

2	Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *
	the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3	Wealth and riches will be in their house, *
	and their righteousness will last for ever.

4	Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *
	the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

5	It is good for them to be generous in lending *
	and to manage their affairs with justice.

6	For they will never be shaken; *
	the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.

7	They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *
	their heart is right;
	they put their trust in the Lord.

8	Their heart is established and will not shrink, *
	until they see their desire upon their enemies.

9	They have given freely to the poor, *
	and their righteousness stands fast for ever;
	they will hold up their head with honor.

10	The wicked will see it and be angry;
	they will gnash their teeth and pine away; *
	the desires of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 113

Laudate, pueri

1	Hallelujah!
	Give praise, you servants of the Lord; *
	praise the Name of the Lord.

2	Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, *
	from this time forth for evermore.

3	From the rising of the sun to its going down *
	let the Name of the Lord be praised.

4	The Lord is high above all nations, *
	and his glory above the heavens.

5	Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high *
	but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?

6	He takes up the weak out of the dust *
	and lifts up the poor from the ashes.

7	He sets them with the princes, *
	with the princes of his people.

8	He makes the woman of a childless house *
	to be a joyful mother of children. Genesis 1:1-2:3

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. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Canticle 12