Traditional Services

WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH

TRADITIONAL SERVICES

Wesley Sanctuary 7.30am | 9.30am (Live-streamed) | 11.30am | 5.00pm

11 January 2026 | BAPTISM  OF THE LORD

Churchwide Ministries Dedication 

Liturgical Colour: White

Lectionary (Year A): Isaiah 42:1–9, Psalm 29,
Acts 10:34–43, Matthew 3:13–17 

Songs: The Servant King
Baptized in Water
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (UMH 139)
 My Only Comfort
Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God
Shalom to You (UMH 666)
Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service (UMH 581)
Glory Be to the Father (UMH 70) J
esus, the Light of the World 

Sermon: Righteous, Anointed, Beloved. (Matthew 3:13–17)

BAPTISM OF THE LORD

What happens after Christmas?
Jesus grew in stature, and was baptised before he began the ministry His Father has given him. 

Baptism isn’t solely about cleansing us from sin.
Baptism is about initiation into community with God and one another, and Jesus shows us the way into this community through his baptism. 

This was a beginning moment for the ministry that Jesus would perform. This was a sign that something new was about to be launched, and this new thing was nothing less than the kingdom of God, nothing less than a new way of living in community. 

Righteousness refers to being faithful to relationships. You cannot be righteous by yourself. You are righteous with God and righteous with one another. Righteousness implies a relationship. 

Baptism is a corporate act; it is almost always done as a part of worship. When, in extreme cases, it is not a part of a regular worship service, then the community must be represented.

Baptism is an entrance into the fellowship of believers; it is joining with the body. Once you have been baptized, you are never alone. There is always a family around you. You have joined something larger than yourself, which is sometimes startling, but always worthwhile.

Adapted from umcdiscipleship.org
 

I.  GATHERING

We gather in the Lord’s name weekly to be renewed in our hearts and minds. Our worship of God is a response to his revelation as he reveals his truth to us through Scripture, sermon, prayers and songs 

PREPARATION PRAYER

God, you are the host who welcomes us into your presence.
In your presence we humbly bow.
Search us, and purify us Lord with your holy Word.
Mold us and shape us after your will,
while we are waiting, yielded and still.
Speak, O Lord, as we prepare our hearts to worship you today.
Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way.
Amen. 

MEDITATION VERSES

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 alighting on him.

And a voice from heaven said,
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16–17

“Here is my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.”
based on Isaiah 42:1

PRELUDE 
The Servant KingOrganist

INTROIT
The Servant KingChoir
Words and Music: Graham Kendrick
© 1983 Thankyou Music Ltd. 

From heav’n you came, helpless babe,
entered our world, your glory veiled; 
not to be served but to serve,
and give your life that we might live. 

This is our God, the Servant King,
he calls us now to follow him,
to bring our lives as a daily offering
of worship to the Servant King. 

GREETING

CALL TO CONFESSION 

L: When Jesus came to Jordan to be baptized by John,
he did not come for pardon but as the sinless one.
He came to share repentance with all who mourn their sins,
to speak the vital sentence with which good news begins.
Let us confess our sins before God. 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION 

All: God of our salvation,
we marvel that you sent your Son into the world, 
that we might become your children. 

Yet we confess that we often rebel against you and your ways.
We fall back into a spirit of fear.
We turn toward false saviors. 

Forgive and heal us, we pray.
Help us, once again,
to turn away from all that is false,
and to turn toward you. 

Help us to hear and embrace
the identity, the promise and the calling
you give to us in our baptism
as your dearly loved children. Amen. 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Baptized in Water
Words: Michael Saward, 1981 © 1982 The Jubilate Group, admin. Hope Publishing Company
Music (BUNESSAN, “Morning Has Broken”): Scottish folk melody

1. Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit,
cleansed by the blood of Christ, our King;
heirs of salvation, trusting his promise,
faithfully now God’s praise we sing. 

2. Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit,
dead in the tomb with Christ,
our King; one with his rising, freed and forgiven,
thankfully now God’s praise we sing. 

3. Baptized in water, sealed by the Spirit,
marked with the sign of Christ, our King;
born of one Father, we are his children,
joyfully now God’s praise we sing. 

CALL TO WORSHIP *

On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday, people of God,
Come! Let us follow Jesus to the edge of the Jordan River to be baptized.
We come to be cleansed and made whole. 

Come! Let us witness John’s confusion and
Jesus’ insistence that John baptize God Incarnate.
We come to join Jesus in choosing life in the kingdom of God. 

Come! Let us hear God declare the truth of Jesus’ identity
and the truth of our identity as baptized people.
We come to remember and embody who we are as beloved children of God. 

Come! Let us worship God who leads us into the baptismal waters and salvation life.
We come to worship God who empowers us
through divine presence to live together as the family of God. 

All: Glory be to you, God!
You alone are worthy to receive all honor, glory, and praise! 

OPENING HYMN *
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty UMH 139 

SCRIPTURE READING *
Peter at Cornelius’s HouseActs 10:34–43

CONFESSING OUR FAITH
My Only Comfort
Words: Zacharius Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus, 1563; Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 1; vers. Marlene Veenstra, 2003, alt. © 2004 Faith Alive Christian Resources
Music (RESIGNATION): W. Walker’s Southern Harmony, 1835;
harm. Dale Grotenhuis (1931 – 2012) © 1990 Dale Grotenhuis 

1. My only comfort, now, always, in both my life and death,
   is knowing I am not my own; I belong to Jesus Christ.
   My body and soul belong to him in life, in death, always.
   He is my faithful Savior, Friend; Jesus Christ, my Lord and King.
   
   
2. He fully paid for all my sins with his own precious blood
   and through his death has set me free from Satan’s tyranny.
   Without my heavenly Father’s will, not a single hair can fall.
   In fact, all things must work for good, for my salvation. 

    

3. Since I belong to him alone, Christ, through the Spirit gives
   assurance of eternal life, and so I live for him.
   My only comfort, now, always, in both my life and death,
   is knowing I am not my own; I belong to Jesus Christ. 
   
   

SILENT PRAYER

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATIONSt. 1
Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God
Words and Music: Stuart Townend and Keith Getty 
© 2006 Thankyou Music Ltd.  

Holy Spirit, living Breath of God, 
breathe new life into my willing soul.
Bring the presence of the risen Lord
to renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause your Word to come alive in me.
Give me faith for what I cannot see. 
Give me passion for your purity.
Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.
Amen. 

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

II.   SERMON

III.   WE RESPOND IN PRAYER, SHARING AND GIVING

We respond to God’s Word through (a) praying for the church and the world, (b) sharing of God’s peace with one another (2 Cor 13:11, Gal 5:13) after having received the peace of Christ, and after made peace with one another, (c) offer to God our tithes and gifts (Matt 5:24), as a response to Christ’s sacrificial offering (Eph 5:2, 1 Pet 2:5). 

PRAYER

Prayers of the People 

SHARING

Churchwide Ministries Dedication 

Family News

Welcome

Exchange of Peace
Shalom to You UMH 666

GIVING

Offertory PrayerAll

Tithes and Gifts to God
Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service (UMH 581)Congregation

Doxology * 
Glory Be to the FatherUMH 70

IV.   SENDING FORTH

Having encountered God through worship, we are to (a) serve one another through acts of service, (b) participate in the programs of the church to continue growing in our Christian discipleship, and (c) to go forth into the world as Christ’s hands and feet in the ministry of reconciliation. 

CLOSING HYMN * 
Jesus, the Light of the World#100
Words: Alan J. Hommerding © 2015 World Library Publications, Inc. 
Refrain: George D. Elderkin
Music: George D. Elderkin © 2000 GIA Publications, Inc. 

BENEDICTION *

POSTLUDEOrgan

Prayer Ministry at the Altar
If you need someone to pray with you, please proceed to the inner rails of the altar area. If you wish to pray alone, please use the outer rails.

* Congregation may stand.

THE RITUAL OF DEDICATION OF ALL PEOPLE WHO SERVE IN WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today we dedicate many of our brothers and sisters who have been called to serve the Lord in various ministries, committees and organisations in Wesley Methodist Church in various capacities as leaders, regular members, project-based members and others. We thank God for them and their labour of love.

The Psalmist says, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 84:10, 27:4) Serving the Lord in whatever capacity is indeed a privilege, an honour and a joy.

God calls us to serve him with all our heart, our soul and our strength. It is our response to his great love, an expression of our love to him. Therefore, love must be the heartbeat of all we do – a reflection of our love for God and for others. This will please God and glorify his name. God’s love, so amazing, demands our best. So let us bring to him all our service, and all that is most honouring and the best we have. Let us give to him the offering of our lives!

Dear co-workers in Christ,
we rejoice because you have obeyed the call to serve the Lord in all your various capacities, committing your time, energy and talents to the glory of God.

Will you endeavour always to be devoted to God, and at all times, seek to live a holy life in accordance with the Holy Scripture – to know him more, to love him more and to serve him more?

Volunteers: We will, the Lord being our Helper.

Servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ is our perfect example. He is our Servant King. He has shown us a posture of humility, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Will you be willing to imitate Christ’s humility and follow in his steps?

Volunteers: With God’s help, we will.

Do you promise obedience to those to whom the church has committed authority over you?

Volunteers: We do.

Let us pray and affirm our Covenant to the Lord in the Wesleyan Tradition:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt,
rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

Congregation:
O Lord our God, who is worthy to be praised and to be held in reverence by all, give your grace and strength to these who serve in various ministries, committees and organisations of the church, that in giving of their best to you through words, deeds, songs, and many other forms of service, we may all glorify your Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Master and Redeemer.
Amen.

Pastor (To congregation):
I commend to you these persons whom we have dedicated in Christ’s Church. Will you seek together to support them and be encouraged to join them?

Congregation: We will do so, with God’s help.

Pastor:
Heavenly Father, we ask that you strengthen and sustain all those who serve in our church; we pray that they will always have a servant heart as they serve, love and care for your people. Help them always to understand that ministry is always a privilege and never an entitlement. Enable them to live holy lives so that they will never put your name to shame. Grant that as they offer you their gifts and talents, they may always follow Jesus Christ and grow in his likeness. Through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

[Back]