Hampstead Congregational Church
January 11, 2026
First Sunday After Epiphany
with Sunday School
No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life’s
Journey,
You are Welcome Here!
Order of Worship
Prelude Herb Tardiff
Greetings and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive) Fred Malcolm
Leader: Come, you who are weary, you who have been bruised by life, you whose flame has flickered in the winds of the world.
All: We come, longing to be renewed.
Leader: The Holy One who stretches out the heavens is
stretching us now—
stretching our hearts toward courage, our hands toward compassion, our lives
toward gentle justice.
All: We open ourselves to be stretched into new life.
Leader: A voice from heaven says to us, as it said to
Jesus: You are my beloved.
This Spirit rests upon us, too.
All: We are God’s Beloved, called to bring gentle justice.
Leader: Come, let us remember who we are.
All: Let us worship God with joy.
Invocation (unison) Fred Malcolm
Holy One, Breath of Creation,
You stretched out the heavens and set the earth dancing with life.
You whispered belovedness over Jesus rising from the Jordan, and your Spirit
rested upon him like a gentle dove. Rest
your Spirit upon us now. Stretch our
hearts where they have grown tight. Soften
the places that have been hardened by fear or disappointment. Wake the embers of joy that still glow
beneath the ash. Remind us that we are
your Beloved, not because of what we have done, but because of who You are and the love that holds us. As we gather at the water today, let us
remember who we are, and who we are becoming together—your people of compassion, courage, and gentle justice. In the name of Christ, the One who shows us how to be human, we pray. Amen.
Passing of the Peace of Christ
(Feel free to pass the peace by shaking hands, offering hugs or waves. Those who would like to share peace without physical contact are invited to place their hands over their hearts in greeting.)
*Opening Hymn:
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 42: 1-9, Matthew 3: 13-17 Fred Malcolm
Isaiah 42: 1-9
42 Here is 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.
2 He will not cry out or lift up his voice
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth,
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 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 upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
Matthew 3: 13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Children’s Message
Sermon: “Into the Muddy Waters” Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
Special Music
Reaffirmation of Baptism
INVITATION
ACKNOWLEDGING OUR NEED FOR RENEAL
BLESSING THE WATER
RENEWAL
AFFIRMATION OF CALLING
Leader: We are the Body of Christ— not alone, but together.
People: We are God’s beloved.
Leader: The Spirit that was in Christ is in us.
People: We are called to bring gentle justice.
Leader: We will not break the bruised reed. We will not extinguish the smoldering flame.
People: We will walk in compassion, courage, and joy.
Leader: This is our covenant. This is our life together.
People: Amen.
Call for Concerns & Celebrations
(Please write joys and concerns on the papers in the baskets in the pews and pass them to an usher. The Congregational Response is: “Hear Our Prayers”)
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Call to Offering
*Doxology: Praise
God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all creatures here below;
Praise
Holy Spirit evermore;
One God, triune, whom we adore! Amen.
*Prayer of Dedication Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
God of all good gifts, thank you for the gift of baptism, which marks us for life here and life eternal. Please accept our offerings as signs of our love for you and our desire to share Good News with all who are eager to claim new life. AMEN
*Communion Hymn:
Celebrating Communion
Invitation
Communion Prayer
Telling the Story
Prayer of Consecration
Sharing the Elements
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
We give thanks almighty God, that you have refreshed us at your table by granting us the presence of Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our savior. Amen.
*Hymn of Going Forth:
*Benediction Rev. Paige Besse-Rankin
Beloved of God, you are the ones upon whom the Spirit
rests.
You are the ones God delights in.
You are the ones called to bring gentle justice to the world.
Go now as people who have passed again through the
waters—
washed in mercy, renewed in courage, and stretched wide in compassion.
Music Usage permitted through OneLicense HCC License # A-730412 and CCLI License Number 2927783. All rights reserved.
Announcements:
Steeple Lighting
Steeple Lighting
Steeple Lit
January 11th to the 15th
In Loving Memory of
Gisela Koester