SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 2026​

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INTRODUCTION​

Today’s gospel opens with further reflection on Jesus’ baptism. He is the Lamb of
     God who takes away the sin of the world and the one anointed by the Spirit. In
     the liturgy we come and see Christ revealed among us in word and meal. We go
     forth to invite others to come and worship the Holy One and to receive the gifts of
     grace and peace made known among us.

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PRAYER OF THE DAY

Holy God, our strength and our redeemer, by your Spirit hold us forever, that
     through your grace we may worship you and faithfully serve you, follow you and
     joyfully find you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.​

FIRST READING

ISAIAH 49:1-7
Here the servant, identified as Israel, speaks for herself and describes her
     honored mission. Called before her birth like Jeremiah and John the Baptist, the
     servant is not only to restore Israel. The servant’s ultimate assignment is to bring
     news of God’s victory to the ends of the earth. God in faithfulness has chosen
     Israel for this task.

1 Listen to me, O coastlands;
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born;
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4 But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord
and my reward with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
  for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
  and my God has become my strength—
  6 he says,
  “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
  to raise up the tribes of Jacob
  and to restore the survivors of Israel;
  I will give you as a light to the nations,
  that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

  7 Thus says the Lord,
  the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
  to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
  the slave of rulers,
  “Kings shall see and stand up;
  princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
  because of the Lord, who is faithful,
  the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”​

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PSALM

PSALM 40:1-11
(Response) I love to do your will, O my God. (Ps. 40:8)

1 I waited patiently upon the Lord,
who stooped to me and heard my cry.
2 The Lord lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a high cliff, making my footing sure.
3 The Lord put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Happy are they who trust in the Lord!
They do not turn to enemies or to those who follow lies.
(Response) I love to do your will, O my God. (Ps. 40:8)

5 Great are the wonders you have done,
        O Lord my God! In your plans for us, none can be compared with you!
Oh, that I could make them known and tell them!
        But they are more than I can count.
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire;
you have opened my ears:
        burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required.
(Response) I love to do your will, O my God. (Ps. 40:8)

7 And so I said, “Here I am; I come.
In the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 ‘I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep within me.’ ”
9 I proclaimed righteousness in the great assembly;
I have not restrained my lips, O Lord, you know.
10 I have not hidden your righteousness in my heart;
        I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and truth from the great assembly.
11 You are the Lord; do not withhold your compassion from me;
may your steadfast love and your truth continually keep me safe.
(Response) I love to do your will, O my God. (Ps. 40:8)

SECOND READING

1ST CORINTHIANS 1:1-9
Though God’s church in Corinth is a fractious congregation beset with many
     conflicts, Paul opens this letter by spotlighting the multiple ways God has
     enriched and sustained its life as part of the divine call into the fellowship of our
     Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
     and our brother Sosthenes,
     2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ
     Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the
     name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

     4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has
     been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him,
     in speech and knowledge of every kind 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been
     strengthened among you 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for
     the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end,
     so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is
     faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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​​​​GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. In the Word was life, and the life was the light of all people. Alleluia. (John 1:4)

GOSPEL READING

JOHN 1:29-42
John the Baptist’s witness to Jesus initiates a chain of testimony as his disciples
     begin to share with others what they have found.

29 [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the
     Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is he of whom I said,
     ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I
     myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he
     might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending
     from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him,
     but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see
     the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
     34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”

     35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he
     watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” 37 The
     two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned
     and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said
     to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
     39 He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying,
     and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
     40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon
     Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have
     found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus,
     who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called
     Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

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Annual License #SB144368. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 2/28/2026.
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License #11327166. The next Subscription Renewal Date is 1/31/2026.

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