EPIPHANY OF THE LORD                            4 January 2026

(6 January)

FIRST READING Isaiah 60.1–6

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

2 For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the LORD will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

3 Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

5 Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

PSALM Psalm 72.1–7, 10–14

R Kings bow down before him;

all the nations do him service.

1 Give the king your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to the king’s son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously

and the poor with justice;

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people,

and the little hills bring righteousness. R

4 He shall defend the needy among the people;

he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure,

from one generation to another. R

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field,

like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish;

there shall be abundance of peace

till the moon shall be no more. R

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute,

and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him,

and all the nations do him service. R

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress,

and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor;

he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,

and dear shall their blood be in his sight. R

SECOND READING Ephesians 3.1–12

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.

1 I, Paul, am a prisoner for Christ Jesus

for the sake of you Gentiles –

2 for surely you have already heard

of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,

3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation,

as I wrote above in a few words,

4 a reading of which will enable you

to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.

5 In former generations

this mystery was not made known to humankind,

as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets

by the Spirit:

6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs,

members of the same body,

and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I have become a servant

according to the gift of God’s grace

that was given me by the working of his power.

8 Although I am the very least of all the saints,

this grace was given to me

to bring to the Gentiles

the news of the boundless riches of Christ,

9 and to make everyone see

what is the plan of the mystery

hidden for ages in God who created all things;

10 so that through the church

the wisdom of God in its rich variety

might now be made known

to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose

that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have access to God

in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

GOSPEL Matthew 2.1–12

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

1 In the time of King Herod,

after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,

wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking,

2 ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?

For we observed his star at its rising,

and have come to pay him homage.’

3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened,

and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and calling together

all the chief priests and scribes of the people,

he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea;

for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men

and learned from them the exact time

when the star had appeared.

8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,

‘Go and search diligently for the child;

and when you have found him,

bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’

9 When they had heard the king, they set out;

and there, ahead of them,

went the star that they had seen at its rising,

until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw that the star had stopped,

they were overwhelmed with joy.

11 On entering the house,

they saw the child with Mary his mother;

and they knelt down and paid him homage.

Then, opening their treasure-chests,

they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,

they left for their own country by another road.

THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST    11 January 2026

FIRST READING Isaiah 42.1–9

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Thus says the LORD:

1 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 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.

PSALM Psalm 29

R The Lord shall give his people

the blessing of peace.

or

R The voice of the Lord is

upon the mighty waters.

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;

worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. R

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;

the God of glory thunders;

the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice;

the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour. R

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees;

the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. R

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;

the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;

the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe

and strips the forests bare.

9 And in the temple of the Lord

all are crying, ‘Glory!’ R

10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood;

the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore.

11 The Lord shall give strength to his people;

the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. R

SECOND READING Acts 10.34–43

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

34 Peter began to speak to those assembled

in the house of Cornelius.

‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality,

but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right

is acceptable to him.

36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel,

preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all.

37 That message spread throughout Judea,

beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit and with power;

how he went about doing good

and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,

for God was with him.

39 We are witnesses to all that he did

both in Judea and in Jerusalem.

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;

40 but God raised him on the third day

and allowed him to appear,

41 not to all the people

but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses,

and who ate and drank with him after

he rose from the dead.

42 He commanded us to preach to the people

and to testify that he is the one ordained by God

as judge of the living and the dead.

43 All the prophets testify about him

that everyone who believes in him

receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

GOSPEL Matthew 3.13–17

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

13 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 fulfil 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 the Spirit of God descending like a dove

and alighting on him.

17 And a voice from heaven said,

‘This is my Son, the Beloved,

with whom I am well pleased.’