Sunday Worship

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Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for January 11th 2026:

Lectionary Theme: God’s Covenant brings hope

Occasion: 1st Sunday after Epiphany

Lectionary readings:
Psalm 29
Isaiah 42: 1-9
Acts 10: 34-43
Matthew 3: 13-17

[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to read it for yourself (and/or to listen to it) and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]

Songs:

Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube.

Guide me O thou great Jehovah.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Servant King.
This is my desire.
Christ when for us you were baptized.
I cannot tell.
God is here as we his people.
Shalom to you.

Prayers:

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You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.

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Children’s Address:

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Sermon:

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Bible readings:

Psalm 29

1 All of you angels in heaven,
honour the glory and power of the LORD!
2 Honour the wonderful name of the LORD,
and worship the LORD most holy and glorious.

3 The voice of the LORD echoes over the oceans.
The glorious LORD God thunders
above the roar of the raging sea,
4 and his voice is mighty and marvellous.
5 The voice of the LORD destroys the cedar trees;
the LORD shatters cedars on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon jump like a wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD makes lightning flash
8 and the desert tremble.
And because of the LORD,
the desert near Kadesh shivers and shakes.

9 The voice of the LORD makes deer give birth
before their time.
Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled with shouts of praise.

10 The LORD rules on his throne,
king of the flood forever.
11 Pray that our LORD will make us strong
and give us peace.

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Isaiah 42

1 I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He won’t shout or yell or call out in the streets.
3 He won’t break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure that justice is done.
4 He won’t quit or give up until he brings justice
everywhere on earth,
and people in foreign nations long for his teaching.

5 I am the LORD God. I created the heavens
like an open tent above.
I made the earth and everything that grows on it.
I am the source of life for all who live on this earth,
so listen to what I say.
6 I chose you to bring justice, and I am here at your side.
I selected and sent you to bring light
and my promise of hope to the nations.
7 You will give sight to the blind;
you will set prisoners free from dark dungeons.

8 My name is the LORD! I won’t let idols or humans
share my glory and praise.
9 Everything has happened just as I said it would;
now I will announce what will happen next.

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Acts 10

34 Peter then said:
Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. 35 God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from. 36 This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.
37 You surely know what happened everywhere in Judea. It all began in Galilee after John had told everyone to be baptised. 38 God gave the Holy Spirit and power to Jesus from Nazareth. He was with Jesus, as he went around doing good and healing everyone who was under the power of the devil. 39 We all saw what Jesus did both in Israel and in the city of Jerusalem.
Jesus was put to death on a cross. 40 But three days later, God raised him to life and let him be seen. 41 Not everyone saw him. He was seen only by us, who ate and drank with him after he was raised from death. We were the ones God chose to tell others about him.
42 God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. 43 Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.

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Matthew 3

13 Jesus left Galilee and went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John kept objecting and said, “I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?”
15 Jesus answered, “For now this is how it should be, because we must do all that God wants us to do.” Then John agreed.
16 So Jesus was baptized. And as soon as he came out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. 17 Then a voice from heaven said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.”

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[Did you miss last week’s Sunday Services? They can now be found at Worship Archive – January 4th 2026.