Sunday 18th January 2026

EPIPHANY 2A 18th January 2026

A short act of worship and daily devotions

Opening prayers

Here I am, stepping out of the kingdom of comfort,

And into the kingdom of heaven,

Leaving behind productivity and busy-ness,

Entering a place of stillness and be-ing.

We are only human and sometimes we can be blinkered, too scared to shine, live a life hiding so much of ourselves, feeling unworthy…

BUT, we are told…

You are worthy…

You are loved…

Your name is written on my hand,

Every hair on your head counted,

I love you.

You were made to shine.

So, today, I give thanks for your love,

for this world, for those I love and who love me.

In giving thanks, may I also say yes, I will follow,

I will shine light and love into this world.

Come, God of all grace, and show me how to tune my heart to your rhythm, Amen.

Opening song: 570 STF – As we gather, Father, seal us in the love that knows no fear – YouTube

You may now wish to say the Lord’s Prayer in a version or translation with which you are familiar.

Reading: John 1:29-42 – Click for reading

Responding to the reading

When John the Baptist sees Jesus walking by, he doesn’t keep it to himself. He says:

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

And a moment later, two of his disciples, curious, perhaps uncertain, begin to follow Jesus.

Jesus turns, sees them trailing behind, and asks a simple but profound question:

“What are you looking for?”

It’s a question that echoes across centuries.

What are you looking for?

Peace? Purpose? Healing? Justice? Belonging?

The disciples respond not with a direct answer, but with a question of their own: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And Jesus replies with an invitation that is still extended to us today: “Come and see.”

Not ‘come and believe’ or ‘come and agree’, but ‘come and see.’

Discipleship begins not with certainty, but with curiosity. It begins not with doctrine, but with encounter. For liberal, open-hearted Christians, this is both freeing and challenging: it means we are invited to follow Jesus not because we have all the answers, but because we are willing to walk the path.

In this story, discipleship looks like paying attention. Like asking honest questions. Like staying close enough to see where Jesus dwells, and being changed by the journey.

And perhaps just as beautifully, it doesn’t end with us. Andrew, one of those first two disciples, immediately goes and finds his brother Simon Peter and says, “We have found the Messiah.” He brings someone else along for the journey: because grace isn’t something we hoard; it’s something we share.

So, as you reflect on this passage, consider:

• What are you really seeking in your walk with God?

• Where might Jesus be saying to you, “Come and see”?

• Who in your life needs to be invited into a deeper, more compassionate kind of faith

– not with pressure, but with presence?

This is how the movement begins: one person points, another follows, and slowly, a community forms – not of people who have it all figured out, but of people who are willing to walk, to ask, to stay, and to see.

May we have the courage to follow our questions, the openness to see God in new places, and the love to invite others along the way.

Hymn: 367 STF – When I was lost, you came and rescued me – YouTube

Blessing

Holy God,

As I leave this place and this time of worship,

Your Spirit travels with me, ahead of me,

Ignite in me a desire to follow in your way,

I pray, O God,

Amen.

Prayers and Prayer Pointers For This Week

Monday 19th January

• Ripple prayers:

• Draw yourself a circle on a piece of paper, about 2 inches wide. Inside it, write the names of close friends and family members that you would like to pray for.

• Around this small circle, draw another bigger circle, about an inch from the edge of the first. In the gap between the small circle and the outside of the bigger circle, write the names of anything or anyone in your local community that you would like to pray for.

• Now draw a final larger circle around the second circle. In the gap between the second and this third circle, write the names of anything or anyone in the wider world that is on your heart and that you would like to pray for.

Tuesday 20th January

• As you eat a meal today, consider where your food has come from. Where might it have grown? Been picked? Been packaged? How might it have travelled to you?

• Thank God for all those places and people involved in your food’s journey and pray for their wellbeing.

Wednesday 21st January

• Reflect on times in your life that you have felt God’s presence most strongly. Where were you? How did it feel? Consider telling a friend or family member about one of these times, or writing the experience down.

  
  

Thursday 22nd January

• As you get up and prepare for your day, repeat and reflect on the words:

• Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee!

  
  

Friday 23rd January

• Yahweh is the Hebrew name for God – a name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. Take a moment today to sit still and breathe deeply. As you breathe in, think ‘Yah’ and as you breathe out think ‘weh’. Repeat this over and over, reflecting on God’s presence in every breathe we take.

Saturday 24th January

• Lord of all light, Light my way this day, and this weekend, That those I meet may see your light shining through, And I may glimpse your grace everywhere. Amen.