Collect Readings and Prayers for the Second Sunday of the Epiphany 18th January 2026
Collect
Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Readings
Isaiah 49:1-7
The Servant’s Mission
49 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 laboured 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 honoured 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.’
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Salutation
1 1Paul, 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 spiritual 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 him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 1:29-42
The Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards 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 baptising 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 baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’
The First Disciples of Jesus
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).
Prayers
Dear Lord, it is our privilege to pray for your world and your people and so we offer our prayers to you to-day to use them as you will
- Lord of creation, we admit that sometimes we can miss the glory and the grandeur of your created world. We can walk through life, with our senses turned off. Give us we pray, the gift of caring contemplation, so that we may see all things shot through with your glory: the morning sun between the houses, the endless shades of darkness in an evening sky, the uninhibited laughter of a child, the image of Christ in the face of a friend. And sometimes, let us see things that are so beautiful they almost make us afraid…….
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
- Perfect Light of revelation,
as you shone in the life of Jesus,
whose epiphany we celebrate,
so shine in us and through us,
that we may become beacons of truth and compassion,
enlightening all creation with deeds of justice and mercy. Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
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Prayers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- Heavenly Father,
you have called us in the Body of your Son Jesus Christ
to continue his work of reconciliation
and reveal you to the world:
forgive us the sins which tear us apart;
give us the courage to overcome our fears
and to seek that unity which is your gift and your will;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- A prayer said every morning at Lambeth Palace.
Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one,
we pray to you for the unity of Christians,
according to your will,
according to your means.
May your Spirit enable us
to experience the suffering caused by division,
to see our sin
and to hope beyond all hope.
Amen.
Written by the Chemin Neuf Community
- We pray for the world-wide Christian Church in all its diversity, bringing the elements of different cultures into their worship and in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Especially we pray for those churches who meet together in difficult and often dangerous circumstances. Let them know and feel your all abiding presence to both uphold their courage and strengthen their faith. Transform our darkest places with your light. Amen.
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- We pray for our war torn, power-hungry world and at this point in time we hold before you Lord, with both hope and trepidation, the situation in Iran. We pray for courage, protection, perseverance and wisdom for its people and we remember, in particular, Iranian Christians amid the current violence and uncertainty. We pray for comfort for families who have lost loved ones, and healing for those injured and traumatised. Lord, may this period of unrest be resolved in peace, justice and huge leaps in religious freedom and democratic governance.
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
- When the song of the angels is silent, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are again tending their sheep, when the manger is darkened and still, then the work of Christmas begins. The work to find the lost, to heal the broken hearted, to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to rebuild the nations, to teach God’s Children, to work for peace among people, to befriend the lonely, to release the prisoner. Holy Spirit of God, fill us and inspire us with your life-giving power to enable us to be faithful disciples to proclaim the good news of the Holy Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
- Of immediate concern in our local churches is the future shape of the ministry we shall receive and the structure of the Minster Community which it is proposed to form. Our Bishop has indicated that he is listening to our concerns and wishes the conversation to continue. We pray, Lord, that you will guide with your wisdom all the parties involved in the ongoing discussions. Give us understanding of the difficulties, principally financial, which the Diocese faces, appreciation of the needs of other churches within our area and a recognition that some compromises will have to be made. Help us at the same time to uphold our beliefs in the essential nature of parish ministry and the need for ministerial provision and support at a local level, both in order to maintain and nurture existing congregations but also to enable us to develop effective approaches in mission and outreach.
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
- Lord of our shared lives, we live too much for ourselves, islands of self-sufficiency in an ocean of needs; we fail to help the needy; and we fail to receive their gifts. We fail to see beyond our own little world. Help us to venture out, to encounter others in their struggles and in their generosity. We bring before you now both someone we know is struggling and someone we know is celebrating. Help us to be aware of them, to support them in their need and to rejoice with them in their cause of celebration and may they be aware that you are with them in all the circumstances of their lives.
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
- Inspire your people with your love we pray, that we would have compassion on those who are afraid, who feel inadequate for life or the demands which are placed upon them. Open our eyes to those with whom we live and work to see where there is need for us to reach out with your loving touch. Have mercy on those who hold anger or resentment in their hearts which prevent them from fullness of life, help those who find it hard to forgive others or themselves, give your healing to those who carry the wounds of broken relationships or bereavement.
Lord hear our prayer and let our cry come unto thee.
Accept our prayers and praises Lord, offered in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.