SUNDAY 18 Jan 2nd Sunday of Epiphany St Peter's Berkhamsted welcomes you

Welcome to worship. You can follow the full order of service in the separate booklet. The readings, prayers and hymns for today are found in this sheet. Please take this sheet home with you.

First reading: Isaiah 49.1-7

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.
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.
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
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.’


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—
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.’


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.’

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Psalm 40 (vv. 1-12)

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me out of the roaring pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon a rock and made my footing sure. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not turn to the proud that follow a lie. 5 Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God. How great your designs for us! There is none that can be compared with you. 6 If I were to proclaim them and tell of them they would be more than I am able to express. 7 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire but my ears you have opened; 8 Burnt offering and sacrifice for sin you have not required; then said I: ‘Lo, I come. 9 ‘In the scroll of the book it is written of me that I should do your will, O my God; I delight to do it: your law is within my heart.’ 10 I have declared your righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips, and that, O Lord, you know. 11 Your righteousness I have not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation. 12 Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Lord; let your love and your faithfulness always preserve me,

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He brought me out of the roaring pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon a rock and made my footing sure. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not turn to the proud that follow a lie. 5 Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God. How great your designs for us! There is none that can be compared with you. 6 If I were to proclaim them and tell of them they would be more than I am able to express. 7 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire but my ears you have opened; 8 Burnt offering and sacrifice for sin you have not required; then said I: ‘Lo, I come. 9 ‘In the scroll of the book it is written of me that I should do your will, O my God; I delight to do it: your law is within my heart.’ 10 I have declared your righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips, and that, O Lord, you know. 11 Your righteousness I have not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation. 12 Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Lord; let your love and your faithfulness always preserve me,

The Gospel: John 1.29-42

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The lord be with you And also with you

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John Glory to you, O Lord

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! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 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.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 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?’ 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. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). 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).

This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ

Next week: Sunday 25 January — 3rd Sunday of Epiphany

Church notices

Sunday 25 January at 12:30 pm: St Peter’s Pie Party 2026

Come and share lunch with the St Peter’s family at our Pie Party on Sunday 25 January in the Court House, 12:30 for 1pm. Everyone is welcome. Sign up to bring a shepherd’s pie (meat or vegetarian) or fruit pie/crumble to feed about 4 people, and if you are coming on your own feel free to pair up with a friend and bring something between you. Please note that everything needs to be pre-cooked so we just have to reheat things. We will provide salad to go with the savoury pies, and cream to go with the fruit pies and crumbles. If there is anything you can’t eat please let us know so we can make sure there is something for you. Bring what you would like to drink and we will provide glasses. If you'd like to come just sign up at the back of St Peter’s on a Sunday morning or email Rachel. Deadline for signing up is Wednesday 21 January 2026.

Rachel Below     rachel.below@gmail.com   

Wednesday 28 January at 7:30 pm: Induction of Rev Stephen Jullien

Stephen Jullien (who grew up in this parish) is to be installed as the vicar of The Church of the Annunciation, Chislehurst in south-east London. The service will be led by Rt Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester and the Ven Allie Kerr, Archdeacon of Bromley and Bexley. All are welcome to attend; clergy and readers wishing to participate are asked to RSVP by 12 January. Let us hold the congregation of Chislehurst in our prayers, and pray for Fr Stephen as he takes this new step in his ministry.

Carole Poll     carolepoll1@gmail.com   

www.achurchnearyou.com/church

The Parish Office is closed for holidays, re-opening Monday 19 January. For all bereavement & pastoral emergencies, please contact the Rector:

The Bishop of St Albans’ Garden will open to visitors this February, offering a much-loved chance to enjoy God’s creation in its early spring beauty.  Thousands of snowdrops and other early bulbs will be in bloom, creating a peaceful, uplifting place to wander and reflect. This year’s openings may be the last time the garden is made accessible to the public, making the occasion especially meaningful. Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HD

• Saturday 14 February
• Sunday 15 February
• Saturday 21 February
• Sunday 22 February

Time: 2pm–4pm

Entry: £5 per adult (all proceeds to the Trust)
All proceeds will go directly to the Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust, which helps fund essential repairs to historic churches across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

Three colossal sperm whale sculptures will soar above the Nave for the start of 2026 at St Albans Cathedral. The magnificent creatures have been created by artist Tessa Campbell Fraser. They can be seen for free during regular visiting hours until Wednesday 4 February. In the evenings, special ticketed Whales Lates are being held in January and February, when you can see the Whales lit up and accompanied by mesmerising soundscape. Booking for the evening shows is recommended:

The next Farmers' Market is on Berkhamsted High Street, offering a range of local produce, tempting street food, beers and wines, delicatessen and fine cheeses, plus hand-crafted gifts, herbalist therapies and much more. Farmers' Markets are held on the 3rd Sunday of every month.

The Vyne Theatre on Northbridge Road, Berkhamsted, is screening its first opera for 2026: Verdi's La Traviata, from the Royal Opera House. This story of love, passion and tragedy features some of opera’s most famous melodies. Tickets £18, children £12, available from: